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Working: Vol. 4, No. 2 - Issue 14 Summer 2025
 

Aries ​​Zodiac Highlight

Burning
Harper Wells
In a chamber where echoes collide,  
Each heartbeat a whisper, a truth I can’t hide.  
Walls close in, painted with regret,  
A dance of despair I cannot forget.  

Time stretches thin, an elastic thread,  
Moments replay, the living and dead.  
Faces flicker like candles in gloom,  
Each memory stirs up the weight of the room.  

Forever I wander, on paths made of thorns,  
In a tapestry woven with feelings of scorn.  
Yet within this abyss, a flicker remains,  
A whisper of light that quietly wanes.  

Caught in this spiral, where pain finds its home,  
An odyssey endless, no solace to roam.  
Yet even in darkness, the heart beats a plea,  
For a moment of stillness, for a chance to be free.  ​
Previous Highlights
 

Pisces ​​Zodiac Highlight

The Ocean Follows
Carlee Migliorisi
In an antique store stall lined with costume jewelry, vintage scarves, and fascinators,
my hands pick through the stacks to find a genuine pearl necklace.
Once I have it, I wonder how I’ve gone this long without one.

Standing behind the jeweler’s counter, flipping through a book of engagement ring settings,
my eyes are pulled towards an aquamarine stone rather than a diamond.
As the completed ring now sits on my finger, I find my eyes admiring it more often than not.

Back in high school when fiddling with being an athlete,
my heart led me to pursue surfing solely.
When I made varsity, it gave me an excuse to get in the water as often as I wanted.

Being held by the nurse moments after being born, crying,
my forehead was kissed by the rush of warm water, halting my tears.
My father enjoys remembering watching this and saying 
“She’s a Water Girl.”

​​
 

Capricorn ​​Zodiac Highlight

When You're Gone
Ashley Nichole Walkowiak 
​You are not here
The quiet is a blanket
Draped over me by smiling ghosts
 
When you’re gone
I see how thoughtfully I am regarded
A volume that is hard to carry
I feel undeserving
 
The bedroom fireplace
Bought to keep me company
It’s steady roar to replace the sound of your heart
It may be warm
But it can’t refill my wine glass
 
In the morning
My bones ache with the work of yesterday
And before I open my eyes
I replay a million yesterdays
They glow and dance around me
I am blessed to be fulfilled
 
I’ve always known it can’t last
And I grip those moments so tightly
I came into the world this way
Sucking each moment dry for all its worth
 
I suck my coffee dry for all its worth
The pot didn’t fill itself this morning
Another task undone in your absence
 
I walk outside in the morning dew
And the cold doesn’t bite at me
Because I’m filling the bird feeders that you love
So that you can feel your favorite sense of joy
Watching from the kitchen window when you return
 
I stand in your place
At the window
Observing the winter birds with their breakfast
It is then that I see her
 
She will fill a thousand bird feeders when you’re gone
She will sip her morning coffee
Watch the day birds and evening birds
She will speak to the ghost of you
She will smile at your hand on her back
 
Her hair is long and gray
Singed by the ashes of a life well lived
Perhaps the only promise of her life she kept
She will never cut her hair again
She will suck on the memory of your voice
A thousand words for radiant
 
She carries on
Under the weight of a heavy love
She smiles contentedly in the glass
A look that conveys this moment
A thousand memories from now
I will stand in her place
 
I hear the memories giggle behind me
I turn my back to her
To watch us play on the carousel of my mind
But they scurry from me
Back across the universe
To be held by you
 
I wish I could kiss the smiling ghosts
Before they go

 
​
 

Scorpio ​​Zodiac Highlight

Venom and Velvet
Samuel Rivera
Under a cloak of midnight,  
where stars are whispers and secrets sleep,  
there lies a spirit, sharp as a dagger's edge,  
soft as the touch of silken dusk.  
It dances, weaving shadows—  
a tapestry of strength,  
bound in the embrace of both ferocity and grace.  

With eyes like smoldering embers,  
reflecting the depth of ancient oceans,  
this creature knows the weight  
of hidden truths,  
the caress of betrayal’s sweet lips,  
the intoxicating allure of wounds adorned  
with the poetry of scars.  

In the grip of passion, it pulses,  
a beating heart wrapped in a shroud,  
where desire is the firestorm  
and calm the aftermath,  
a symphony of chaos,  
a symphony of rebirth.  

With a venomous kiss,  
it stings,  
etching lasting impressions on the canvas of existence,  
each encounter a slice,  
a reminder of fragility,  
the exquisite dichotomy of love and pain,  
intimacy’s delicate dance on a razor’s edge.  

