Summer may bring the mayhem. School’s out. Streets are busy. Car horns blow. Windows stay open all night. The cat sneaks out. The heat comes in and stays in and hovers. That’s a recipe for mayhem.

But it’s Fall that brings on the mischief. Heat subsides. Blushing cheeks and earlobes cool. Leaves turn coat. School bells ring and the gates open up. Shoes back on. Shirts buttoned up, tucked in. Zip. Somebody’s watching, holding a clipboard, taking names. Guard dogs are on duty. That’s a recipe for mischief.

What fun!

The Magpie, Thieving or otherwise, is happy, comfortable, at home, in the Fall, in the mischief, thrashing its wicked wings against the drying twigs, the crispy orange and yellow leaves, the cloud-filled shadowy skies, leaving streams of pollen and broken branches in its wake.

Looking for trouble.

In Issue 3, the Thieving Magpie has found it. From the musings of an American journalist living in the Netherlands on what you learn when you’re dead, to those of a globetrotting volunteer on Why a Tattoo. Additionally, we have found wonderful imaginative Poets, from Los Angeles, CA to Chattanooga, TN, whose day jobs range from county employee and fashion designer. This is a talented Parliament of Magpies and we hope our readers enjoy each carefully selected word and image they present on this site.

As always, the Thieving Magpie encourages readers to submit their work, to spread the word, and to try something new, something creative, something mischievous every day. The worst that could happen could be the best that could happen.

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