Issue 33 | Fall 2025

Blueberries

Edward Manzi

Excuse my ambition, it’s lacking.

I’m not even here. Isn’t that enough?

The blueberry blossoms are freezing.

You’re not getting your blueberries this summer.

Will you even notice?

I practice and practice.

What’s the score?

Blueberries, blueberries, blueberries.

I need a hug from my text messages.

Text arms all around me.

Ending this exile, we call progress

we’ll end up back in our villages.

Huddled around fire

planning our escape.

About the Author

Edward Manzi lives in Tahoe City, CA. His poems have been published in Another Chicago Magazine, Bluebird Scribe Review, Bodega, Hobart, Frontier Poetry, and others. He also has poems forthcoming in the North Dakota Quarterly. His prose poetry collection, Prisoner Cowboy, was published in 2023 with CW Books. He has an MFA from the University of New Hampshire.