Featured Poems From Mythic Delirium, Issue 21, Summer/Fall 2009 Coyote Knock Jessica Paige Wick This text will be replaced Vocal by Amal El-Mohtar

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The door knock knock coyotes out there what do they want knock she walks knock knock to do what they want, damn it, woman opens door and there is box like goblin fruit, brine crusted at heart of it. Woman’s fingertips eat it while oh look a gift don’t openitev ernever and dust kicked up on the thunder red quake-earth weather horizon this longlone some howwwl open the door don’t open the make up your mind and she cuts onions. Don’t she remembers don’t open but the sky kind of press es and finally stupid box right in the middle barks on her shins the cats laugh with their dime-bright eyes where are the coyotes damn and her fingers twitch twitchy all through cutcutcut of onions almost cut skin off thumb skin translu cent as curling onion skin interesting knock knock storm breaking box right in the middle she rubs the lines it left on her upper arm was it knock knock just storm knock heavy? Don’t open it ever never open box the box do not open click it can open the box knockknock Woman! What are you knock of boots on stairs, clatter, clatter, goddamned doing? a coyote’s eye fired; box opened.

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From Mythic Delirium, Issue 21, Summer/Fall 2009 Other Fires Constance Cooper This text will be replaced Read by Kate Baker

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Ever since you started telling stories round your fires We’ve been with you, we pranksters, tricksters, masters of disguise, Trouble-stirrers, party-crashers, wise and so unwise, Jokers practical and im-, and charmingest of liars. If ever you should leave your world in search of other lands, We’ll glide along through space as shining as a raven’s back. We’ll dodge the tarbaby black holes and follow on your track To worlds as many as the dewdrops on a spider’s strands. And there we’ll seek out different shapes, and settlers soon will tell About how Sand-ray bilked the greendune sifter of his salt, Or how old Tunnelmaker trapped the cave shark in his vault, Or little Scurry lured the castle-snail from his shell. And even then, dear humans, we’ll range far beyond your suns, Wherever there is humor, and wherever there are lies, Wherever rules are broken, or just taken by surprise; For you can bet your fires are not the only ones.

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From Mythic Delirium, Issue 21, Summer/Fall 2009 The Ones Who Met Them Ann K. Schwader This text will be replaced Read by Kate Baker

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The lawbringers set down their shining ships Among the huts & mud of our young world. Unearthly slender, splendid in their gifts, They spoke in parables that shone like pearls, Summoning us to order — to the stars In all their systematic glory. Who Were we to face them? Slow of speech & art, We cowered in the shadows of our truth Until those shadows answered: Coyote’s cry Of shifting vistas, Raven’s clever wings, The Set-beast’s desertwise deceit. Untried In such encounters, pale imagining Pushed past its limits, our instructors fled & left us to our own stars. Our free breath.

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“Coyote Knock” and accompanying illustration first appeared in Mythic Delirium, Issue 21, Summer/Fall 2009. “Coyote Knock” copyright © 2009 by Jessica Paige Wick. Illustration by Oliver Hunter, copyright © 2009. Voice recording by Amal El-Mohtar, © 2009; all rights reserved. “Other Fires” and accompanying illustration first appeared in Mythic Delirium, Issue 21, Summer/Fall 2009. “Other Fires” copyright © 2009 by Constance Cooper. Illustration by Paula Friedlanderr, copyright © 2009. Voice recording by Kate Baker, © 2009; all rights reserved. “The Ones Who Met Them” and accompanying illustration first appeared in Mythic Delirium, Issue 21, Summer/Fall 2009. “The Ones Who Met Them” copyright © 2009 by Ann K. Schwader. Illustration by Don Eaves and Terrence Mollendor, copyright © 2009. Voice recording by Kate Baker, © 2009; all rights reserved. These poems and illustrations may not be reproduced in any form without the authors’ and artists’ express written permission. Previous classic and featured poems by: Amal El-Mohtar & Jessica Paige Wick, Lindsey Nair and F.J. Bergmann Holly Dworken Cooley and Ian Watson Amal El-Mohtar and Jessica Paige Wick David C. Kopaska-Merkel and Gene van Troyer Jeannine Hall Gailey and Charlee Jacob Theodora Goss and Sonya Taaffe Samantha Henderson and Ann K. Schwader Catherynne M. Valente and Anna Tambour Back to newest featured poems.