June Poet's Place

POETS PLACE 
JUNE EDITION 2025

How are we all doing? Should I really ask that question? I am so uncertain about how we will fare in the upcoming months, years, decades. Do I even have another decade on this beautiful planet? I am already starting to feel abandoned by my healthy body, which is no longer healthy. Will I plunge into the darkness as I have predicted for so many others to fall into the pit of this oligarchy America of hell? I feel like I may succumb to the proverbial depression that comes with the decline of western civilization and democracy. Once we lose hope all will crumble. I still have some semblance of hope buried in the recesses of my mind. Hidden in some corner pocket of brain tissue. Mental and physical health issues aside, I am hopeful that the Administration is going to implode and we will see some light of day in the future. I hope I am still here to witness it.

I am truly grateful for my friends and family who are there for me/us.

Thank you all from the bottom of my H E A R T XXXXX

Linda :0)

And now…..

Photo by Ed Burgess

A Glimpse of the Future
By Linda Kaye

There is a syphilitic dick energy in the all White House, releasing a thick infectious ooze of corruption from the bowels of indecently approved Nazi pigs, running a muck with dangerous hormones, causing catastrophic damage, cursing through the American artery, clogging the brains of the ill equipped 

There will be a massive fire storm of fascism burning down the nations system of freedom
a volcano of deceit eroding layers of humanity all in one purge 
the Internet is screaming with injustices pandering to those who know what’s really coming 

The other 50% will be blindsided. The un woke will be doomed lol 

we who do speak out and resist will have our mouths shackled and our hearts broken. The American people will be robbed of all our rights. 

Some of us will starve to death. Some of us will be deported, but most of us will fight. 

We must dismantle the throne, one coward at a time.

Mothers
©2025 Kassi Crews 

What is a “Wo” Man
How does She go
Is it the wind from the skies that makes Her blow
All “Wo” men have “Wo” mbs
Why is there a silent “B”
Is it because she’s the Queen Bee, head of the Colony?
Silenced for now but tides are a changin’ to equality
Without a “Wo” man’s “wo”mb none of us would “B”
She gathers earth, light and water to bring us through birth
Is Mother Earth the first “Wo” man that gives us life from Her “dirt”
Precious life what will we do?
Honor or sacrifice or give it away to folly?
Water flows, Light Glows
Dust swirls in the wind
Where did it all begin
The chicken or the egg which came first?
With sperms, germs and gents we pollenate –it takes two to tango to make a mango
We need male and “fe” male to procreate a X and a Y is how we propagate
All are equal in creators’ eyes
Only together will we recognize the place of Motherhood and how to revere
Strong societies give Mother her righteous place as sacred nurturer loving grace
She endures all as She sacrifices, resiliently fond
Her love keeps no record of wrongs
Her love is strong
An anchor of resourcefulness, a beacon of light
A Mother’s love liberates to the 4th star gate
She’s patience and kind, always protects, always hopes, always preservers
She shares Her truths so children may re-direct to a harmonious union of equality, justice & reflect
Society rise up and support Her in Her tasks
Her role is not a mask to Bee taken lightly, we need Her mast
Honor our Mothers not just by word but in deed as we see Her take her righteous place
again
Head of the household with her intuition and emotions intact Amen
With Man as our protectors instead of our captors
Motherhood is the MOST important profession to create off springs with love of people over profits
To guide our youth to the fountain of life and honor where “real” glory is found
Only there do we find solid ground
Man segment,
“Wo” man augment,
“Hu” mans together anchor on Creating Life over destroying Her crown

Kassi Crews is a versatile & accomplished actor with a rich background in film, television, improvisation, stand-up comedy, and theatre. Crews became an industry leader in Hollywood post-production as the Vice President of Digital Jungle where she oversaw the day-to-day operations and served as producer on an endless list of film and television projects. Most recently, Crews lead multiple post-production teams at Fox and Walt Disney Television, overseeing the workflows of all television for FX Networks including "The Americans," “Fargo" and, “Pose" as well as a DI Producer for Apple, Netflix, CBS, CW, Starz & Paramount. Crews has produced and directed a variety of critically acclaimed independent projects, “Broken Memories,” Heart of Recovery”, “God’s Ears” and “A Better Place” as well as live shows for the theater. She is a member of ATAS, NAB, NAPTE, PROMAX and SAG; holds a Master of Arts from CSU Fullerton and a Bachelor of Arts with Honors from UC Santa Cruz. 

