March roars in like a lion, bleats out like a lamb pierced by the showers of April, that cruellest month which brings flowers into the very merry month of May just before June busts out all over. In other words. . . Spring, with all its lust, perfume and poetry, has arrived!

In honor of this season of renewal and rebirth, this Issue 5 is dedicated to Poetry, featuring work by new and returning poets and visual artists.

But we do not forget the times in which we are living. We do not ignore the anxieties. We do not dismiss the darkness. We do not give a cold shoulder to the mayhem or brush off the mischief. And so, while Issue 5 may be dedicated to Poetry, the poems and art showcased this Spring are not too romantic or very “Spring-y” in nature. There is enough angst and edge emanating from these artists that the Magpie can still chirp out its nature song: “Mischief, watch your back!”