Percussion
Lynn Thompson
The Sensuality of Trees
Christopher Woods
Yes, you may be surprised that I was surprised at the touching—
his summer warm flesh on mine was a moment when someone
(oblivious to my history) surely felt, in that moment, this is
someone needing contact, percussion; someone wanting another
route into living with her fate and gambles, wanting another way
to open doors, to stand in white-hot light, to mock the blues, and to
feel, to feel as though, to feel as though she is first, Queen; her skin
scent of Earth’s multiple mysteries: gardenia, magnolia, wild papaya;
her color dark or chant or you think you want this history, this person
who is woman, drama and no drama, left for dead, but oh—so alive!
Adam Gianforcaro is the author of the chapbook Poems to Stage Dive to (Stanchion Books, 2026) and full-length collection Every Living Day (Thirty West, 2023). A Pushcart Prize and Best of the Net nominee, his work can be found in The Offing, The Harvard Advocate, Ninth Letter, and elsewhere. Find Adam on Instagram and BlueSky.
Thad DeVassie is a writer and artist/painter from Ohio. He is the author three chapbooks and was awarded the James Tate Poetry Prize (SurVision Books). His work has been nominated for the Pushcart Prize, Best of the Net, Best Microfiction, and appears in Best Small Fictions 2025. His artwork has appeared in galleries, private collections, and more recently in literary journals including Salt Hill, Phoebe, Bat City Review, The Dodge, and New Ohio Review. Find more of his creative output at www.thaddevassie.com.