Author Archives: tributaryjournal

Dandelion by Sara Van Reymersdal

I’ve always been a weedflower shooting up from sidewalk cracks, siphoning water from the tulips, clawing out of the heavy mulch because the gardeners decided I wasn’t good enough. Time and time again—from poison, shears, or wood chips—they hissed, go away. You don’t belong. Yet I couldn’t abandon my life on their whim. Each timeContinue reading “Dandelion by Sara Van Reymersdal”

Survival of the Smallest by Ella J. Rossman

On my hike I pause for water by the remains of a tree. I observe from my sitting place deer bounding past And squirrels skittering through layers of leaves. I hear a mechanical roar down the mountain, Which I try to ignore. A far away crack, then a crash— Another ancient life lost. My handsContinue reading “Survival of the Smallest by Ella J. Rossman”

Athazagoraphobia by Julia Stetts

The earthworm flattens, and the neon  Soles of a boy’s Sketchers light up:  The only ceremony for the thing’s death.  What’s left: a steam-rolled flesh tube,  Streamers of guts trailing from behind:  Cherry-red, piss-yellow, and livery-purple.  Mid-July heat reduces the corpse   To a mummified crisp cemented  Onto grey concrete, hot as a griddle.  A murderContinue reading “Athazagoraphobia by Julia Stetts”

The Peace Testimony by Amanda Charowsky

Chester County in the Pennsylvania Countryside, 1777 Her father left at the same time every night. Two hours before supper— if he was even back for it. She still prepared the cold meats and cheeses, watched from the kitchen as he lowered his head, stepped out into the waning autumn sunlight, and stood at theContinue reading “The Peace Testimony by Amanda Charowsky”

Same Day by Julz Martin

I woke up in my bedAnd didn’t know the time.Nobody told me I was sleepingFor 16 hours. I was dreaming about shitThat makes me cryBut I couldn’t tell you what it wasCause I never remember. Every day, I walk the same wayAnd eat a sandwich that somebody elsemade.I made a path with all this shitI’mContinue reading “Same Day by Julz Martin”

Hail by Julia Stetts

Exhuming the Grave of King Richard III Oh, poor hunchbacked bastard!  Beneath a parking lot, your remains  Were excavated: the grave of a dastard  Crouched in purgatorial chains  Of sewage pipes and rooty veins.  An arrowhead at the base of your skull  Spelt a merciful death in battle—  But oh! A sword in your ass?Continue reading “Hail by Julia Stetts”

Polaroid (a Sestina) by Elise Bach

I flipped the glossy paper, the sun’s glare Illuminating pictures of our forgotten half-truths. I don’t remember them; my mind pulls nothing As I try my best to recall them. Maybe they’re trash. My brain threw away the photos of you, But I remember they used to be sacred. To forgetful minds and blackened hearts,Continue reading “Polaroid (a Sestina) by Elise Bach”

Testing Limits by Julz Martin

It’s not likelaying in balls of yarn,but likelayingin crocheting hooks and scissors. Seeing everyone as they are,Big eyes,listening,Can take you away. Riding prideTo learn sin;It’s like a rush,Arush in a gust of wind. Why are you so tired of it?Its pulling hair,And bare feetOn wet pavement.

Contributors

The following writers and artists were published in the Lycoming College Fall 2024 issue of The Tributary. See their bios, links to their featured works, and social media handles below. Poetry Sara Van Reymersdal – Dandelion Sara is a junior English Secondary Education Major from Doylestown, PA. She writes poetry, young adult, and fantasy. When notContinue reading “Contributors”