"The Heart" by Arlene Naganawa

A door opened into her body,a cavern, pinpricks like electric wasps.Her fingers dimmedlike fireflies drained of light.So this is someone’s work, she thought,the dimpled spider and the white heal-all.Her heart waned in the cave.A fox crept to the mouth, lowered his head.Wind shivered through her gown.Where is he going? she asked.Where is the spider? At nightflowers closed like ghosts on their stems,moth wings ruined by fingers. Voices floatedfrom the hall, lungs filled and emptied,alveoli like paintbrush bracts,like tips of lit torches.

Arlene Naganawa's work has appeared in Caketrain, Crab Orchard Review, Pontoon, Washington 129, Calyx, Diner, all the sins, Cider Press Review, New Delta Review, Waxwing, and in other publications. Her chapbooks include The Ark and the Bear (Floating Bridge Press), The Scarecrow Bride (Red Book Chapbooks), and Private Graveyard(Gribble Press).

Jordyn Smalling is a lifestyle and portrait photographer based out of Nashville, TN. Graduate of the University of Tennessee, she earned a degree in Fine Art and Photography. Jordyn is passionate about global human rights, orphan care, preservation of families, building relationships, trying new things, and spontaneous adventures. Time spent in Peru, Haiti, Honduras, Uganda, Dubai, Guatemala and Mexico has opened her eyes to see souls that are unlike her own and given her a heart to share their stories. In her current practice, she is pursuing collaboration and partnership with nonprofits, small businesses and like-minded creatives to make work that tells stories and evokes emotion. You can find more of Jordyn's photography on her website as well as her Instagram account @jordynsmalling.