The Dance of Reflections
Poem by Marieta Maglas

In the hush of twilight,

a hummingbird

whirls its wings,

sketching a void in

the crystalline expanse above.

Its shimmering flicker sends ripples

through my being;

a resonance of

self-etched across the vastness.

My retina captures this ballet

as reality warps and bends.

We dissolve

into two visions entwined beneath

a tapestry of scattered stars.

In the soft glow of the moon,

our souls unravel;

hues merging on the nocturnal canvas,

as the struggles of existence

momentarily fade,

allowing life to soar like a bird.

We close our eyes to find solitude,

shedding the burdens of the world.

Then, we awaken anew,

cradled in the warmth of love.

Your essence slips through

my seconds like delicate silk;

a connection that dazzles my senses—

transcending more than mere love;

each heartbeat, a reminder that even

amidst turmoil and sorrow, life continues

spiraling gracefully through the ether.

Marieta Maglas resides in France, where she pursues dual careers as a poet and a doctor. The MockingOwl, Roost, Lothlorien Journal, Verse-Virtual, Masticadores Canada, Silver Birch Press, Kingfisher Poetry, Dashboard Horus, Coin-Operated Press, Mayari Literature, Synchronized Chaos, Al-Khemia Poetica, PentaCat Press, Journal of the Akita International Haiku Network, and others published her poems in anthologies like Near Kin: A Collection of Words and Art Inspired by Octavia Estelle Butler, The Cardinal Anthology Vol. 3, and Ain’t no Deadbeats Around Here. She is the author of the poetry book entitled Cubic Words.

The Bird of Hope
By Jackie Chou 

-with apologies to Emily Dickinson 

Hope is a jerk 
that hangs on flimsy thread
when I prefer the sure hand
of its brother, Defeat

Hope forbids me 
from beds and couches
from sitting or lying down
and keeps me standing
staring out the window

Hope asks for no crumb from me
at times when I'd gladly give
all the cakes in this world 
to appease the dumb bird

Hope, you resilient sparrow 
stop your incessant flutters
pulling at the strings 
of my indolent heart

Jackie Chou (she/her) is a writer from Southern California who has two collections of poetry, The Sorceress and Finding My Heart in Love and Loss, published by cyberwit. Her poem "Formosa" was a finalist in the Stephen A DiBiase Poetry Prize. She also has poems published in Synchronized Chaos, The Ekphrastic Review, Panoply Zine, Alien Buddha Zine, and Spillwords.

TRUE LOVE
4-3-2025
5:01 pm
By Mary Cheung

Matching tablets in our hands, while my right clasps yours..

I listen to the sounds of their love and caring.
And I wonder how many years have they weathered together?

I try not to eaves drop, but I hear him reassure her.
Because flying is not her favorite thing to do.  

Some where in their conversations they make plans of opening a bottle of wine when they get home to share.  

Their hands are aged and wrinkled, spotted with experience and time.  
Beneath their skin flows the source of their life blood, Love.

They dress with style and ease.
Marked by a time where people cared enough to present themselves with fresh clean clothes that was smart but not trendy.  

She has a bright yellow blouse with white flowers. 
A neat timeless pair of denim trousers,
And her nails are painted a pretty fuchsia.

He sports a pair of khaki dockers, clean sky blue tshirt and a cap.  
A grey sweatshirt is draped on his lap.  
And as she rubs her arms from the cold,
He offers her the sweatshirt to give her warmth.  

The tenderness and love for each other is palpable.
And it rocks me to the core.

I feel a love that has endured the years and the kind that we only dream of. 

He grasp her hand from time to time and brings her hands up to his lips to kiss.  

