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a literary magazine about where we live
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contributors
Hi! I’m Robbie. I’m a daily
lifestyle blogger at
www.knitxcore.com. My
Interests include all things old
and dusty, eating pasta late at
night and making a life out of
string and sticks.
I’m Aubri, I’ll be twenty one this year and have
been writing poetry for ten. While poetry will
always be my favorite form of writing, I also
enjoy writing historical fiction and creative non-
fiction. After graduating with a degree in English
Literature this spring, I plan to continue writing
and travel as much as possible, then perhaps
seek a career in editing. I’m inspired by music
more than anything else, but love reading work
from all genres, eras, and cultures.
Hello there my name is Janet Silver born July 1990. Though
my current major in college is General Studies, I plant to
transfer to a four year college to major in English with a
concentration in Creative Writing. Since I was young one of my
hobbies was drawing, I drew a lot but somewhere in there I
began to do little to no drawing and moved towards writing
more and I enjoyed it. There are perhaps still a desire to draw,
paint, etc. in me but between that and writing, I can express
myself so much more generally through lyrics, poems and
short stories. I have only taken three creative writing classes,
one in high school junior year and two classes in college (so
far). I can’t wait to take more when I transfer, hopefully I will
continue to improve as a writer.
When I’m walking
different places
Sometimes I stop
to feel your bones
I try to remember
what you looked like
When you were
still full of life
-Robert Dulaney
Inside a hollowed-out, wooden belly
We were shipwrecked, then swallowed
By a whale, like the one that sat stuffed
On the top shelf above our twin bed.
We were old maids, like the deck
Of cards pop did tricks with after Friday dinner,
Making tea in our living room, which always
Smelled of pine and sap.
We had barely escaped; our
Disney lunchboxes stuffed to the brim, with
Millions of dollars in strips of bark, which
We buried under the earthy floorboards
To save for tomorrow; it was getting dark.
-Aubri Fouts
From below
It does not seem so high
Not such a big deal
From up there
It is all so threatening
From below
You can only see so much
From up here
You are like a bird in the trees
No one really acknowledges you
But you can see almost everything
From up on the balcony
I see him
See him everyday
I wonder
Where does he go
What does he do
Does he live alone or with others
If the latter, does he treat them right
Or does he do what he will only do behind closed doors
Is he a good guy
Or is he a monster walking among us
From below it does not seem so high
From up there
It is all so threatening yet peaceful
Until you jump then it is neither
-Janet Silver
I watch her shuck corn on her front lawn;
A folding chair and a paper bag.
Peeling back the husk,
Smelling the yellow hair.
She walks to the grocery store;
I know because I do to.
It’s not very far for me,
And only slightly further for her.
Using recyclable bags,
She carries home her produce.
Switching arms when one gets tired,
Or when her fingers turn purple.
When she gets home
She sits on her lawn chair
And examines her consequence
Before stripping it bare.
-Robert Dulaney
We watched grandpa make a cigarette butt
Disappear under a Dixie cup, and ate ice cream
Out of plastic bowls, while Mom told us that
Plastic bowls and too much TV and cigarette butts
Were all “nothing to mess with.”
Later, after grandpa left and the ambulances came
We sat in the back room that used to be Dad’s
And watched the bird play dead at the bottom
Of her cage. My sister ran around the room,
Flapping her wings, pretending to fly.
Mom told us that heart-attacks were
“nothing to mess with” and that grandma wasn’t
coming home. My sister said the bird flew away
and that she was flying away too; we could all
fly away, just like the bird.
My sister asked if we were all like birds,
And I said, “yes, everyone dies” before she turned the light off.
