As It Ought To Be
@asitoughttobe.bsky.social
I am still as a dress model
cut from paper,
waiting for you to flick
your switch, gazing toward
your cast iron arm,
New #poetry by Kristen Keckler on AIOTB!
asitoughttobemagazine.com/kristen-keck...
cut from paper,
waiting for you to flick
your switch, gazing toward
your cast iron arm,
New #poetry by Kristen Keckler on AIOTB!
asitoughttobemagazine.com/kristen-keck...
Kristen Keckler: “Woman and Sewing Machine”
Woman and Sewing Machine After Joseph CornellAs beautiful as the chance meetingof a sewing machine and its mistresson a dissecting table,I am still as a dress modelcut from paper,waiting for you to…
asitoughttobemagazine.com
February 13, 2026 at 5:22 PM
I am still as a dress model
cut from paper,
waiting for you to flick
your switch, gazing toward
your cast iron arm,
New #poetry by Kristen Keckler on AIOTB!
asitoughttobemagazine.com/kristen-keck...
cut from paper,
waiting for you to flick
your switch, gazing toward
your cast iron arm,
New #poetry by Kristen Keckler on AIOTB!
asitoughttobemagazine.com/kristen-keck...
how lightbulbs make me sneeze
or the word blood bends my vision
New #poetry by Sarah Carleton on AIOTB!
asitoughttobemagazine.com/sarah-carlet...
or the word blood bends my vision
New #poetry by Sarah Carleton on AIOTB!
asitoughttobemagazine.com/sarah-carlet...
Sarah Carleton: “Point of Reference”
Point of ReferenceI tell friends the bottoms of my feettingle when I peer down at a gorge from a high bridge or watcha video of a cyclist popping wheelies on a roof or followthe wearable camera of …
asitoughttobemagazine.com
February 4, 2026 at 5:29 AM
how lightbulbs make me sneeze
or the word blood bends my vision
New #poetry by Sarah Carleton on AIOTB!
asitoughttobemagazine.com/sarah-carlet...
or the word blood bends my vision
New #poetry by Sarah Carleton on AIOTB!
asitoughttobemagazine.com/sarah-carlet...
Our January 2026 Poetry Edition is live! Check out new work from Sarah Carleton, Nada Faris, Cal Freeman, John Grey, Kristen Keckler, Garth Pavell, Jason Ryberg, and Dudley Stone.
asitoughttobemagazine.com/2026/01/27/p...
#poetry
asitoughttobemagazine.com/2026/01/27/p...
#poetry
Poetry: January 2026
Sarah Carleton: “Point of Reference” Nada Faris: “The Way Forward” Cal Freeman: “Essay On Whistler” John Grey: “Relationships, Your Argument” Kristen Keckler: “Woman and Sewing Machine” Garth Pavel…
asitoughttobemagazine.com
January 29, 2026 at 1:22 AM
Our January 2026 Poetry Edition is live! Check out new work from Sarah Carleton, Nada Faris, Cal Freeman, John Grey, Kristen Keckler, Garth Pavell, Jason Ryberg, and Dudley Stone.
asitoughttobemagazine.com/2026/01/27/p...
#poetry
asitoughttobemagazine.com/2026/01/27/p...
#poetry
"She tries to grab them, but they’ve found
a home in the noodles."
New #poetry by Madison Woodle on AIOTB!
asitoughttobemagazine.com/madison-wood...
a home in the noodles."
New #poetry by Madison Woodle on AIOTB!
asitoughttobemagazine.com/madison-wood...
Madison Woodle: “Worms”
WormsThe can is cold against her fingers.It’s hidden in her grip beneaththe table, her nail tracing the cool tin.Her feet don’t reach the floor,Twinkle Toes only brushing the tileas she kicks. If M…
asitoughttobemagazine.com
January 2, 2026 at 8:18 PM
"She tries to grab them, but they’ve found
a home in the noodles."
New #poetry by Madison Woodle on AIOTB!
asitoughttobemagazine.com/madison-wood...
a home in the noodles."
New #poetry by Madison Woodle on AIOTB!
asitoughttobemagazine.com/madison-wood...
Whatever remains of memories stored inside drawers, kept
dormant or meant to be opened on an auspicious day? What
of the efforts to recognize dozens of white medicinal powders
by taste, touch, aspect, smell, or fricative sounds?