I feel like a voyeur, watching the story of an love like "Romeo and Juliet" or "Love Story" unfold, only less tragic.

I wonder about their story. 
And it reassures me that there is someone for me as well.

Mary Cheung is a multi-disciplinary artist. She has been creating art since she was young. Grew up the youngest in a family of eight. She came to America at the age of 2 and grew up in San Francisco. Attended American school during the day and Chinese school at night. 

Mary has an AA degree in Fashion Design and a Best Costume Design Award from the NAACP. She often creates costumes for her art narratives and creations. Sometimes building the sets as needed. 

Mary was the Producer for the Santa Rosa Spring Festivals 2011, and 2012, which incorporated live performances and festival games. 

She produced the EVOLUTION Music and Arts event in 2013. 

LUSCIOUS, Music Art, Live Body paint Art Event IN 2014 followed by 

OPEN FLOOR IMPROV EXPERIMENT whose purpose was to engage the community, encourage local business growth and artists involvement. Her real passion and drive come from being able to engage the community while bringing hope, healing, joy, and human connection. 

It is her goal to be able to continue to do this while making an impact on society’s values and thinking.

 “I hope that I can be a role model for others to find their own true voice in life through my art.

Exposing the Core
by Alex S. Johnson 

Within the wires

Total breakdown of elements into particulate, ash, dirt

Roots, microbes crawling across 

Fingers pink as worms, translucent 

Eyes peeled back into 

Coffin lids: The exposure

Of rays of cosmic atrocity spiking like

An electrocardiogram, the patient 

Sustaining multiple fragments twisted into 

His guts, clenched for the explosive release of 

Karma in a 

Bottomsupdown tailspin 

It didn't work out 

The way you wanted it to

But come to think of it,

It never does

Does it, Mister Jones

Does it

Score

Delicate

Wounds 

Breaking out BJ lips for diplomacy

Shameless tawdry twist of hips

Taking the pain

Deep inside

Riding the waves

The distortion pedal cresting the

Channels exploding across the

Board as

Pain gates 

Folly glazes

Perception I am 

The hot blonde of your

Worst, most

Decadent

Blood choked

Erotic Nightmares and I 

Give as much as I 

Get

I give the earth

A cosmic totalitarianism of sexual violence 

Unleashed like the she beast 

Dread is my name 

And wonder too...

How she knew...

How she knew.

Alex S. Johnson's work has been praised by such luminaries as Anna Tambour, Aurealis Award winner and World Fantasy Award nominated author of THE FINEST ASS IN THE UNIVERSE, who wrote "Alex S. Johnson is a poet even when he's writing prose." He has appeared in such prestigious venues as Lothlorien Poetry Revue, 13 Mynah Birds, Horror Sleaze Trash in collaboration with Catfish McDaris and Juliet Cook, CUT-UP! alongside Allen Ginsberg, PRYING: DELUXE EDITION alongside Charles Bukowksi, MASTER/SLAVE alongside Patrick Califia and IMPLOSION magazine alongside Joe Hill, bestselling author of HEART SHAPED BOX. The author of 15 books, including the cult classic dark satire collection THE DOOM HIPPIES, he has edited more than 40 books, including the New York Times bestseller SEEING LESSONS by Tom Sullivan. Among his recent anthologies published through his imprint Nocturnicorn Books is JUST ONE FIX: A LITERARY SALUTE TO WILLIAM S. BURROUGHS, featuring original poetry by Goth legend David J. Haskins from BAUHAUS and LOVE AND ROCKETS, songwriter of "Bela Lugosi's Dead." Johnson lives in Carmichael, California with his family. 

this is no utopia 
By linda m. crate 

when someone asks
how you are, 
you're supposed to say
fine or okay or good;

but who is flourishing
in these conditions?

the world has been a 
dark and desolate place
for entirely too long,

want to crawl out of the
bones of all this aching;

so many people 
are going through so much
i feel powerless to help
them—

all i want is a world 
that is kind and decent to
each of us,

instead of this nightmare
they tell us is a dream—

they can't gaslight me
i have seen dreams
beautiful and glorious,
this is no utopia.

