My Grandfather as a River Saint
LINDA BRYANT-DAVIS
At the swamp’s edge, the young man
who became my grandfather shines his chrome
Ray-O-Vac in the humid dark. Deep rippling
of bullfrogs, dank duckweed & water moss.
He aims his three-pronged spear. Hindus say
Shiva’s flesh is whitened by the pale
fragments of human ashes, that his trident
commands earth, sea & air. My grandfather
feared the god of the Baptists, never heard
of Shiva, but in the humid West Tennessee
night, with his pouch of Red Man
& pint of Jack & heavy steel spear,
perhaps he felt the power of the destroyer
& the restorer. The silver beam
of his flashlight dances with river shimmer
& his skin ripples like moonlight
in water. He steers to the swamp’s edge
& pierces the bullfrog’s pale plump belly.
With no clue of the punishing years to come,
he prowls the carpet-thick moss, motor purring.
Deer in Headlights, Angel Teeth
Linda Bryant-Davis is a retired journalist with thirty-plus years of experience who pivoted to poetry and creative non-fiction. She grew up in Chicago and has an MFA in Poetry from Fairleigh Dickinson University. She owns Owsley Fork Writers Sanctuary in Berea, Kentucky, a writing retreat where authors and artists from across the country pursue special projects. Her most recent publication is Ghost Dancing With Music from Act of Power Press (2025). She has been published in numerous literary journals and received five Pushcart nominations.
Sabr Tooth Tiger Magazine, Issue no. 2: Mystics & Saints. 6x9 paperback, 196 pages.
Contributors:
2026 CLARION POETRY PRIZE
Kale Hensley (Grand Prize Winner), Syed Hashmi (Runner-Up), Sam Beal (Runner-Up)
POETRY
Daniel Abdal-Hayy Moore, D.W. Baker, Kara Barlow, e.l. biddle, Cat Brogan, Linda Bryant-Davis, Joseph Byrd, Halliday Carpender, Sophie Cornwell, Stephan Crown-Weber, Tony DiCarlo, Jané Dowd, Bart Edelman, Elliot, Beatriz F. Fernandez, Gretchen Gale, Charisse Gendron, Z.H. Gill, Ewen Glass, Fernando Jerez, Victor Kamhazi, Justin Karcher, Kristin Lueke, Merlin June Mack, Pip McGough, Mark J. Mitchell, KG Newman, Lisa Perkins, Patrick T. Reardon, jw summerisle, Skye Tarshis, François Tristan L'Hermite, Hanna Webster, Payson Whitwell, Rachael A. Zubal-Ruggieri
FICTION
Jer Hayes, Allen Kesten, Jamie LeFort, Christina Rauh Fishburne & Charlie Rauh, Taylor Thornburg, Fiona Vigo Marshall
CREATIVE NONFICTION
JH Lucas, latrell "lala" novali, Gina Twardosz
VISUAL ART
Edena Alvarado, Julieta Beltrán Lazo, Aubrienne Bergeron, Arch Budzar, Ashley Czajkowski, Lattea Falco, Zander Fieschko, Sarah Goodermuth, Hannah Greteman, Catie Hernandez, Kaitlyn “Thu” Hettinger, Sophia Huang, Jowonder, Martina McAteer, Mina Mond, Brigid O'Neil, Diana Story, Sydney Strickland, Émile Sylvain, Angel Teeth
Issue no. 2 is expected to release in June 2026. Please note that copies are printed-to-order and can take up to one month to be delivered.