New #poetry by Hedy Habra!
asitoughttobemagazine.com/hedy-habra-w...
dormant or meant to be opened on an auspicious day? What
of the efforts to recognize dozens of white medicinal powders
by taste, touch, aspect, smell, or fricative sounds?
New #poetry by Hedy Habra!
asitoughttobemagazine.com/hedy-habra-w...
Hedy Habra: “Whatever Remains of What We Once Knew So Well?”
Whatever Remains of What We Once Knew So Well?Whatever remains of drafts and notes scribbled in marginsthat can no longer be deciphered or elucidated? What ofthe pain once thought unbearable after …
asitoughttobemagazine.com
December 31, 2025 at 2:46 AM
Whatever remains of memories stored inside drawers, kept
dormant or meant to be opened on an auspicious day? What
of the efforts to recognize dozens of white medicinal powders
by taste, touch, aspect, smell, or fricative sounds?
New #poetry by Hedy Habra!
asitoughttobemagazine.com/hedy-habra-w...
dormant or meant to be opened on an auspicious day? What
of the efforts to recognize dozens of white medicinal powders
by taste, touch, aspect, smell, or fricative sounds?
New #poetry by Hedy Habra!
asitoughttobemagazine.com/hedy-habra-w...
maybe I look mad,
fingers tracing my chiseled past,
spooling thoughts—trance-like,
but in this spun-out moment
I can honor the mysteries of my body
New #poetry on AIOTB by Adele Evershed!
asitoughttobemagazine.com/adele-eversh...
fingers tracing my chiseled past,
spooling thoughts—trance-like,
but in this spun-out moment
I can honor the mysteries of my body
New #poetry on AIOTB by Adele Evershed!
asitoughttobemagazine.com/adele-eversh...
Adele Evershed: “loopy”
loopybefore clocksthere were stone circles,listing like a groupof middle-aged womengathered for a girls’ night out—a way to grasp timewhen everything was a mystery,a place to gather,walk in circles…
asitoughttobemagazine.com
December 29, 2025 at 9:08 PM
maybe I look mad,
fingers tracing my chiseled past,
spooling thoughts—trance-like,
but in this spun-out moment
I can honor the mysteries of my body
New #poetry on AIOTB by Adele Evershed!
asitoughttobemagazine.com/adele-eversh...
fingers tracing my chiseled past,
spooling thoughts—trance-like,
but in this spun-out moment
I can honor the mysteries of my body
New #poetry on AIOTB by Adele Evershed!
asitoughttobemagazine.com/adele-eversh...
Mom had no time
to explain the alchemy
of bluing to a nine-year-old.
New #poetry by R.A. Allen on AIOTB!
asitoughttobemagazine.com/r-a-allen-bl...
to explain the alchemy
of bluing to a nine-year-old.
New #poetry by R.A. Allen on AIOTB!
asitoughttobemagazine.com/r-a-allen-bl...
R. A. Allen: “Bluing”
BluingSharing a spidery basementwith the furnace,our washing machinehad two cycles—hot & cold.I discovered my momhand-washingher “good” whitesin the kitchen sink,with some kind of blueliquid in…
asitoughttobemagazine.com
December 26, 2025 at 9:21 PM
Mom had no time
to explain the alchemy
of bluing to a nine-year-old.
New #poetry by R.A. Allen on AIOTB!
asitoughttobemagazine.com/r-a-allen-bl...
to explain the alchemy
of bluing to a nine-year-old.
New #poetry by R.A. Allen on AIOTB!
asitoughttobemagazine.com/r-a-allen-bl...
Our December Poetry Edition is live, featuring new work by R. A. Allen, James Benger, Bonnie Demerjian, Adele Evershed, Hedy Habra, Madison Woodle, and Robin Wright.
asitoughttobemagazine.com/2025/12/24/p...
#poetry
asitoughttobemagazine.com/2025/12/24/p...
#poetry
Poetry: December 2025
R. A. Allen: “Bluing” James Benger: “pep talk” Bonnie Demerjian: “A Lesson Not Taught in Supermarket School” Adele Evershed: “loopy” Hedy Habra: “Whatever Remains of What We Once Knew So Well?” Mad…
asitoughttobemagazine.com
December 24, 2025 at 10:26 PM
Our December Poetry Edition is live, featuring new work by R. A. Allen, James Benger, Bonnie Demerjian, Adele Evershed, Hedy Habra, Madison Woodle, and Robin Wright.
asitoughttobemagazine.com/2025/12/24/p...