Wrapped in the softest velvet,  
it cradles the tender and the turbulent,  
offering solace to the lost,  
a soft shoulder against the storm’s rage,  
an understanding as deep as the cosmos,  
where no word is needed,  
only the breath of a shared silence,  
where souls align and collide,  
like stars forging constellations  
in the night’s endless expanse.  

It is a guardian, fierce but tender,  
casting its spell in the twilight air,  
where shadows come alive  
and darkness breathes enchantment,  
where the universe spins stories  
with every heartbeat,  
every sigh,  
every tear that sparkles like dewdrops at dawn.  

Beneath the surface, currents swirl,  
an undercurrent of emotion,  
the hidden depths inviting those brave enough  
to dive, to claim the treasure buried  
in the realm of the unknown,  
where transformation awaits,  
awaits like the embrace of muted thunder,  
the promise of a storm on the horizon.  

In the garden of the metamorphosed,  
secrets unfurl like petals,  
revealing the intricate patterns of existence,  
the delicate threads intertwined,  
binding pain to pleasure,  
growth to decay,  
the symbiotic dance of life’s ephemeral beauty.  

And as the world spins on,  
this spirit stands sentinel,   
a collector of truths   
beneath the sullen sky,  
where love possesses a lingering bite,  
and trust,  
a whispering caress,  
the echo of a heartbeat in the velvet dark,  
the eternal waltz of venom and velvet.​
 

Leo ​​Zodiac Highlight

Inferno
Landon Morgan
​In the shadowy depths of the soul's dark abyss,
A fierce fire burns with a merciless hiss.
A storm of fury, a tempest of ire,
The flames of wrath, a raging fire.

A blade of wrath, cutting deep and true,
Slicing through hatred, piercing through.
A bitter cold, a biting chill,
A venomous bite that seeks to kill.

The heart of stone, the mind of steel,
A relentless force that will not yield.
A sharp-edged sword, a deadly tool,
A weapon of destruction, a heart so cruel.

The fury of a thousand suns, burning bright,
A searing heat that blinds with its light.
A flash of lightning, a thunderous roar,
A force of nature, a mighty war.

The blood runs hot, the veins pulse with hate,
A thunderous anger that cannot abate.
A blackened soul, a twisted mind,
A deep-seated rage that is unkind.

A savage beast, a primal urge,
A hunger for blood that will not purge.
A wild animal, a fierce beast,
A savage desire that cannot be ceased.

The mind is clouded, the vision obscured,
A maddening rage that cannot be cured.
A relentless pursuit, a thirst for revenge,
A burning desire that will not bend.

The time has come, the battle is near,
A fight to the death, a war to fear.
A clash of titans, a struggle for power,
A fight to the finish, a desperate hour.

The walls are closing in, the air grows thin,
A suffocating rage that cannot win.
A crushing weight, a heavy burden,
A violent eruption, a fiery curtain.

The cycle continues, the wheel turns,
A relentless fury that forever churns.
A never-ending battle, a constant fight,
A hard and sharp poem, a relentless might.​
 

Cancer ​​Zodiac Highlight

The Vanishing
Sloane Campbell
In the stillness of the night, a shadow slipped away
Into the depths of darkness, where secrets lay
A quiet vanishing act, a silent escape
Leaving behind only memories in its wake

Like a ghost in the mist, it faded from view
Leaving no trace, only whispers of truth
The world kept spinning, unaware of the loss
As the shadow melted into the void, without a gloss

The air grew heavy with the weight of the unknown
A silence so loud, it chilled to the bone
What happened to the shadow, where did it go?
Questions unanswered, haunting the soul

Was it a trick of the light, a figment of the mind?
Or a soul lost to the darkness, to never again find
The whispers grew louder, echoing in the night
As the mystery deepened, casting a blight

On the hearts of those left behind in the wake
Of the shadow's departure, a path it did take
To a place unknown, beyond the realm of the living
Where secrets are kept, in the shadows forgiving

The night sky held no answers, only stars that shone bright
As if mocking the mystery, the enigma of the flight
Of the shadow that vanished without a trace
Leaving behind only a void, a silent space

In the stillness of the night, the shadows danced
A macabre waltz, a sinister romance
With the darkness that consumed, that swallowed whole
The essence of the shadow, leaving only a hole

In the fabric of reality, a tear that bled
A wound that refused to heal, that only spread
Until the world was consumed by the void
Left behind by the shadow, by the mystery deployed