Linda M. Crate (she/her) is a Pennsylvanian writer whose poetry, short stories, articles, and reviews have been published in a myriad of magazines both online and in print. She has fourteen published chapbooks the latest being: letters to an old friend (Cyberwit Publishing, May 2025). 

Poem
By Anna Mathai

I found you, by the sea.
Rocky, salty, 
Sweetened by an unexpected breeze
When I recognized something in your eyes as you looked at me.
Maybe I was wild like the ocean,
All calmed by 
He with a past shared but unspoken
That proved it all to be.

Anna Mathai is an Indian-American multidisciplinary artist based in Los Angeles, California. She frequently uses Venetian plaster and other plasters in her work. Her abstract works reference both the natural world and our internal ‘landscapes’ of emotion, blurring both real and intangible. She often touches on concepts of femininity, rebellion, and otherness, with a touch of mysticality, in her figurative work. By pairing her writing with her visual art practice, Mathai creates an extra dimension in which viewers can experience her art and a loose construct to guide their own internal process of understanding.  Mathai was born in the UK, but spent most of her childhood in the rural Deep South, which heavily influenced the concepts she explores in her art. Her work has been awarded, published, and exhibited globally. You can find her at www.byMathai.com or on Instagram @byMathai.

Poem
By Sara Lopez

Apart from what happened that summer 

There’s been no attempt to recover

Fuck it; love lives without you, lover

Reduce yourself and set a simmer 

Babe, it’s not my fault that you’re a bummer 

Knowing you the boil-over

Is worse than what sent you asunder 

Lighten up; cocksucker 

Ruin one and buy another 

Frame your shots just like every other

0.05 I beat your sober 

Your consequences read like my fantasies 

Go ahead babe; have it by any key 

All for your withdrawals from me

Yeah, read a face; you can’t a book 

Follow footsteps others took 

Tell a lie seldom believed

Enjoy your orbit as you see

All the wonderment of the common faces 

Places yet unspoiled are ready for your boot 

So impressed you found the route 

Anyone darker than light and equipped with a spine 

Might want to hide laughter behind 

Paid for partitions and hard-working hands 

Hoping you live out the rest of your days 

Sending love; to speak in your ways

Thea Lopez is a 22 year old sometimes-poet from Alhambra.

Thank you for reading! 

Calling You Back to Service
By Jane Cantillon 

Ever since he died, you've been laying on your belly in my bedroom, not working, but still holding the music, the pictures, the numbers and his secrets. 

I was jealous of you once, he held you in his hands more than me and gently placed you on his heart like a newborn when he was on the recliner watching TV, or he'd just stare at you for hours, lightly touching your face.

I often wondered, did you control him or did he control you? You were always turned on around him. 

But now he's gone so I picked you up, dusted you off and sent you back to work again.

The young man at the store pulled the thick black vinyl case off of you with a struggle.. Skin, crumbs, dandruff released, the small casket thrown instantly into the trash, no DNA for me to gather. Maybe I saw a white hair floating quietly to the ground that had been jammed between you and the case as your body and soul were being erased.

You are sent back to work for a stranger, filling their secrets into your body again.

Fair thee well, my true love's iPhone.

Jane Cantillon is a writer/artist/director and Emmy nominated producer, she worked in TV for 22 years on daily shows. She directed an award winning documentary called “The Other Side: A Queer History’s Last Call” on Amazon Prime about the brutal past of gay oppression in L.A..

She fronts a band called “Dickless Jane and the New Confusions” and they perform in various LA clubs. She is currently working on her memoir “Kitsch and Tell”. 

T-Z-E-N-N-I - B-A-H
By Alexis Garcia

I grew up off the reservation, distant from ceremonies and traditions, but my mother’s name—spelled slow and steady with pride—was the tether that held me close to our Navajo roots.

What’s your name?”

“Tzennibah.”

“Come again?”

“It’s TZENNIBAH.”

my mom said it louder,

just enough heat to steam the chill off confusion.

Slightly annoyed.

“Cinnabon?? How do you spell it?”

“T—like Tiger.

