A closer look at FUTURES – part 2
"Commune" by Claire Sosienski Smith
"we will look after each other's children
as an extension of looking after
ourselves and each other."
“Commune” is a poem that presents a simple and loving visual of a future built around communal care. It’s a thoughtful glimpse at friendship that gives and takes without complication. This poem reads like a gift you could pass along to a friend, like a shared meal or a story read aloud.
Claire Sosienski Smith is based in London and spends a lot of time thinking about poetry, prison abolition and Phoebe Bridgers.
"Orbital Decay"
by Shannon Bryan
"Each time I saw a red light in the sky felt like the first. A pull to wonder I refused. Because I thought there was no choice."
A space freight driver and a rogue AI have an unlikely encounter on an interstellar delivery truck. These two strangers connect despite their differences, and share their stories. In each other, they find hints of hope and the possibility of a future they both thought they’d be unable to find.
Shannon Bryan is a Canadian writer of speculative fiction. When not busy with work or writing, Shannon can be found crocheting, playing D&D, or perusing the shelves of indie bookstores. “Orbital Decay” is Shannon’s first published work.
"October" by Judith Skillman
"You pine for
the limelights, instead re-
cieve the applause of a-
corns falling on wooden
decks, and diagnoses."
The turning of the season in the month of October ignites thoughts of change, movement, past, and future. This beautifully reflective poem talks through the season against the closing frame of an unnamed diagnosis.
Judith Skillman is a resident of Newcastle, Washington, and a dual citizen of US and Canada. She is the author of twenty full-length poetry collections, and recipient of awards from Academy of American Poets and Artist Trust. Her new book, A Landscaped Garden for the Addict, is forthcoming from Shanti Arts midsummer 2021. Visit www.judithskillman.com.
"If You Are Boxed-In Know That They Too Tear Down" by Shayna Gee
"I understood ma when she said these walls will tear down."
This moving prose poem begins from a mother’s preparations for the possibility of a big earthquake, from removing the doors to steadying the dishes. It is told through the eyes of her adult child, even as she moves out and contemplates her own walls.
Shayna Gee (she/they) is a writer born and raised in San Francisco. They’re the author of Mushrooms At The E-Grave (Ghost City Press, 2021 Summer Series). Their work has appeared or is forthcoming in Write Now! SF Bay Anthology, Stone of Madness Press, West Trestle Review, and elsewhere. They read prose and chapbook submissions for
Homology Lit and the winnow magazine. You can find Shayna on Twitter @sgeewrites.
"A Sky Made Black" by Daniel James Clark
"As I open my eyes, a spark from my fire makes a circle, one a bit too perfect to be part of the natural order of things. It's time to go back home."
Cinder, an end-of-days AI, walks through a ruined planet, climbing the tower and taking their long-prepared final steps, as this, and the other surrounding 12 stars, collapse into the Darkness. Completing one last task, Cinder contemplates their own purpose and their only remaining point of contact, a fellow AI on a far-off star.
2021 Pushcart Prize nominee
Daniel James Clark attended college at the University of Nevada, Reno, where he received a Bachelor of Arts Degree with an emphasis in photography, and a minor in journalism. He lives in Henderson, Nevada, with his family where he spends his time as a homemaker, photographing news events, maintaining a nonprofit website, and writing stories.
@danjclarkphoto
Illustrations of “A Sky Made Black” by Daniel James Clark (click to enlarge):
Read these stories and more in Futures:
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Futures
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