And so the story ended, with no resolution in sight
The shadow lost forever, swallowed by the night
A haunting reminder of the fragility of life
Of the mystery of existence, of the eternal strife

To vanish without a trace, without a sound
Is to leave a mark, to astound
To disappear into the void, into the unknown
Is to challenge the boundaries, to have flown

Into the depths of mystery, into the night
To be forever lost, out of sight
To disappear without a trace, without a sound
Is to leave behind a shadow, forever bound.​
 

Gemini ​​Zodiac Highlight

Gemini
Nyssa Lowenstein
     She would call us the twins. She was a Gemini and so was I, apparently. She married into the family in 1994, I was born in 1994. She bought me a subscription to The New Yorker, which I now wish I had read more of. She liked frogs until she got tired of only getting frogs as gifts. She liked to give me annual readings with my natal chart.
     I thought all kinds of mystic thinking was odd. Religion, tarot, palm reading. But I always found something fun with astrology. It wasn’t too serious, and it was just words that would maybe spark a new perspective. I also liked the idea of generations sharing certain planets in certain houses. It made sense to me. I thought it was fun. Like a sports team to be a fan of.
     There was a time that she gave me a rather bleak reading about my life. Which was it her delivery? Or what my brain could only hear? I was at a rather low point at the time. What I remember is that the stars said I was in a large disruption and transition, and how that can be painful. I vented about it to my parents, like I did most things, and my father apparently chewed her out over the phone. Claiming somehow, she was validating or exacerbating my depression in my weird teenage brain with stars and planets. I was mad he did that. Because it’s not what she meant and it’s not what I wanted to happen. I didn’t blame her. When you’re depressed and have teenage hormones it feels utterly cosmic. I was mad at the universe and she gave a platter of planets to blame. She was cautious and brief whenever she did it again.
     She was the first person who told me I never had to get married. She gave me books on suffragettes and women artists. She put me in art classes and introduced me to chocolate soy milk and poppyseed muffins. She made me feel like a favorite. She laughed at my snarky sarcastic jokes. She never let me win in scrabble. She was the most supportive member of my family for me to go to college, even out of state. She wanted to support me more, but it was complicated. Medical bills piled up. She wrote me beautiful letters. I wish I had taken more time to write back.
     She loved dogs. She trained her dogs to fetch the paper, but would let them zoom and frap whenever I arrived. She was the first person that also told me to enjoy life, smell the roses, not just work. She saw how I was susceptible to the generational bad habits of hinging your whole identity on the work you do.
     She had cancer. Multiple times. She never had children of her own. She taught me how to make latkes. She once didn’t speak to me for a few months because I missed a religious holiday around the time when I could formally convert. But I didn’t want to anyway.
     Like I said, she was the first person to tell me that I didn’t have to get married. But near the end she asked me if my partner was the one. She didn’t get to see me marry him years later.
     The last time I spoke to her, my mom had me over video call with the camera off, speaker phone on full blast in a hospice room. I was over 7,000 miles away studying abroad and smelling the roses, ironically like she dreamed for me. She didn’t, or couldn’t, speak. The call wasn’t private or dignified. I didn’t know it was going to happen until it did. It didn’t give me closure or understanding. Apparently, she was the most ‘responsive’ to my voice than she had been with anyone. I think about that a lot.
     I had to attend her wake via Skype call at two in the morning in a foreign country before video calls were a norm. I didn’t know how to speak about it. My speech wasn’t that good. I regret that. The video call shorted out after me and I didn't get to witness anyone else's eulogies. A month later, I would get wasted and burst into tears about it to a stranger.
     The last time we spoke in person, she told me she was going to leave me something. But sometime between her telling me and the will be finalized, she changed it. She never told me why. I’ll never know why. It adds a strange cloud over the pain of grief.
     ​They spread her ashes without me. Without asking me about it.
     Years later, a total eclipse was crossing over where I lived. I couldn’t stop thinking about how much she would have liked to see it. To tell me what it meant to the stars. As I watched the sun be blacked out by our sister moon, I thought about how I lost my best mentors much too soon. How much I need them when I don’t have them any more. How much I didn’t know, didn’t understand. How much it hurts to venture out to try and find anyone that can fill the void they left to help me through next steps. How shadows cast tiny scattered crescent moons on the sidewalk to quickly disappear. I’m not sure the sun ever really revealed itself back to me.
     There are many things that I do not know about her. The life she led before I knew her - and how I was probably too young and too naive to hear a lot of it. Or listen deep enough.
     I recently got a box of her writing from when she was younger. When she was my age and writing. I can’t even get through a page because it only cracks open all the things I didn’t know and didn’t get to ask about. If she would have told me these things on her own if I asked in the right way at the right time. The fact that utilizing communication, often flagged as Gemini’s greatest strength, I failed.
     She’s the only reason I buy Gemini memorabilia. It means something else to me other than representing a team, signaling how to be seen. That I carry an emptiness.
     For now, I have to be my own twin.​
 

