Issue 54

Bruce Levine

Fall retains its glow
Falling leaves and golden times
Followed by the snow

Bill Melton

air full of fragrance
all dressed up in pink array
mimosas in bloom

Kennard Balme

one thousand year flood
natures wetness drop by drop
unpredictable

Allen Ashley

Wooden garden swing.
Children grown-up, fly the nest;
Birds reclaim their perch.

Jeff Harbrow

First light opens up
a chorus of excitement.
Bright little song birds.

Beverly Head

new trash in alleys
swirling in the warm fall wind
paper cups dancing

Mary Kaye Valdez

I pick up paper,
and it's so blindingly blank,
but my mind isn't.

Heather Teague

Blinding yellow sun
Attempts to hide the faint moon.
Still, it is present.

Faith Munoz

mild Imperfection
innocently unaware
Tension tangled hair

Sally Jones

red bird minds nearby
stark against the crisp snow drifts
my late dad's spirit

DJ Tyrer

Clear sky, a chill breeze
Daffodils nodding sagely
Spring is a false dawn

Ingrid Bruck

perfect black berries
red hollyhocks and cherries
summer sun's children

Jacob Hebior

The white rock sits still
Its heart beating fast and loud
At the sight of Fox

Garth Moore

Every day we pass
long hair brushes brown shoulders-
what man does she see?

Zach Agnew

The silence shatters
As gulls cry out to the dawn,
Signaling first light.

Jared Kellison

Demented, that's me
Pretend that it's just a dream
Close your eyes, and scream

Art Fredeen

a tired rasp of leaf -
cold gust scattering blackbirds
into early night

Rachel Zempel

smoldering ember
a faint glow hidden beneath
charred logs and moonlight

Adele Wegner

grey noise of airplane
deep green cicada night song
synesthetic air

Leilani Smartt

Earth croaks three long times,
Morning sun rises and weeps
At the dirt of man

Sarvananda Bluestone

Furious wind chimes
Driven by the careless wind
Bang out their protest.

Dayna Jessie Meyer

Undocumented.
Suffocating stillness lies.
Embers of hope rise.

Jen McAlonan

Plumes of smoke rising
up from the leaf-covered ground
into the fall sky

Leneé Moon

Early morning sun
Gently emerging through fog
Calls, arise sweet earth

David Shultz

broken wing sparrow
flopping low along sidewalk-
green leaf in the wind

Eliza Mimski

Large emerald hands
Deep forest beneath our eyes
The sea is churning

Sarah Smith

Rusty gold is here,
everywhere, in my hair, in
your mild temperament

Donna Meyer

Yellow grasshopper
Regal, eschews tradition
Chooses not to hop

Mary Haslett

Hoofprints in the snow
Filling with the windblown flakes
Disappearing now

Samantha Robinson

Delicate woman,
Always touched in the wrong way,
Finally singing!

Carl Maier

Tutus swirl on high
A pas de deaux unfolding
clouds embrace sunlight

Jonathan Bennett

The sun stretches forth
to gather the moon's present
diamond covered Earth.

Erin Werner

Genuflect in awe
Prostrate to the grace of God
On my knees---for love

Hannah-Rose Tristram

Freshly dressed wounds. Words
cut deep, draw blood memories.
Grass sings nightmare song.

Aubrey Laughlin

stubborn hummingbird
insists on flying backwards
let go of the past

Shelly Reed Thieman

pair of owls night-dance
enfolding the balsam pine
snow embroidery

Donald DiMauro

I sift out the rock
And sling seed like a baseball
To witness new grass.

Karen Shepherd

limbs shed yellow leaves
dropping and shooting in wind
stars sit on sidewalks

Brent Christianson

Light blue morning sky
Oak branches frame a bright moon
Fallen rose petals

Suzanne Sakai

soft night rains brought out
the scent of lilacs, hushing
regret's stale clamor

Gabriel Smithwilson

fresh tea leaves dancing
with gusto through dull water
a flight of dragons

Billy Tuggle

Stabbed between shoulders
with no coat for protection
from winter assault

Sherry Simpson

Yelping coyotes
chase October's gibbous moon
Dog woofs softly, once

Adrian Ripley

Poppy moves quickly,
Chasing autumnal light play,
In the Peak twilight.

Suzanne Cottrell

Suspended halo
Ice crystals caress the moon
Frigid, hushed moon dogs

Frances Donovan

a half moon perches
in the sycamore's branches
light blooms on the hills

Maximilian Lloyd

moving the wet planks
pale calluses shred in palms
death is washed away

Jody Larson

clouds on the mountain
watching from my cottage door
I grip my teacup

Corinna German

cumulus clouds stalk
lupine's sun soaking petals
summer memory

Sandra Barnett

Japanese maple
leaves turn from green to amber . . .
bracing for winter