“The Benchwarmer” by Nigel Byng

“Blessed are the peacemakers.” It’s what he was thinking. He was having a challenging time explaining to his wife what had happened to her new car. A car that he had gifted her two days earlier. A car that was supposed to celebrate seven years of marriage and help smooth away the pain of a…

Safe Haven by Michelle Ayon – Navajas

the spattering and splashing of the waves from the ocean striking and surging, every movement is like the rushing and rustling mess in my head, comes back bigger and greater with every descent and as i lay my head unto your chest i listened carefully to the silent beating of your heart i am in…

Eye Nails by Bogdan Dragos

dreaming of being tied to some boulder with chains then the face gets covered by a heavy mask and iron nails get hammered through the thing’s eyeholes and into the bearer’s eyes they’ve got hooks at the other ends to make sure the mask doesn’t slide off It holds together so well it’s perfect when…

Goodbye MasticadoresIndia! A Beautiful Journey Comes to an End.

We often say goodbye to only say hello again. Life can be termed as a limitless journey where situations often end so that newer ones can come into being. As the editor of MasticadoresIndia I had announced the birth of the online publication in September 2021, and with much excitement and joy had hoped to…

Echoes of Inheritance by Bharath Upendra

I carry my father’s dreams in my mind, mother’s in my heart and mine under my feet.  I lift one foot up and stamp another down; that’s how life has been.  One hand stretches out for help, the other holds it down for hope is something I’ve never known and I mask my desperation with…

Illusions Speak by Jeff Flesch

There is more to life than is seen illusions speak in tongues, and in dreams — casting hope towards the sky we collect particulars of dust from stars when they cry tears from underneath the depth of the unseen and the rest of the textiles sowed into our heart seams -JEFF FLESCH Jeff Flesch lives…

Winds of Sorrow by Michael L. Utley

My beloved kiku lay in withered waste Yet their ivory tears still fall Drift against the sides of my heart Winter’s woeful weeping In the northernmost climes The bitter wind howls in my soul Frigid lamentations haunt me Hokkaido’s kanashimi no kaze Winds of sorrow have frozen me in place My mind flees on grey…

The Stew by Jay Maria Simpson

I smear the pot of stock and stew with mouldy turgid residue from half-filled bottles, dusty vessels of leftover infidelities angers, desires, gluttonies honey jars sweeten temptation retribution is revitalised blended deglazed reconstituted break the bread wash it through the boiling stew that spreads its gelatinous entrails into a sacrificial meal just for me and…

Sex, Alcohol and Sugar by Don Matthews

I seem to spend my life In giving up of things Things I like, look forward to Ring-a-ding-a-ding I’m told such things are bad for me That I should wave goodbye To smoking, sugar, alcohol Give up, lie back, and sigh Funny? but there’s just one thing I don’t give up, one thing That’s sex,…

Erosion by Bharath Upendra

I lied to myself last night, and ironically it turned out to be true. Suffocation isn’t an option when you don’t breathe anymore and at that moment, all I had to do was convince myself I’m breathless. Every second, and every minute that passed had me counting every time I gasped, hoping that would be…

Everything is Possible but You by Francisco Bravo Cabrera

Everything I see around me I can reach and I can touch and I can feel its spiny bones, or caress its silken hair, or gently rub its warm, smooth skin and breathe its humid air, I can balance all equations in the sunshine as I lay upon the green grass of the river’s banks…

Junk Love by Nolcha Fox

She buried him in love to fill her empty heart. She brought home feral felines, puppies found in garbage bins, shadeless lamps and soiled sweats and moldy bread, whatever she could find. Her love was blind, rejected junk and child were the same to her. Discards piled higher, faster, than he could toss them out….

Leaving the Big Four by Joni Caggiano

During the third year of school and living on the big four, I was divided into pieces by a swift sword, perching on my safety edge.  My brown eyes must have turned black as I heard mom’s words, but I was sure I was suffocating.  “Joy, honey, we are moving to Brooklyn, New York. Your…

Neither nor by Bharath Upendra

Looking back, I realize how my perception of strength has evolved over time. When I was a child, strength was synonymous with raw, physical power; with the ability to lift heavy things. As I grew older, I learned that strength could also mean withstanding pain, be it physical or emotional, and navigating through adversity.The more I…

Gravel Graves by Jeff Flesch

Your image haunts my days a hallowed out heart remains in touch with the beauty of the night stars twinkling, and speaking in tongues made out of clay a remnant of previous days and of the love crushing the gravel upon our graves -JEFF FLESCH Jeff Flesch lives in Corvallis, Oregon, and was voted the…

The Custodian by Nigel Byng

It was the monarch butterfly tattoo that got me. Occupying a corner of her right shoulder, peeking from under the strap of her vest. Ink has meaning and monarch butterflies have deeper meanings. I’d watch her for several minutes every day after that. Her air pods were playing some sort of salsa or Spanish music,…