Featuring the work of Dan Flore III "A SCRATCH OFF LOTTERY TICKET" once plump with possibilities now with a ton of other losers all totally devoured scratched till they bled scribbled out numbers what rested on them? a dream? a destitution? an addiction? they all look as frustrated as their owners lottery games laying in a garbage can of hope "AUNT KAY'S CURSIVE" blue pen marks scratched onto a piece of loose leaf paper the words connected like wash on the line she had written out a list of chores for me to do while she was away and the armor of God etched out fully from the Bible for me to put on I didn't know everyday was a war perhaps that's because I was slayed so long ago I put the armor on everyday still and always picture her scrawl of the verses think of her hands protecting me with the strokes of her pen "I DREAM OF MILWAUKEE" I dreamt that she asked me to go to Milwaukee we were in a crowded train station all the cars traveling to the end of my dreams I said I'd go with her and remember the warmth I felt taking her hand I don't know what happens in Milwaukee I woke up after that we never mentioned Milwaukee in reality but in my dreams that all go away Milwaukee and me were her sweet reverie come true somewhere we were going to on the other side of our view in a dream like a movie where you're the star pampered by scratchy film and kind makeup I've never been to Milwaukee and I'll never go but I know to me the city is the destination of dreams and I'll keep it there swimming in my subconscious in holy water where her and I splash around free on our way to Milwaukee © Dan Flore III Dan Flore III's writings have appeared in many publications. His 7 poetry books are 'Lapping Water', 'Humbled Wise Men', 'Christmas Haikus', 'Home and other places I've yet to see', 'Pink Marigold Rays' (Gen Z Publishing), 'Written in the Dust on the Ceiling Fan' , (Dead Man's Press Ink), 'Hospital Issued Writing Notebook' (Querencia Press) and 'A partmentalized' (Imspired)