2020
August again in Portland:
The roses half-dead with heat
explode down driveways as
dreary summer time-lapses
through the city. The days
skitter like kicked rocks
across intersections—
liminal, lonely, crackling.
After sunset I am a footstep,
a wave, a troupe of dandelion
seeds dancing silently into
last light. If I disintegrate,
you’ll find me when it rains—
coalescing in the sound of tires
sluicing through puddles:
neon, electric, moon-slicked.
("2020" was originally published in the Fall 2024 issue of Novus Literary Arts Journal)
The roses half-dead with heat
explode down driveways as
dreary summer time-lapses
through the city. The days
skitter like kicked rocks
across intersections—
liminal, lonely, crackling.
After sunset I am a footstep,
a wave, a troupe of dandelion
seeds dancing silently into
last light. If I disintegrate,
you’ll find me when it rains—
coalescing in the sound of tires
sluicing through puddles:
neon, electric, moon-slicked.
("2020" was originally published in the Fall 2024 issue of Novus Literary Arts Journal)
Fall 2026
Rita Tiwari is a poet and fiction writer of mixed ethnicity. Her poems have appeared in Portland Review, CALYX, and Whale Road Review, among others. She was a 2026 finalist for the Wandering Aengus & Trail to Table Book Awards. Her work is inspired by urban landscapes, film noir, and mythology. She holds a Master of Arts in Writing from Portland State University and a Master of Fine Arts in Writing from Pacific University.
Art: L. I. Henley
“Scorpio Girl: After Rebecca Hart Olander's Singing from the Deep End,” 2026
Colored pencil, acrylic, notebook paper, found The Jesus and Mary Chain album art
“Scorpio Girl: After Rebecca Hart Olander's Singing from the Deep End,” 2026
Colored pencil, acrylic, notebook paper, found The Jesus and Mary Chain album art