Pisces ​​Zodiac Highlight

Whispers in the Deep
Alex Davis
In the depths of the ocean, where dreams are spun,
Lies a swimmer, a child of the water, the chosen one.
With a heart as vast as the sea, and a soul that's free,
They navigate life with a mystical glee.

Emotional and intuitive, they feel deep in their core,
A connection to the universe, forever wanting more.
Their compassion knows no bounds, their empathy vast,
They understand the shadows, holding light in their grasp.

Artistic and creative, they dance with the stars,
Painting pictures with their words, strumming on guitars.
Their imagination knows no limits, their dreams take flight,
They weave a tapestry of magic, shimmering in the night.

Sensitive and kind, they carry the weight of the world,
But with grace and resilience, their wings unfurled.
They rise above the chaos, swim against the tide,
A beacon of hope, a celestial guide.

So here's to the swimmer, the dreamers and the wise,
With the ocean in their eyes, and the universe as their prize.
May they continue to shine, to inspire and to heal,
A reminder that in the chaos, their love is real.​
 

Aquar​​ius Zodiac Highlight

Seeker
Anna Swift
​In constellations' embrace, I reside,
Where dreams shine along the vast night tide,
A sky dweller amidst cosmic symphony,
With boundless thoughts and visions set free.
 
The breeze whispers secrets from afar,
Igniting sparks that guide me like a star,
Innovation's fire ignites my soul,
As waves of ideas within me unroll.
 
An unconventional heart beats in my chest,
Eager to explore, seek knowledge with zest,
For friendship's embrace, I am a seeker,
Uniting souls, bridging hearts, becoming deeper.
 
Wanderlust like rivers through my veins,
Adventures await, where growth forever reigns,
Unburdened from conventions of the past,
I leap, unafraid, where the currents are vast.
 
I am the visionary, dreams I create,
Innovation and change my guiding fate,
Through the boundless sky, I break the mold,
As an Aquarian soul, my story unfolds.​
 

Capricorn Zodiac Highlight

Sour Souls
Hailey Crow
​In shadows cast by flickered light,
A tale unfolds, both strange and slight.
Where twisted musings intertwine,
To weave a verse most unaligned.


Beneath a guise of beauty's air,
Lurks something dark, a mind aware.
For roses bloomed with thorny grace,
May hide a pain none can erase.


A whispered smile, a subtle leer,
Within these lines, all may appear.
But read with caution, should you dare,
For underneath a world laid bare.


A tapestry beneath the gleam,
Unveils a place, a waking dream.
Where velvet skies stray from their glow,
And shattered dreams come forth to show.


The gentle rhyme, a clever guise,
Allows discomfort's compromise.
With each verse played upon the strings,
A taste of unease, it subtly brings.


Within this dance of thoughts untamed,
Taboo whispers stand unashamed.
Exploring depths some deem macabre,
Yet keeping minds forever stirred.


Through ruptured boundaries, we explore,
The ugliness we oft ignore.
An invitation grimly stands,
For souls who dare embrace life’s bans.


So read between these lines, dear friend,
Let discomfort and intrigue blend.
For hidden tales, though they may roam,
Still stir the heart, create a home.​
 

Scorpio ​​Zodiac Highlight

The Day I Found the Letter You Wrote Comparing Me to Satan
Victoria James
I’ve never questioned who I am
or who I am as a significant other
Son, we are worried about you
we don’t see this ending well.
 
I’ve loved your son more than myself,
I choose him first, think of him first.
She is leading you down
that dark path.
 
Our life together, full of laughter, quirky traditions,
endless road trips, constant support,
and unwavering connection.
Satan is moving in ways
you don’t see.
 
I often treated your and yours better
than me and my own, setting what was important
aside to be a part of your outings.
She is pulling you away
from church and your family.
 
I supported your son,
going to numerous historical visits and lectures,
selling fireworks during my free time.
His dreams were mine too because I would
follow him to any state, to the ends of the earth.
You have dreams and a bright future ahead
but we worry you won’t with her.
 
