spring 2017

My Past Life as a Supernova   Elizabeth Knapp
Scythe   Judy Kaber
The patience of horses in rain  Kenneth White
Two Poems   Philip Schaefer
after, tigers   Nora Claire Miller
Two Poems   Michael Homolka
Two Poems   Daniel Lassell
No Elegy  Devon Balwit
Homefill   Heather Ash
Two Poems   Nina Corwin
Domestic   Peter Johnson
 

Visuals by 
Pantea Karimi 

FROM THE ETHER

On Change

Well, a LOT has changed since the Fall issue of DMQ Review, a statement almost comical given its inability to anywhere approximate the magnitude of disruption wrought by the election and administration of our current president, not only in national politics, but to our national psyche. 

If only I could compartmentalize these changes, keep the newsfeed from affecting my peace of mind. But with attacks on so many fundamental aspects of American society, the aphorism “the personal is political,” becomes very, well, personal. Trying to stay abreast of assaults on the environment, voting rights, women’s rights, education, the press, the poor, the immigrant, and let’s face it, our cultural consensus of facts and truth-telling, leaves me overwhelmed, often with little creative energy or focus. What can I possibly do to make a difference? And change, especially change we hope to resist or to enact, requires creative perspective in order to stay engaged and not burn out. We must not burn out.

How each one of us copes with change—political or personal—is something we spend a lifetime learning to do, but it’s difficult to keep up when the magnitude of events overwhelms us. In the midst of such madness, poetry is one way I find my equilibrium, reading it, writing it, even editing it. Poetry helps me find my calm center.

Not all change is bad of course. Here at DMQ Review we have some good changes to report (Yay! Good news!). The first change is the addition of two new editors to our dedicated and talented volunteer team. It’s my pleasure to introduce Annie Kim and Hugo Dos Santos, both former contributors. I’m excited to be working with these fabulous poets, and I look forward to what their added voices and perspectives will bring to the the journal. It’s a privilege to work with people who are dedicated to the craft and celebration of poetry. Welcome to the tribe, Annie and Hugo.

Secondly, we’ve added a Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/dmqreview/) to our repertoire. We do hope you’ll join us as we get the page up and running, another good change for the DMQ. 

One thing we hope won’t change is the engaging and compelling poetry we feature, poems that remind us that change of all kinds is part of the human experience. Facing challenges  is something we have in common. Poetry helps reveal that there are ways to engage such forces and thrive. 

We’re also thrilled in this issue to feature the remarkable artwork of Pantea Karimi. Please check out her website where her galleries include larger works and performative pieces. And please do enjoy the poems and paintings offered here bursting from the ether the way spring itself bursts into the world. Branches that seem dead one day explode with blossoms the next. It is always from winter that spring arises. Look for it. Celebrate it. Hold on to the good, even if you’re still under a foot of snow. We will too.


from the Ether,

Sally Ashton
Editor-in-Chief