Search

Shop  |  Submit  |  Contest

Search

Shop  |  Submit | Contests

black and white overlays of feminine faces
Zone 3 Press, the literary magazine of Austin Peay State University
Volume 40, Issue 1
Volume 40, Issue 1

BEAT

  • By Dario Cvencek

I ran away from the fireworks        and patriotic orgies 
out of the city          out of the country 
                                                              I drove for 7 hrs 
to get to the woods        into the mountains 
where it’s so quiet        I can hear my 
                                                             heart beat 

I sit in a wooden cabin        at midnight 
and watch the stars        through the sunroof 
                  I think of them as holes 
that school-aged angels         are drilling in the sky 
to peek into the        world of humans 
for entertainment        and maybe for 
                                                               homework 

this isn’t the first time       I’m fleeing a country 
because of the explosions       and smell of gunpowder 
burning your nostrils       like shitty cocaine 

and also not the first time       I’m leaving familiar places 
and people behind       so I can listen 
to my own       heart beat       by myself 

there have been a lot of       explosions lately 
a lot of wounds       surface wounds 
and flesh wounds       I ran into the woods 
                          to lick my wounds 
and have the trees         and mountain ridges 
be the only witnesses         of my silent healing 

the war inside my head       has paused for a day 
my heart has not       paused yet 
                                                      will not pause 
it continues to beat 
into the silence      of this forest 
into the stillness       of this night 
all the way to the       stars above 

I have done       my homework 
             the angels can 
                                    copy it now 

About Dario Cvencek

Dario Cvencek is an immigrant poet from the Balkans. He started writing poetry in high school, inspired by his growing up during the Bosnian War in the 1990s, and his subsequent experiences as a refugee of war and an immigrant in Germany and the United States. In his poems, he explores the themes of war, trauma, healing, identity, gun violence, immigration, nature, home, food, and love. His work has appeared in numerous independent literary magazines and presses, including a recent anthology “Silence is Consent: American Poets Speaking to the American Conscience” (Casablanca Press, 2025). His first full-length collection of poetry “PTSD Martini” was released by Carbonation Press in May 2025. His follow-up collection “Mirror Made of Words” will be released by Carbonation Press in Spring 2026. He lives and works in Seattle, WA, where he also hosts a curated open mic series “Speak Out Seattle.” Connect with Dario on Instagram @dario_poetry.  

black and white overlays of feminine faces
Zone 3 Press, the literary magazine of Austin Peay State University
Volume 40, Issue 1
Volume 40, Issue 1

BEAT

  • By Dario Cvencek

I ran away from the fireworks        and patriotic orgies 
out of the city          out of the country 
                                                              I drove for 7 hrs 
to get to the woods        into the mountains 
where it’s so quiet        I can hear my 
                                                             heart beat 

I sit in a wooden cabin        at midnight 
and watch the stars        through the sunroof 
                  I think of them as holes 
that school-aged angels         are drilling in the sky 
to peek into the        world of humans 
for entertainment        and maybe for 
                                                               homework 

this isn’t the first time       I’m fleeing a country 
because of the explosions       and smell of gunpowder 
burning your nostrils       like shitty cocaine 

and also not the first time       I’m leaving familiar places 
and people behind       so I can listen 
to my own       heart beat       by myself 

there have been a lot of       explosions lately 
a lot of wounds       surface wounds 
and flesh wounds       I ran into the woods 
                          to lick my wounds 
and have the trees         and mountain ridges 
be the only witnesses         of my silent healing 

the war inside my head       has paused for a day 
my heart has not       paused yet 
                                                      will not pause 
it continues to beat 
into the silence      of this forest 
into the stillness       of this night 
all the way to the       stars above 

I have done       my homework 
             the angels can 
                                    copy it now 

Volume 40, Issue 1
Volume 40, Issue 1

BEAT

  • By Dario Cvencek

I ran away from the fireworks        and patriotic orgies 
out of the city          out of the country 
                                                              I drove for 7 hrs 
to get to the woods        into the mountains 
where it’s so quiet        I can hear my 
                                                             heart beat 

I sit in a wooden cabin        at midnight 
and watch the stars        through the sunroof 
                  I think of them as holes 
that school-aged angels         are drilling in the sky 
to peek into the        world of humans 
for entertainment        and maybe for 
                                                               homework 

this isn’t the first time       I’m fleeing a country 
because of the explosions       and smell of gunpowder 
burning your nostrils       like shitty cocaine 

and also not the first time       I’m leaving familiar places 
and people behind       so I can listen 
to my own       heart beat       by myself 

there have been a lot of       explosions lately 
a lot of wounds       surface wounds 
and flesh wounds       I ran into the woods 
                          to lick my wounds 
and have the trees         and mountain ridges 
be the only witnesses         of my silent healing 

the war inside my head       has paused for a day 
my heart has not       paused yet 
                                                      will not pause 
it continues to beat 
into the silence      of this forest 
into the stillness       of this night 
all the way to the       stars above 

I have done       my homework 
             the angels can 
                                    copy it now 

About Dario Cvencek

Dario Cvencek is an immigrant poet from the Balkans. He started writing poetry in high school, inspired by his growing up during the Bosnian War in the 1990s, and his subsequent experiences as a refugee of war and an immigrant in Germany and the United States. In his poems, he explores the themes of war, trauma, healing, identity, gun violence, immigration, nature, home, food, and love. His work has appeared in numerous independent literary magazines and presses, including a recent anthology “Silence is Consent: American Poets Speaking to the American Conscience” (Casablanca Press, 2025). His first full-length collection of poetry “PTSD Martini” was released by Carbonation Press in May 2025. His follow-up collection “Mirror Made of Words” will be released by Carbonation Press in Spring 2026. He lives and works in Seattle, WA, where he also hosts a curated open mic series “Speak Out Seattle.” Connect with Dario on Instagram @dario_poetry.