Issue 45

Kent McQuillen

the middle of spring
purple lilacs are in bloom
the night smells of skunk

Arthur Chandler

We are storms at sea,
Falcons above the desert,
A great song in all.

Evan Guilford-Blake

Looking south, ducks call.
Sighing, trees release summer:
Fluttering leaf falls.

Val Dube

Under a blanket
of soft freshly fallen snow
lie tomorrow's seeds.

Jody T. Morse

cuts so deep in flesh
our hearts and souls now dying
humanity's loss

Sarah Parks

Sleep invades the night
Claiming productivity,
Inspiring dreams

Suzanna Quintana

We are glowing bright
so the butterflies follow
and cover us both

Amanda Ardieta Gardner

Fall has tumbled in
The light is rusty gold now
Raining from the trees

Carol Meeks

Aspens grow silent
glimmer's beauty gone too soon
from naked branches

Emily Ramirez

she unwraps her hair
a sea of flowers and rain
flows from her wonder

Nancy Grudens-Schuck

Hawk moth in the grass
Belly pressed to stem, to shoots.
Spring flutters my heart.

Lesley Mace

ocean mugs the shore
awaiting the next onslaught
pebbles lie trembling

Lesley Mace

the attic toys fade
sunlight sifts down through the eaves
silently spiteful

Jared Moore

Between the puddles
the rain is invisible.
The sidewalk is still.

David Davies

a single heron
skimming over rough ploughed fields
- all the fish fossils

Ian Tash

Running from sunsets
Swimming through smog filled wind gusts
Beauty in poison

Natalia Malesa

sickness is certain
he dances on, blooming as
a rose in summer

Robin Goodfellow

Withered petals fall
upon their thorns' sanctity,
their sweet scents fading.

Joseph Easterly

The smoke is fluid,
Flitting between memories;
The ashes remain.

Connor Bjotvedt

The bronzed road runner
Kicks its legs like windmill slats
Trapped in desert winds.

Maricela Rosas

dusty love letters
feelings abandoned in March
decorate my floor

Bruce Jewett

this lotus survives,
embraced by muddied shallows
all else washed away

Michael Flanagan

Polaris a blaze
when it left centuries past
tonight a glimmer

Nicholas DAngelo

Turquoise fog rises
Searchlights moving rapidly
Midnight sky coming

Anthony Fisher

blizzards of ice shards
islands of isolation
a rare winters bloom

Jackie Maugh Robinson

spring in a new home
replacing lawn flamingos
with tiger lilies

Tyson West

sunlight cuts below
storm clouds bowling the meadow
in sparkling thistle

Shirley Smothers

His stormy blue eyes
Mesmerized many Women
But they sparked for Her

Carla Jones

Swooning heat rises
Sucking corrugated air
Nothing breathes or stirs

Tasha Gehling

Cicadas singing
Trees sweating sweet aroma
Bathing in the sun

Emily Rojas

Full dandelion
Swollen with good intentions
Blown into the wind

Donny Barilla

Sleepy summer squash
lounge upon yellow grasses
farmers till soft soil.

Patricia Rossi

symphony at dawn
feathered chorus awakens
brightening heavens

Amanda Grzeslo

Small words echo here
In emptiness they stand tall
Red woods among pines.

John Mueller

Summer nostalgia;
the dull shine of beaten tin;
my mother's kitchen.

Mandy MACDONALD

snow so white it hurts
even the air, astonished,
draws its frozen breath

Val Dube

A single rose bud
quenched by a noon Summer storm
opens at midnight.

Elizabeth Carr

Fuzzy pink handcuffs
On the side of the highway
Deadly curious

Emily Bieniek

Tobacco ash falls
Addicts blow up at the sky
Smoke break in rehab

Maisie Williams

Moon in the window
Whispers turn to city fog
Hear the world, kiss me

Elaine Hunter

pink wild rose blossoms
lone traveler along road
bee bathes in pollen

Zach Agnew

Time marches forward
Collecting wasted seconds
In a tiny jar

Mickey Kulp

The storm is brewing
Darkly in the western sky.
Now, time to be brave.

Helen May Williams

midwinter south beach
wind-driven sand moon-pulled waves
each dog bows then plays

Tammie Rice

approaching midday
smooth surface marred by ripples
returning koi feast

Tammie Rice

purple pendulums
dancing in a gentle breeze;
we contemplate spring

Elizabeth Weisser

I am like a stone
eroding slowly. My path:
breathed upon by God.

Rachel Zempel

starry moonlit skies
bursts of color exploding
Independence Day

Shelly Reed Thieman

sinkhole swallows barn
twelve head of cattle vanish
shepherd barking still

Woody Evans

Locusts throng the corn.
I watch her dance there, in green.
Small smile in chaos.