A book of poems by five young poets from South Carolina.

Vera Gómez, the daughter of Mexican immigrants, is a native Texan who now works in corporate communications in upstate South Carolina. She has been prominent in the world of performance poetry on the local, regional, and national levels.

Joel McCollough runs a desktop-publishing business called Word Association. His poems, widely published in literary magazines, often reflect his lifelong residence in the Greenville area.

Terri McCord, recipient of the 2001-2002 Literary Arts Fellowship in Poetry from the South Carolina Arts Commission, often writes about parent-child relationships and the place of animals in our lives.

Kimberly Jane Simms is a celebrated performance poet, host of the 2004 World Poetry Slam Championship in Greenville.

Brian Slusher teaches at Westside High School in Anderson, South Carolina. His poems, frequently published in literary journals, are notable for the breadth and playfulness of their author's imagination.

When you live with a psychic, the future
kisses you good morning as she
tosses a pair of socks upon the bed
that match the pants still in your head.
So her gentle nudge reminds me of
what hasn't happened yet,
and I dimly glimpse
just where my watch should go
to not get lost.

The women in my past preferred
the present curve of my smile
to what was hidden around the bend,
but she knew it all
before I could lie, even half-truths
I forgot weren't facts. She winked
at me a week before
I thought of going to the cheap motel,
before I could wink at the waitress,
so I left my side order cold
and went home.

In the evening as we both undress
I note her shy and certain look
that goes beyond my shifting skin.
I don't know what she reads
between the folds, but it must be good,
or good enough.

Copyright 2003 Brian Slusher