Contributor: Lynn Nicholas

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Crystal structure:
Symmetry
Three dimensions on a lattice
Ordered perfection
Splitting clean on cleavage planes
Refracting and reflecting light

Human Structure:
Complex
Double-stranded molecules
Weakness planes
Pressure from external stresses
Darkening and dimming light

Chemical structure:
Opiates
Reshuffle signals in the brain
Symmetry lost
Darkening matrix of depression
Extinguishing and snuffing light


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Lynn writes out of Tucson, AZ, supervised by two dog friends and a black cat who loves to straddle her keyboard.

Contributor: Lynn Nicholas

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Trees tremble, branches shimmy,
sitting-out the dance between gusts.

Leaves toss, exposing pale undersides,
littering stone patios with organic debris--
detritus of the unfinished season.

Sickly sun, bedridden and cold,
hides under a grey comforter of clouds

Birds fluff insulating feathers,
beaks curved like question marks,
eyes hooded, awaiting spring.

Grey lizards lounge on grey block wall,
under grey skies unbroken by rainbows.


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Lynn’s creativity is nourished by solitude, the companionship of animals, the energy of plants, ballroom dancing, sunsets, good wine and chocolate. Her writing is supervised by a black cat who loves to straddle her keyboard.

Contributor: Lynn Nicholas

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heart brimming with joy a moment ago
now heated tears hover, ready to flow
tears turn to laughter, I catapult back
emotional rheostat, so out-of-whack

self-control failing
motivation derailing
I slide, losing ground
I am coming unbound

falling like Alice head first, upside down
into the rabbit hole, I’m spinning around

emotional bedlam
gaining momentum
delighted or depressed
could be anyone’s guess

can’t get a grip on what’s real and what’s not
skidding, sliding brakeless, can’t seem to stop

heart-stopping emotions confuse and surprise
my composure, control, are transparent lies
nerve endings visible, too vulnerable, raw
to avert an implosion I have to withdraw

so I hide in aloofness, put up a wall
and try to deny I have feelings at all


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Lynn's fiction appears in A Long Story Short, Every Day Fiction, Rose City Sisters, and WOW!. Her poetry usually remains private.