Intertitles

There was a skeletal continuity 
to the greasepaint proceedings
in the battered copy of a copy Jobyna Theater 
on dropout Vaudeville Avenue, 
the feral homeland of late-blooming flower children
and the stillbirth of muted trains.

Shadows toned with silver salts capered as
plucky shopgirl Clara Bow darkened her lips
with the memory of her mother’s madness,
a thousand butcher knives forever held
against her tongue-tied throat.

By Megan Denese Mealor

Megan Denese Mealor echoes and erases in her native land of Jacksonville, Florida. Nominated three times for the Pushcart Prize, her writing has been featured in literary journals worldwide, most recently Across the Margin, Brazos River Review, and The Disappointed Housewife. Megan has authored three poetry collections: "Bipolar Lexicon" (Unsolicited Press); "Blatherskite" (Clare Songbirds); and "A Mourning Dove's Wishbone" (in the works). Her first chapbook, "A Cat May Look Like a King", will be available from Dancing Girl Press in Summer 2026.

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