-Aubri Fouts
Cool breeze
No souls much in sight
Take for a cat here, a squirrel there
Within the quiet appearing homes
The coffee being made
The breakfast being eaten
The abuse possibly being had
From beyond this street I walk down
In the same town
What crime could be committed right now
The crime that will soon be watched by everyone
From their TV
From their phones
Read from the internet
From the newspapers
It is all too early
but for some not early enough
I walk with the breeze in my face
While someone else might have a bullet in theirs
Or perhaps a knife or a forced pillow, at this very moment
Something is happening, maybe something no one ever knows about
No news coverage
Nothing to be watched
Nothing about it in the newspapers
On the phones, on the TV, on the internet
Another slip through the ever growing crack
-Janet Silver
Samantha Jackson has been a Springfield Township, Burlington County, New Jersey
resident for about 15 years. Ms. Jackson age 27 is a local library employee, here are some of
her thoughts about her town, Springfield.
-Interviewer: Janet Silver
-Resident: Samantha Jackson
Janet: Hello Samantha, how are you?
Samantha: Fine thanks and you?
Janet: Doing well myself thank you, so today I want to ask you some questions about the
town you are currently living in, your thoughts and feelings. Now let’s begin, why did you
decide to move here in Springfield in the first place?
Samantha: I was about 12 when my parents decided to move further up New Jersey. Though
this is not as way far up as the Springfield in Union County, they preferred the one in
Burlington for reasons such as it had a much smaller population. The schools were smaller,
so more focus on students by the teachers, they liked smaller towns in general. They also
been thinking about moving for a while and finally found a nice, little house at a decent and
cheaper price than our previous house.
Janet: Why do you like living here, what do you like about it?
Samantha: I also like the smaller population, though small they have a decent amount of
stores; supermarkets, clothing stores, etc. My job I found good and decent paying job, my
co-working are nice and helpful when I first started. Also I may not be real close with the
neighborhoods I do talk to, they are nice and helpful. Overall it is a pretty decent place to
live.
Janet: What don’t you like about living in Springfield?
Samantha: With the good there is always bad, no place is a Utopia. Though there is not
much if it, when crime does occur it snaps you back and you realize you have to be careful
no matter where you are. It is sad because a few bad seeds can make you wary of everyone
but I guess it is better to be safe than sorry. There is a few places to hang out but there
could be more, I usually go outside of town to see a movie, mall, etc.
Janet: What do you think makes this town like this special or unique?
Samantha: Well it is like most towns though I can say I like the name as it reminds me of
one of my favorite shows. Though obviously a name alone does not make a person like it or
think it is unique esp. since most state are named after this one. However, I think the local
park/playground is a nice place to relax whether you are a kid or adult. They have one of the
best bakery here and pizza place which is usually more crowded on the weekends.
Janet: Do you ever plan on leaving this town in the future? If so, for what reasons?
Samantha: At the moment not really but I can see myself moving out of state in the future.
One main reasons is price of apartments, yes there are OK prices where I am now and my
current apartment but I have heard of some pretty good in the southern states and cheaper
prices. I also just want to not be kept to just one place, Jersey is OK but not the greatest,
there are more states I plant to visit and hope to move to a decent and well priced state and
apartment but now I am mainly saving up money for the future.
Janet: Well that is all for the questions, thank you very much Samantha for giving us some
insight as a resident in this township of New Jersey.
Samantha: You’re welcome, glad to give a point of view about this place from someone who
has lived for quite some time.
Interview with Donald Shaffor.
December 11, 2011
Q: How long have you lived here?
A: Oh, too many years to count. Since before I met Mom-mom.
Q: The same house, right Pops?
A: Yup. Same house. It was white when I bought it though. Thirteen thousand dollars for the whole thing.
Q: What do you like most about living here?
A: It’s little, but we all know each other. The only people that ever lived next door besides Jim and his kids were
Jim’s mom and dad. We all went to school with the guy that owns Dinos down the road. You girls had the same
bus stop your dad did. No one needs to lock their doors or cars or any of that.
Q: What would you change about this neighborhood?
A: The damn ice cream truck comes through right around dinner time. Music’s too loud.
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