Exterminating Angel Press

Creative Solutions for Practical Idealists.

Exangel

A Prayer for the Almost-Living.

by

by Chris Farago.

We fell tall shadows
With taller tales
And believe that
Michelangelo will come to save us.

Have you been disparaged by
That thing we call the moon?
Do not fret, for it will leave us,
As all things must.

Yes, there’s effort in it,
This living,
But those who say they’re better off otherwise
Are lying.

That fat robin
Thinks he’s got it figured out,
And you know what?
He probably has.

I feign armchair mysticism,
Hoping to grab a few converts;
If I can fool myself for more than a minute,
I’ll consider it time well spent.

Those creation tales
Never got it right:
God comes from God comes from God,
And there’s not much else to say.

Whichever book you opened,
It was the right book
At the right time;
It always is.

I want so badly
For these verses
To be interchangeable,
But they never are.

Amen.

All About Garlic.

by

Garlic is your friend. You knew that, didn’t you? If not, let me introduce you. Hello, Garlic. Garlic adds lift, vigor, and health to just about all your savory dishes. There is even garlic ice cream, served in the garlic capital of the world, Gilroy, California, but I have not, myself, ventured that far (although […]

Flying High.

by

Flight Path maybe should have been called Flight Risk. It’s kind of where all of us seem to be hanging these days. There’s so much turbulence out there, it’s hard to chart a course to get us where we’re going. And where is that? That might be the hardest question to answer of all. EAP […]

The Crippled Kingfisher

by

by Brendan Hamilton. Collage of “Spring of ‘65,” traditional ballad (as performed by J.D. Cornett) and Civil War veteran Robert G. Carter’s account of his experiences at the Battle of Fredericksburg I woke up one morning long, cold night of waiting the Spring of ’65 he begged as I never knew mortal man I thought […]

The First Death.

by

by Mindi Meltz. In the beginning, the Ancestors tell us, the Hummingbird and Wye People were one. All were descended from the same Ancestress. Why did some break away, and become another People apart from us, who could no longer understand the languages? It happened during the time when the Sky abandoned us. After the […]

Detour on the Peace Path.

by

by Charles Fischman. The small city of Ashland, Oregon, so far south it is almost in California, is peaceful. Ashland has a Peace Wall, a Peace Flame, a Culture of Peace Commission, a Peace House, and at least two Peace Poles. In fact, the non-profit organization, International City of Peace, a one-man operation out of […]

Warm.

by

by Jeff Schiff. Sated moon what do I know but that we must aim all at making this the right life— and therefore pause often to conjure you familiar corn and flax shy an hour’s drive west of where I stand How many in my city though plummet their loss from an easy ledge never […]

Where I Live Some of the Time.

by

by Barry Vitcov. The night sky is my home Its emptiness tucked between supernovas and black holes Welcoming me into imagined places I’m pedaling my space bike A modified road trike Across the universe Counting handfuls of stars Fluffy cotton candy bars Woven into fanciful shapes When a mermaid catches my eye Like an interstellar […]

Salmon Contrail at Dusk.

by

by David D. Horowitz. “But someone with your educational background shouldn’t settle for being a conference room attendant at some law firm!” “Well, I love the job, and it fits my overall life plan.” “But you have a master’s degree in English! You’ve taught, you’re educated…” “Yes, and I know academic life is not always […]

Rough Astronomy.

by

by Chris Farago. What rough astronomy we build for ourselves on these cloudy nights! There is a sky behind that wall; We have seen it, let it mingle in our minds With the hyacinth, the honeysuckle, “Take Five” tapped out on Orion’s belt. Everything together; the universe, together; The universe, ours for the taking, All […]