We have an interesting balance of poetry in this issue: two sonnets, and two free-verse poems.

The first, De Profundis, by Nicholas Ferreira, is a heartfelt admission of guilt and plea for forgiveness and help. The speaker begins by remembering his own falls from grace, and ends by meditating on how Christ fell while He carried His cross.

The second, Elegy to Daniel, by Darius, by Maria Dolores Reyes, is a sonnet dramatizing the suffering undergone by King Darius, after his courtiers forced him to have Daniel thrown into the lions’ den. It highlights the irony in the fact that the king believes Daniel to be dead, and disillusioned about the power of his God, when in fact God has miraculously preserved Daniel.

The third, At Her Door, by Mark Gamez, is a sonnet with the classic subject of sonnets – romantic love. He describes a relationship where time must pass before the lovers are reunited, as well as the characters’ faith that their sufferings will pass and their love will endure.

Finally, Despair and Hope, by Stephan Herman, is probably the most complex poem in this issue. Two voices – one almost crazy with despair, the other calmly observant – are heard, not in dialogue, but one after the other, in almost simultaneous monologues.