#poetry
asitoughttobemagazine.com/2025/12/24/p...
#poetry
I’m not the mythic real boy,
the bookend son
New #poetry on AIOTB by Alicia Wright!
asitoughttobemagazine.com/alicia-wrigh...
the bookend son
New #poetry on AIOTB by Alicia Wright!
asitoughttobemagazine.com/alicia-wrigh...
Alicia Wright: “She doesn’t wish me dead”
She doesn’t wish me deadbut she dreams me a clot,a porcelain smearchasing a current of almostson their trip downriver.I’m not the mythic real boy,the bookend sonin grass-stained denim,baseball card…
asitoughttobemagazine.com
December 24, 2025 at 2:10 AM
I’m not the mythic real boy,
the bookend son
New #poetry on AIOTB by Alicia Wright!
asitoughttobemagazine.com/alicia-wrigh...
the bookend son
New #poetry on AIOTB by Alicia Wright!
asitoughttobemagazine.com/alicia-wrigh...
It is the white satin lining of the coffin lid.
This is the lid that closes every night upon our lids.
New #poetry by J.R. Solonche on AIOTB!
asitoughttobemagazine.com/j-r-solonche...
This is the lid that closes every night upon our lids.
New #poetry by J.R. Solonche on AIOTB!
asitoughttobemagazine.com/j-r-solonche...
J.R. Solonche: “The Ceiling”
The CeilingIt is one sixty-fourth of a chessboard that isn’t there.I am the king of the white square the size of a room.It is a sky without birds, except for the ones I remember.It is a sky without…
asitoughttobemagazine.com
December 15, 2025 at 7:39 PM
It is the white satin lining of the coffin lid.
This is the lid that closes every night upon our lids.
New #poetry by J.R. Solonche on AIOTB!
asitoughttobemagazine.com/j-r-solonche...
This is the lid that closes every night upon our lids.
New #poetry by J.R. Solonche on AIOTB!
asitoughttobemagazine.com/j-r-solonche...
"Listen, and you’ll hear something being stripped away."
New #poetry by Joe Mills on AIOTB!
asitoughttobemagazine.com/joseph-mills...
New #poetry by Joe Mills on AIOTB!
asitoughttobemagazine.com/joseph-mills...
Joseph Mills: “Retinue”
RetinueAt first, they’re happy to be part of the one hundredchosen to remain with King Lear in his retirement.The A-team. The posse. The ones who made the cut.Then the daughters begin to ask why 10…
asitoughttobemagazine.com
December 14, 2025 at 7:54 PM
"Listen, and you’ll hear something being stripped away."
New #poetry by Joe Mills on AIOTB!
asitoughttobemagazine.com/joseph-mills...
New #poetry by Joe Mills on AIOTB!
asitoughttobemagazine.com/joseph-mills...
Sometimes
he still tries to kick
his missing back leg
when we find
that right there spot
New poetry on AIOTB by A.M. Hayden!
asitoughttobemagazine.com/a-m-hayden-g...
#poetry
he still tries to kick
his missing back leg
when we find
that right there spot
New poetry on AIOTB by A.M. Hayden!
asitoughttobemagazine.com/a-m-hayden-g...
#poetry
A.M. Hayden: “Ghost Leg”
Ghost LegSometimeshe still tries to kickhis missing back legwhen we findthat right there spotscratch until we seeripples vibratejust beneath surfacerepeat messages activatedsent to nervesto spinal …
asitoughttobemagazine.com
December 10, 2025 at 1:54 AM
Sometimes
he still tries to kick
his missing back leg
when we find
that right there spot
New poetry on AIOTB by A.M. Hayden!
asitoughttobemagazine.com/a-m-hayden-g...
#poetry
he still tries to kick
his missing back leg
when we find
that right there spot
New poetry on AIOTB by A.M. Hayden!
asitoughttobemagazine.com/a-m-hayden-g...
#poetry
she plays with the sound
in her mouth
tongues the note around
like a two-ton stone
New poetry by John Compton on AIOTB!
asitoughttobemagazine.com/john-compton...
