Issue 49

Alyson Faye

Sequins stud hedgerows.
Lacy spiders' webs sparkle.
Winter's treasure chest.

David Shultz

the ineffable
sunrise - witnessed by poets
who try to eff it

Samantha Robinson

Time moves slowly now.
The wait for you is so long.
Dressed up, make-up on.

Sidney Kochman

When indoors she needs
three blankets for warmth--outside:
just a cigarette.

Gerry Grubbs

that yellow rose bush
outside my old aunts door blooms
years after she's gone

Rachel Zempel

prismatic light bulbs
dancing throughout December
strung from peak to eaves

Phil Shearrer

Lean hungry eyes watch
A Lonely wolf stands waiting
Silent snowflakes fall

Bill Melton

a cantaloupe moon
floats above the horizon
fall is in the air

Martha Shaw

You speak without words
Yet your message is so clear
And I ride the flame

Patrick Pineyro

Failure is love's art
I work like Jackson Pollock
Splattering the paint

Jessica Ramer

Stingray flap on leg
Clamoring word dreams smothered
In silence, I see

Susan Sexton

Two birds side by side;
one faces east, one turns west.
One space, two worlds seen.

Lianne Kamp

Colors fall away
pencil sketch trees line sidewalks
orange sticks to my shoes

Maricela Rosas

Misty sky and sea
Kiss amidst the horizon
Breathing in sunsets

Butch Decatoria

Fire on the shore.
A circle of childhood friends.
Warmth of nostalgia.

Bruce Feingold

Everest starlight -
balancing on the stone walls
I find my way home

Kathy Carroll

Kyoto beckons
Japanese maples aflame
Koi and leaves swirling

Michael Flanagan

black necks gray bodies
geese commence the long passage
dawn light on their wings

Stephanie Schmelzer

Go forth and be new
Sun rises, lakes drain, moon falls
Sleep, smile, risk, drain, wake

Barbara Graham

Tenuous touches-
Affection from a distance;
Minds meet in knowledge

Michael Tabor

I woke at dawn light
with the flower above me --
now wilted and dead

Nells Wasilewski

Cold dismal winter
foreboding lurks in shadows
unopened note burns

Nancy Mungcal

unwavering light
seas were held beyond the woods
the stillness waited

Kylie Benavides

Gentle erosion
Preservation of the lost
Truths in aging soils

Casey McDougall

it won't stop ringing
an unanswered telephone
it is not my house

Ronald Jones

sky of pink and green
indian summer arrives
on silent warm feet

Patricia Rossi

unanswered questions
emotions riddle the soul
dissipating faith

Mary R. P. Schutter

trees clothed in pure white
adorned with lively scarlet
cardinal ribbons

Melanie Rees

Jacaranda Kings
Lay down the lilac carpet
Fragrant purple crown

Michael Leach

day of the solstice -
a shadow of days before
winter becomes me

Michael Leach

chemical warfare
raging in these dear seniors
losses on both sides

William Keckler

here the dawn's Dear John
banded pink orange indigo
lets night down easy

Ruth Asch

Marigolds beaming
from an old boot on the sill
windows open wide

Lorraine Cipriano

Osiria rose
her cherry red petals bloom
needing to be plucked

Jennifer Montgomery

Ice suddenly bloomed
on the wide river, spreading
Autumn's death rumor.

Zach Agnew

Fierce passion burns bright,
Reshaping those who wander
Into creators

Dean Miller

Sand between your toes
Grains of history cling tight
The past walks with you

Chris Cole

Resus bay, after.
We lock eyes, a tiny nod
We tried... tried so hard.

Chanacee Ruth-Killgore

the wind turns the leaf
over and over again
'til the earth is new

Debora Schwartz

blackberry stained lips,
marinated in moonlight--
fading photographs

Emily Rojas

Sweet nectar like wine
Brushes my lips so lightly
Greedy I crave more

Thomas Farmer

Silence is piercing
The clamor augments my fear
Grant serenity

Billy Tuggle

Take my coffee black
like ancestors, dark matter,
sheep, soil and magic

Julie Dickson

Sunlight permeates
Cicadas echo in song
Snake basks in the heat

David Miller

rain wet grey pavers
glisten under the low moon
old night winks at dawn

Beverly Head

leaves rustling at doors
harboring ancient secrets
no entrance tonight

Susan Gardner

sharp August north wind
tastes Aberdeen's North Sea beach
waits for November

Rebecca Olson

falling leaves in spring
bare twig quivering and bent
girl child runs laughing

Vyomi Malik

Cascading diamonds
Reflecting a thousand suns
Rapids symphony

Mary Smith

Mind's secluded place
Questioning reality
Abandoned, alone