
Painting ©2022 Gerry Shepherd
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Stiletto in the red sap of the cherry orchard birches. The saber of the kagan shines. The clatter of hooves resounded, and a shiny dress shoe fell on the Alai carpet. Then the door of the hall opened, and the Mongol Shah himself entered. He was in festive attire; musicians and dancers followed the Shah, and all of them loudly shouted out some kind of joyful song—a song about the sea. And the sea (in the meantime) either existed separately from the land, or burned like a candle along with the night and a smooth surface, difficult to distinguish from air. The game began. With whom? What? How the Shah would like it all to be a dream—but no, no, the pawn is already moving. And something else. The gates of the world were opening. To whom are they open now, why? What kind of mysterious expensive shoe, what kind of feast, noise, musicians, and even the Shah himself? Chess opened the gates of the world. The air weighed heavily on the shoulders of those present, superstition found on everyone. Chess opened the gates of the lost world. Raya? Hell? Hey, angels, come here, come—we will give birth to children. They will become Cossacks. Those will be kamikaze. Their name will be Zuhra. Myopia of tears—their name will be eared, and above the name—the fungus of Hiroshima, and the Fuhrer, and nothing but the name of the Fuhrer. Chess of angels opened the gates of the lost world. The machine gun was baptized along with the child. The shah knew all this, he was present at the same time, and his soul was touched by a cloud of flame. Chess of angels opened the gates of the lost world 2.0 (Vexila regis prodeunt—stars in the sky—addresses of whores from the telegram, a sonorous voice, chatter respectful of the shah. The dog howled—who doesn’t know, this is Andreev, he still has a book "Red Laughter" .In a white corolla of roses, in front of Santa Claus, red nose). It's scary to even imagine: what will happen tomorrow? The cage went to look for the bird—Kafka (in fact, everything in the world has already been said). Fucking feminists, strange children with purple hair, an incomprehensible body—you are so afraid, they will force you to give birth, and everything, everything in the world, slurred, reflected in the pupils of the kagan. Oh, that is the check. That is, someone else. Someone special. Someone who is trying to be someone else. Superstition. We all understood everything. We don't understand. And only death calmly wandered on the shores of the strictest peace.
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This word smells good It's like a hacked account Changed password Passion-poisoned air The word with which you will not be able to rhyme So The look word is dead Our mysterious touch chat is exhausted About your armpit hair Oh my red fingernails Oh my armpit hair Oh your red fingernails Send me attachment in pdf format (Secularization?) Let this be your photo Today there are more of us than me Where is my long hair Where is the long hair? cut off Kissed the mirror of the day Lilies of the valley placed on the table lilies of the valley Lilies of the valley on the old avatar Simulacrum of air Ice nipples on the new avatar The ghost of the heart and the chest between the ribs screams ayy ayy No it's not scary it's not scary (Only between us You have nothing more to lose) Yesterday, Washington legalized the word queer for the 100th time. And in your communal apartment down the street of sadness The Mongols baptized the child Lilies of the valley filled with water They said that the Mongolian hands were born for the hard work of beautiful horses with shaved legs—no not shaved When you grow up you will be Genghis Khan Throw out the lilies of the valley ventilate the apartment paint the walls change the floor So who are you girl? be Mary Shulamith you are my Shulamith From the outlet in the kitchen sparks Hey maria bring cigarettes _Sister or brother Mother or father_ Nobody will know) Bring cigarettes breathe listen What if Jesus was gay? Then everything would become clear Then everything would become clear But for now, about Allah Mongolian child Become Genghis Khan He will become Genghis Khan Horses will be whipped fiercely /Shameless return lilies of the valley/ /Best form of silence dialogue/ He will become Genghis Khan / Icy nipples scars on the chest / And he will wear wardrobes home The horses will be whipped / Eyelash caught an eyelash / Fuck the kids off noble women /we will never have children/ Pih pah oh oh oh
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Blind is your love. Yes, it does not really exist—there is only the fear of loneliness, which at least slightly subsides when the simulacrum of love approaches. Love is also not the highest grace. After all, it is possible to love only one's neighbor, to sympathize—to any creature in the universe. And contrary to popular belief—the end of the world will never come, because the universe is an ideal geometry; the perpetual motion machine is also an ideal geometry, someone launched it at one moment, and it will never stop.
©2023 Mykyta Ryzhykh
All rights reserved
Mykyta Ryzhykh…
……is a Ukrainian poet and the winner of the international competition Art Against Drugs and Ukrainian contests Vytoky, Shoduarivska Altanka, Khortytsky dzvony; laureate of the literary competition named after Tyutyunnik, Lyceum, Twelve, named after Dragomoshchenko. Finalist of the Crimean ginger competition. Nominated for Pushcart Prize. Ryzhkykh has been published in the journals: Tipton Poetry Journal, Stone Poetry Journal, Divot Journal, dyst journal, Superpresent Magazine, Allegro Poetry Magazine, Alternate Route, Better Than Starbucks Poetry & Fiction Journal, Littoral Press, Book of Matches, TheNewVerse News, Acorn Haiku Journal, The Wise Owl, Verse-Virtual, Scud, Fevers of the Mind, LiteraryYard, Plum Tree Tavern, Iterant, Fleas on the Dog, The Tiger Moth Review, Lothlorien Poetry Journal, Angel Rust, Neologism Poetry Journal, Shot Glass Journal, QLRS, The Crank, Chronogram, The Antonym, the6ress zine, Monterey Poetry Review, and PPP Ezine.
The 2023 (Inter)National Poetry Month BeZine Blog Bash

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(Inter)National Poetry Month
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Vashti’s Name Corona | Alison Stone
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our preoccupation | gary lundy
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Sonnet Hues Profaned | Kushal Poddar
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Eternal Memories Souls | Dessy Tsvetkova
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from Hiraeth | Mike Stone
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Departure, Arrival | Julia Knobloch
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Spring Throat | Mykyta Ryzhykh
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Democracy | Michael Dickel
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Whispering Vibrations | Waqas Khwaja
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The Joke | Faruk Buzhala
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intentional attention | Lonnie Monka
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Toy Improv Play | Gerry Shepherd
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Spring Hope | jsburl
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We Should Respond | Terry Trowbridge
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Probation Plea | Pek-êng Koa
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Am Feel Month | Brittney Cotrona
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a shadow lurking—3 poems | Mitko Gogov
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Red Sap | Mykyta Ryzhykh
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Invisible Fog | Eve Otto
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Assuage with pen ye troubadours | Lorraine Caputo
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Outcasts Gate Grieving | Linda Chown
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When The Queen Came to Tea | John Anstie
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Unicorn Diasporic Birdwatching | Gili Haimovich
Art: European Robin, pastels, ©2021 Tom Higgins