#poetry
in her mouth
tongues the note around
like a two-ton stone
New poetry by John Compton on AIOTB!
asitoughttobemagazine.com/john-compton...
#poetry
John Compton: “the musical of the bell jar”
the musical of the bell jarshe plays with the soundin her mouthtongues the note aroundlike a two-ton stonetrying to dislodgethe musicfrom her throat.a cricket hidits songunder a trapdoorwhere a tur…
asitoughttobemagazine.com
December 9, 2025 at 1:01 AM
she plays with the sound
in her mouth
tongues the note around
like a two-ton stone
New poetry by John Compton on AIOTB!
asitoughttobemagazine.com/john-compton...
#poetry
in her mouth
tongues the note around
like a two-ton stone
New poetry by John Compton on AIOTB!
asitoughttobemagazine.com/john-compton...
#poetry
Our November 2025 Poetry Edition is live, featuring new work by:
Ruth Bavetta, Jacob Butlett, John Compton, A.M. Hayden, Joshua Lillie, Joseph Mills, J.R. Solonche, and Alicia Wright.
asitoughttobemagazine.com/2025/11/29/p...
#poetry
Ruth Bavetta, Jacob Butlett, John Compton, A.M. Hayden, Joshua Lillie, Joseph Mills, J.R. Solonche, and Alicia Wright.
asitoughttobemagazine.com/2025/11/29/p...
#poetry
Poetry: November 2025
Ruth Bavetta: “My Father’s Shirts” Jacob Butlett: “Feeding Time at the Zoo” John Compton: “the musical of the bell jar” A.M. Hayden: “Ghost Leg” Joshua Lillie: “What Becomes A Tumblewee…
asitoughttobemagazine.com
November 29, 2025 at 11:50 PM
Our November 2025 Poetry Edition is live, featuring new work by:
Ruth Bavetta, Jacob Butlett, John Compton, A.M. Hayden, Joshua Lillie, Joseph Mills, J.R. Solonche, and Alicia Wright.
asitoughttobemagazine.com/2025/11/29/p...
#poetry
Ruth Bavetta, Jacob Butlett, John Compton, A.M. Hayden, Joshua Lillie, Joseph Mills, J.R. Solonche, and Alicia Wright.
asitoughttobemagazine.com/2025/11/29/p...
#poetry
"running fingers over each tooth,
raggedness gone, transition
from one to the next like precise
words that keep the hard work
to themselves..."
New #poetry on AIOTB by Abner Oakes!
asitoughttobemagazine.com/abner-oakes-...
raggedness gone, transition
from one to the next like precise
words that keep the hard work
to themselves..."
New #poetry on AIOTB by Abner Oakes!
asitoughttobemagazine.com/abner-oakes-...
Abner Oakes: “Floating Teeth”
Floating TeethThis poem, shiny and straightat the start, soon a mouthful.I yank lines, grind awayat first words, milk teethof the draft. Uncle Bob floatedteeth, arriving at each barnwith his bucket…
asitoughttobemagazine.com
November 22, 2025 at 8:15 PM
"running fingers over each tooth,
raggedness gone, transition
from one to the next like precise
words that keep the hard work
to themselves..."
New #poetry on AIOTB by Abner Oakes!
asitoughttobemagazine.com/abner-oakes-...
raggedness gone, transition
from one to the next like precise
words that keep the hard work
to themselves..."
New #poetry on AIOTB by Abner Oakes!
asitoughttobemagazine.com/abner-oakes-...
"There is a subordinate hush beneath the silence"
New poetry on AIOTB by Lindsay McLeod!
asitoughttobemagazine.com/lindsay-mcle...
#poetry
New poetry on AIOTB by Lindsay McLeod!
asitoughttobemagazine.com/lindsay-mcle...
#poetry
Lindsay McLeod: “Sleeping Dogs”
Sleeping DogsThere is a subordinate hush beneath the silence like father’s anger here in the long quiet dark of this country road that seems suspect soft and warm as a lamb yet we both know f…
asitoughttobemagazine.com
November 19, 2025 at 5:23 PM
"There is a subordinate hush beneath the silence"
New poetry on AIOTB by Lindsay McLeod!
asitoughttobemagazine.com/lindsay-mcle...
#poetry
New poetry on AIOTB by Lindsay McLeod!
asitoughttobemagazine.com/lindsay-mcle...
#poetry