Z—like Zebra.

E—as in Elephant.

N—as in Nancy.

N—as in Nancy.

I—as in igloo.”

Dash.

B—as in Blue.

A.

H.”

The woman behind the counter squints.

“Ok… T-Z. Really? Your name starts with a T?”

Her pen hesitates like it’s never written truth before.

“Go on, spell it again.”

And my mother does again, unbending.

“It’s a Navajo name.

It means warrior girl.”

And that’s when the white lady

finally looks up

from her paperwork.

“Oh, that’s Indian, right?

I got a little Indian in me too.”

My mom grins,

nudges me with her elbow.

I already know what’s coming,

I’m old enough now to be in on the joke.

“Oh really?” she says,

sweet like syrup but sharp as a flint.

“From which tribe?”

“Cherokee. On my father’s side.”

I bite my smile.

If I had a dollar

for every white lady who whispered “Cherokee”

like it’s a family heirloom

wrapped in folklore,

I could probably buy back

a sliver of stolen land.

“Well, I’m full-blooded Navajo,”

my mom replies,

standing tall like Shiprock.

Her voice fills the room

with something older than English.

The woman purses her lips.

Silence.

Paperwork.

And I,

I relished it.

That moment.

That shift.

These people have tried to rewrite our history

with half-truths and full lies,

claiming it like a costume,

as if we’re extinct,

or only exist as fractions in their family trees.

They wear red, white, and blue,

dripping in irony,

chanting “U.S.A! U.S.A!”

wrapped in knockoff feathers

and mispronounced prayers.

They sing:

“This land is my land, this land is your land…”

But they never sing the rest.

Never admit,

this land was stolen.

But my mo ther’s name?

It won’t let them forget.

T-Z-E-N-N-I-B-A-H.

Every letter a syllable of resistance.

Every syllable a legacy.

Every legacy,

a warrior girl.

Alexis Adelina is a Diné (Navajo) artist, poet, and musician from the Towering House Clan. She writes about identity, memory, and inheritance—braiding together art and ancestry. When she isn’t making art, she’s nurturing a life rooted in memory, motherhood, and quiet revolutions. You can find her art and poetry on Instagram @alexisadelina

GILEAD VIII
By Keith Kurlander

The eighth entry in the DISOBAY handmaid protest series unleashes a saturated collision of visual elements: red-robed figures of resistance march through a sea of dizzying polka-dot chaos in pink, yellow, and black. Their solemn signs—“THIS IS HOW IT STARTS” and “ENOUGH IS ENOUGH”—cut through the noise with blunt urgency. The halftone treatment gives the image a retro comic-book grit, while the DISOBAY lettering fragments vertically along the right edge, its distortion and fading colors evoking both censorship and rebellion. This version leans into distortion as metaphor, warning of how quickly reality becomes spectacle in the face of oppression.

Keith Kurlander “I've always been a creative soul, I make art, music, music videos, TV shows, films and mayhem. If you want to learn all about my fascinating life here's a good place to start.” 

KEITH KURLANDER, THE E. TRUE HOLLYWOOD STORY

https://youtu.be/p3er5ptzZTA

LINK TO MUSIC https://www.idiot-savant.net/

Whole Again
By Kellie Strubinski

I hand myself to you

No blanket nor basket

I’m too old for that

Take me

Keep me, hold me, fix me

I’m lost and broken

I may be unfixable

Can you heal me, save me

And then hand me back

Whole again

Kellie started writing poems during the pandemic though she has always had a poet's hand. She writes poems to explore the things she can't say out loud and to heal the dark parts of her soul.  

G. Billie Quijano
Letter

Saludos, Sandra, Ana, Bell, Juana Ines, Maya and Sally,

I am asking from my Corazon, how do we hold onto our words? How do we stop the erasure of our lives, our experiences, our memories, our creativity?

Where I grew up, the sounds, rhythms, textures, made me the woman and artist I am today.

As a child I fantasized about holding a paint brush and sitting in front of a Corona typewriter to make my words sing.