You took me in when my own family
moved to make room for my brother and his kids,
not giving me enough space to live with them.
We see the negatives
and it’s her.
 
We’d dated for two years at that point.
Now, eleven years together, six married.
You're sacrificing your life
for her and you’ll be unhappy.
 
I moved to your hometown -
his grandparents are here.
He got a job doing what he loves,
traveling and selling fireworks
like he grew up doing.
Are you really happy?
Like honestly happy?
 
We live for each other, love our life,
spending the weekends sleeping in,
adopting a puppy who runs our lives,
only doing things that make us smile.
We’re responsible, mature adults,
saving and preparing for our future,
doing things in our own time, not in yours.
Is she okay, she seems upset, she’s quiet​
 

Libra ​​Zodiac Highlight

A Balancing Act
Lillie Hernandez
have you ever been on a seesaw bouncing up and down desperately trying to find equilibrium somewhere in the middle of rise and fall Clinging to the open air for support but ultimately falling back pushing back up all need to be launched into the sky there's no pause there was no catch your breath there is only movement rushing space there is no clarity for reevaluation it's just going it’s just prayer  the person on the other end of the saw is also trying to keep form with you also trying to find somewhere in the middle to catch each other but it is all just controlled free falling they know it you know it and you hope that maybe you look just strong enough that they think that you maybe could salvage the situation but there is no salvation you can tell it is all just an act​
 

Leo ​​Zodiac Highlight

Passionate
Claire Jordan
Roll out the red carpet
The lioness is here
Spirited fire signs,
Queens of the celestial jungle

Vivacious, theatrical, passionate

Perfect for the tabloids
Just like a celebrity
Always lavish

dinners, parties, designer wear.

Ruled by the sun
Dazzling celestial body
Stable and consistency
Heart in every relationship

ego, pride, and jealousy

Light is never obscured
Hubris is the greatest threat
 

​​Cancer Zodiac Highlight

Hostile
Emile Keely
Cold
Hostile
 
No one likes a girl
That doesn’t smile
 
Reversed
Distant
 
Basically unapproachable
Unless I become consistent
 
Maybe I should smile
That would put everyone at ease
But when they came back later
Would they call me a tease?
 
No
 
Don’t break
Don’t smile
 
I’m fine being
Called hostile​
 

Gemini ​​Zodiac Highlight

Two-Faced
Théa Clické
​How cliché
Wouldn’t you say?
 
A two-faced bitch,
How unoriginal.
 
My personality a cross-stitch
Of every channel.
 
I love to see what I find,
What I can do,
What I can try.
 
Does that make me out my mind?
 
Does that mean that I am untrue?
 
Does that mean I live on the sly?
 
Or maybe
I just like to juggle.
 
And you don’t know
What two-faced is.​
 

Taurus ​​Zodiac Highlight

Roll Up Your Sleeves
Calvin McCauley
I’m tired
My back hurts
I need a day off
 
No
 
I’m sick
My baby
Mom is in town
 
Sure
 
My neck
My glasses
I need a sleep day
 
Cut the crap
Get to work
And roll up your sleeves​
 

Aries ​​Zodiac Highlight

Uncomplicated
Bailey Daniels
Don’t get me wrong
 
I am very strong
Just like a ram
And a little wild
Like a firecracker
 
But I like it easy
I like it simple
I like it when I
Can live in my optimism
 
No consequences
Just jump
Don’t think
Just dance
 
Let’s just spin around
Until I fall
And I’ll deal with the pain
When I hit the ground​
 

Pisces ​​Zodiac Highlight

Waterboard
Girard Balson
When I was a kid
I never learned how to swim
My dad tried to show me
By throwing me in the pool
 
I think I swam for a moment
But really I mostly sank
And sank and when I hit the bottom
I imagined that I was a mermaid
 
I wanted to be
I thought I could be
But I wasn’t
I was drowning
 
After that my father
Would threaten to waterboard me
Whenever I misbehaved
 
I was a good kid
 
I thought about what it was like
Being smothered
Being suffocated

​Drowning
 
I didn’t drown
I didn’t suffocate
 
But I remember what that was like
 
I like waterboarding would be worst
 
Because that would mean
Someone wanted to hurt you
 

Aquarius ​​Zodiac Highlight

High Society Socialite
Brady Clover
There you are
intellectual and creative
independent
that's you

I knew you never liked
to be told what to do

but it society, it's rude
not to participate
the way you do

but to be close 
​the way we were
it hurts not to be near you
Copyright © 2025 Empyrean Literary Magazine, L.L.C.
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