fiction
i. trapped in this dianthus flamingo cadillac of
Life
is a fluming tangerine ohm
with the tangy zip of cadmium
hovering in a deep peach field
with alizarin edges that vibrate like a cha-cha
expansive, rising- as a Chinese sun over pink-
& blanketing (as wildflowers over a coal mine)
an infinite depth of receding cobalt blue
& Love
is a shocking pink dusted with chalky rose
& (almost invisible) edges of gold.
soft and touchable, among hot dry and infinite fields
of barren red-orange that flame and shimmer coyly
pressing against dry-brushed edges
of dusty ochre and lemony green
& tropical- melony strips that samba,
nestle in shangri-la bands
and lure with their depths
ii. blue oyster (open butterfly)
I picked up a shell at Surfrider-
a blue oyster butterfly lined in nacre, with deep ridged edges and a milky core.
rough-hewn & thick-skinned with a crusty rim.
a little bowl, simple and empty- she catches the world in her cupped wings.
her beauty is her complexity; her feminity a soulful rough brown-pinkness
iii. neverland rainbow city
open the oyster; i see a place beyond everything
some(when) when some(where) we’re Together:
standing opposite. silhouetted to the void & radiant as the aurora.
i see you with such clarity. grinning- palms open, wind in your eyes.
you have Become so fully, with complex and specific edges
& prismlike, you cast unique & singular colors of light
curving light, space, form with your will
creating your world so easily, then you turn away, look at something,
[faraway].
i drag my toes in saltwater,
slip away on some thought again- -
A+HRRA award summer 2023
The Summer 2023 Arts + Human Rights Research Award will be open to submissions this summer (approx. 14:51 UTC June 21 2023 - 06:50 UTC September 23rd 2023). The topic of the Summer 2023 A+HRRA is AI, Computer Logic, and Human Rights.
th_Eroses, an arts publication www.theroses.xyz, is awarding $100 for a work of artistic / literary research that addresses or concerns human rights in conjunction with this season's topic, AI, Computer Logic, and Human Rights. The term 'research' here is intended to indicate the process of creation, exploration, and discovery, rather than the compiling of archival facts and/or materials, although the compiling of archival facts and/or materials may be a part of the process of exploration and discovery, or a part of the process of shaping the path or direction of discovery. This is intended to be an open-ended premise, to support the range of work that may occur in artists' and writers' unique processes.
From the UN:
"What Are Human Rights? Human rights are rights inherent to all human beings, regardless of race, sex, nationality, ethnicity, language, religion, or any other status. Human rights include the right to life and liberty, freedom from slavery and torture, freedom of opinion and expression, the right to work and education, and many more. Everyone is entitled to these rights, without discrimination."
https://www.un.org/en/global-issues/human-rights
Successful submissions may, but are not required to, focus on investigative, process-based exploration and material discovery. Successful submissions may couple rigorous (or subjective) analysis with documentation of investigative, process-based exploration and discovery. Submissions do not need to be factual; forms of literary fiction, subjective expression, abstraction, choreography, and/or non-narrative presentations will be considered as well. Submissions in all languages and media are welcomed.
The goal of this award is to amplify artistic voices that inquisitively and critically approach the pressing issues of our time, to create a habitat where a unique form of creative journalism can thrive, and to provide th_Eroses readers with artistic / literary insights into key issues.
Please note: If your work is submitted and selected for the award, you consent to the publication of your submitted work by th_Eroses now and in the future. Not all submissions will win the award; there may be one submission chosen, or multiple submissions, or none of the submissions. Selected submissions will receive an email of acceptance and next steps.
Please submit work to theroses.directors@gmail.com with "Entry: Arts + Human Rights Research Award" in the subject line.