Poetry
From Issue III (2018) 
Offering #2 | LINDA LAINO
Watercolor on rice paper and panel, 12 x 10 in., 2015
Gem
by HEATHER SWAN
It's not a dwelling they're building,
he said, about the bowers of the bower
birds. They scavenge the best detritus,
whatever gems they can find—
a leaf, a berry, a shell, a feather,
bits of plastic or broken glass—
in monochromatic hues, and then
in an array of cerulean or tangerine
or russet or bone or black,
they build their temples to longing.
It's not a dwelling at all, he said.
It's like a poem waiting to be read.
Heather Swan
Heather Swan’s creative nonfiction has appeared in Aeon, ISLE, Resilience, About Place, and Edge Effects. Her poetry has appeared or is forthcoming in Poet Lore, Raleigh Review, Phoebe, Basalt, Midwestern Gothic, Cold Mountain Review, and Cream City Review. Her book Where Honeybees Thrive: Stories from the Field was published by Pennsylvania State Press in 2017. She teaches at UW-Madison.
Linda Laino
Linda Laino is an artist, writer, and teacher. She has an MFA from Virginia Commonwealth University. Since 2012, she has resided in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico, where the surreal atmosphere and sensuous colors have wormed their way into her paintings. Her essays and poetry can be found in Elephant Journal, The New Engagement, Sheila-Na-Gig Journal, and Life In 10 Minutes. Her website is lindalaino.com.