WHIMSY
letter from the editors
This issue of whimsy is a tapestry of joy. It has been laced together lovingly by the work of friends of the Madrigal old and new. As ever this has been a voyage of discovery which ties together tragedy and comedy doing so in gilded glee that we truly hope you can hang your heart on. Personally, this issue is dedicated to Ms. Helen Jenks, while experiencing tumultuous waves of grief in their own world Tomas Clancy took leave for a long period of time in the compiling process for familial reasons. The coming together, the culmination and the construction of this book would not be possible without Ms. Jenks, her atlas like strength is as ever shrewdly hidden beneath shrouds of wool. However, it is not the sombre upon which we dwell but the glow of warmth which comes from all out contributing members and readers alike. As one seeks any port in a storm, we hope you find any solace in the wildly imaginative, campy, hyper specific and willingly naïve world which we present to you. Whimsy is the most valuable natural commodity for human beings in times where prickling pessimism is so much easier to slump into. Joy is an act of resistance, and we urge you to rage on.
table of contents
'desert rain, children's dreams, and poor people's good intentions' by r.w. haynes
'river run' by becki hawkes
'nightcap' by d.w. evans
'coming to a standstill' by bernard pearson
'consider the pompom' by dale lombardi
'conversing with friends' by eric lochridge
'code of the desert' by r.w. haynes
'a bookcase too far' by lawrence moore
'cloud' by christian wethered
'i taught the toad about evolution, perhaps' by rick hollon
'halfway between the aspen grove and love i find truth' by makenna dykstra
'open-minded' by robert pegel
'polesworth' by j.w. summerisle
'to the shapeshifter' by mary ford neal
'north of poolbeg, south of the calf' by d.w. evans
'a cardamom bun' by hannah ingeborg
'the wordkeepers of the idomorass' by malo gledhill
'rooftop observation on a day of good fortune' by eric lochridge
'shopping' by billy craven
'the foil collector' by mary senier
'the pepper and the toad' by evan burkin
'the infinite meadow' by jerrod laber
'the whims of the weary' by luke hayden
'if it's square, it's a fish, if it's round, it's a burger.' by clem flowers
'andalusian ghazal' by mark j. mitchell
'when i sneezed into your yawning mouth' by trewlaney
'according' by d.w. evans
'fire fox volta' by lj ireton
'domestic order' by rick magee
'tucumcari satori' by leah mueller
'death's head' by b. pick
'escapist cottagecore daydream' by charlie d'aniello
'ndousa mouna' by dora manuel culabo and landa wo
'i spy the fisher king' by sarah wallis
'two funerals' by devon miller-duggan
'ballad of st. drogo the ugly' by kyle vaughn
'or so i heard' by j.j. steinfeld
'magical land' by esha jaiswal
'we followed the mississippi all the way down' by kelli lage
'cheese' by hameedah aruwa
'glissando gouache' by rose knapp
'neoclassical haiku' by rose knapp
'major events of nativity' by amal joseph
'she was a ruminant preacher' by desmond mansfield
'for each of us it differs' by oisín breen
'off gin lane, waltzing' by george rawlins
'the terms:' by devon miller-duggan
'all come' by hibah shabkhez
'clean scares me' by ellen huang
'for when the hillside makes a wish, the stars listen' by abbie howell
'visa approval villanelle' by darren ryding
'in this sleep, i slip' by silas mojeed
'the garden wall' by catherine roth
'first light' by alexandra gipson
'a lion salesman' by mark j. mitchell
'roses and rotten apples' by alison campbell
'electric belts' by clem flowers
'lichen' by rachel handley
'iron men' by gaynor kane
'concierto numero uno' by tomás clancy
'juniper folly' by helen jenks