Poems by M. Simic

Miki Simic is a first generation American, mother of two, and creator of sorts. She currently resides in Ohio with her family. Her passion for writing, art, and photography has been honored from youth. She the founder of The Mint Needle, which was established in 2011 as an artsy escape from the world of nursing, a place dedicated to her degree in art. Her poems have been published by Poet’s Choice and Moonstone Press.

Green

I squished the green inch worm
that I found on the kitchen floor
she must’ve caught a ride on my fuzzy slippers
after I watered the hanging baskets
Mere coincidence that there was a green
rag on the kitchen table that needed washing
I leaned down and felt the tiniest of crunches
between my fingers and the fabric
It was so small, hardly evident of it’s existence
against the chartreuse cotton towel
two hours later
I saw my daughter using the same fabric to wipe her hands
I had forgotten to put it in the washing machine
with all the other laundry
the purple petunias always dried out so quickly

Second Choice

It was only 2 years and 14 days later that she realized she had been
a pawn in life
a second choice
a get back at her fiancee’s rage from a previously failed marriage
printed in large letters
“Look, she’s better than you”
but she wasn’t and she knew she wasn’t
she hadn’t a clue how to love and he was so broken –
the woman who walked into the office one day
was rendered good enough
no true heart attachment
someone to pass the days with
content and set in her own ways
he pretended he was someone else
never quite healing from the pain
arrogance and ego proving he was anything but at fault for the mishaps
shallow, herself, she didn’t care either
she made her quota, married by 40
her hillbilly family ecstatic, hidden from the truth
that was slowly getting exposed
through conversations and travel
the bridge was being crossed and she was finding herself
on the same side as the previous wife
the bridge was lit so well, there was no room for shadows
she had become what she tried to convince him to fight
He never thought about healing first
knowing that time was not on his side
a different path would’ve been so much more filling
and less tedious
but he would’ve never conceived such an idea
He had marked himself with that which angels and saints
fight
Karma at it’s finest

Wall Flower

The best part of being a wall flower
is that you can catch a coat tail ride with something
that wouldn’t even notice you were there.
I’m in, I’m finally in,
she smiled, while mentally conversing with herself
Perhaps remaining hidden is best for the soul
freedom from mistakes we cannot be held accountable for
Blessings became noticeable in the slightest of spaces.

An artist’s mind

grieving the past of that which cannot be changed
grieving decisions of an inconspicuous life
grieving bridges that needed crossed
when the view was better and not bitter
a taste of pleasure for a millisecond
a pain that feels like a burn that strips the skin
a mind, restless, in condemnation
an idea of bliss on the horizon
unsure of what that image entails
hope that the head is not lost and the body can breathe
among the words and pictures
an attempt at trying to find the self
a map through one’s soul

From the Editor:

We hope that readers receive In Parentheses as a medium through which the evolution of human thought can be appreciated, nurtured and precipitated. It will present a dynamo of artistic expression, journalism, informal analysis of our daily world, entertainment of ideas considered lofty and criticism of today’s popular culture. The featured content does not follow any specific ideology except for that of intellectual expansion of the masses.

Founded in late 2011, In Parentheses prides itself upon analysis of the current condition of intelligence in the minds of these young people, and building a hypothesis for one looming question: what comes after Post-Modernism?

The idea for this magazine stems from a simple conversation regarding the aforementioned question, which drew out the need to identify our generation’s place in literary history.

To view the types of work we typically publish, preview or purchase our past issues.

Please join our community on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram at @inparenth.