I woke up to the elegance of calla Lillies and bird of paradise. My oxygen were the aromas of freshly made tortillas, carnitas, menudo and cafe de olla. Trio Los Pancho’s illustrated the landscape of my East Los. Regal procession of lowriders and Thee Midniters produced the soundtrack.

You all composed the panorama of my dreams and reality.

Your words have caused brilliance and controversy. All instigators of grace and beauty. You inspire and lift us. You ignite thought, color, rhapsody.

I think the answer is in our souls. Our words will never be in bondage, our splendor not corrupted.

While this letter is anonymous, I know you all see me, you see us.

G. Billie Quijano-Hija de East Los. Poeta, Artista, Bruja, Spiritual Gangster, Xola, Instigator of Beauty. Low Rider Por Vida.

On a daily basis, we are receiving reports of books that are banned. We are victorious. Independent bookstores and other businesses are facilitating in raising consciousness, education and activism, to organize and resist the racist actions of those who wish to eliminate our first amendment rights. 

This month’s submission is my letter to our esteemed authors and poets. I know why the Caged Bird Sings on Mango Street.

Thank you for joining us!  We will continue to host writers and poets of all genres.
Please submit your written work to: lindakayepoetry@icloud.com 
and include a short bio

Linda Kaye writes poetry, curates poetry, produces films, spoken word and art events and produces a poetry column POETS PLACE for the online publication LAARTNEWS throughout the Los Angeles area. She recently exhibited her first piece of artwork! A photograph taken in Waikiki, was represented at the Los Angeles Makery gallery’s REFLECTION:RESILIENCE show curated by the Arroyo Arts Collective.

Linda’s poetry events have included several summer poetry salons, and shows at the Los Angeles Makery, the Align Gallery, 50/50 Gallery, Gold Haus Gallery, Ave 50 Gallery and Rock Rose Gallery in Highland Park, The Manifesto Café in Hermon, Pilates and Arts studio in Echo Park, and Native Boutique, Zweet Café in Eagle Rock, The Los Angeles Makery in Little Tokyo. And at the Neutra Institute Gallery and Museum in Silverlake. Her first short documentary film “BORDER POETS” was a socially and politically inspired event with poets and musicians filmed at the border wall near Tecate, Mexico on the Jacumba, CA side of the US. The film co-produced by MUD productions is available for viewing on her website and on youtube. https://youtu.be/5Te4-dlhxco

Her rap music video project in collaboration with Mary Cheung, “ERACE-ISM” can also be seen on youtube. https://youtu.be/NfrbveNUBgg  This video was accepted into the Ontario Museum of History & Art show “We the People” Yesterday, Today, and Tomorrow. February 2- April 16, 2023. So honored!!

And… February 19, 2022, she debuted her staged poetry production of “20 Years Left” at the historic Ebell Club in Highland Park! Two sold out shows with 2 standing ovations!! Check out the links to reviews and the video!

https://thehollywoodtimes.today/20-years-left-new-show-performance-poetry-music/

20 Years Left youtube live stream 2/19/22

https://youtu.be/GT1D5k2EeKU

Linda Kaye is a native Angeleno who grew up in the San Fernando Valley. She claims to be both a first-generation Valley Girl, and The Original Hipster. Educated at Antioch University and Cal State Long Beach in psychology and social work. Linda, now retired from medical social work, was working for her last seven years of employment as a psychotherapist and licensed clinical supervisor for an out patient mental health clinic. She was a licensed medical social worker for 30+ years working on the front line of healthcare, a private consultant for Physicians Aid Association and for skilled nursing facilities throughout California and Arizona. She was also an adjunct assistant professor at the USC Suzanne Dworak-Peck School of Social Work. Oh yeah.

www.lindakayepoetry.com

Twitter/Instagram: lindakayepoetry

www.laartnews.com 

https://shoutoutla.com/meet-linda-kaye-poet-theatrical-poetry-producer-retired-social-worker-and-professor/

http://voyagela.com/interview/daily-inspiration-meet-linda-kaye/https://

shoutoutla.com/meet-linda-kaye-poet-poetry-and-theatrical-producer-filmmaker/