Issue 58

Jerry G. Ianni

Two sharp blasts of wind,
Bringing fierce chills to the bones,
Summer is long gone.

Josslyn Turner

faded stars above
streetlights and lovers downtown
night of love and art

Jeffrey Daniel Furst

Wash sin from his soul
Dipped into a river stream
Born into a lie

Jen Ebersohn

Willow trees in light
and shade. Bow to the new day.
Ash of creation.

Maria Galea

Iridescent spheres
Caressed and spun by the breeze
Ephemeral strength

Dawn Madura

Winter breathes so long,
spring whispers after darkness,
an encore not far.

George Ochsenfeld

self-educated
the water buffalo knows
the rocky road home

Madeline Lipton

Rainy day unfolds
Soaking landscapes aplenty
Dreams and schemes still yearn

WAYNE BARNES

We marry in spring
Petals falling on threshold
Blossoms crown above

Desiree Aspiras

wet honeysuckles -
behind, the bay has vanished
in gray rain and fog

Gwen Ozaki

lost in my daydreams
I catch my breath at your touch
eternities fade

Elazar Abraham

Drift in willow's weep,
Steeping in a bristling stream.
Intersections shift.

Anna Zapalska

Unwritten thoughts run
Away and vanish like birds-
They lose their feathers

Sandra Barnett

scarlet cardinals
forage and fight in sunlight
no sound much fury

Vyomi Malik

Turquoise feathers glint
Contemplating their kingdom
Jewels of the Lake

Chanacee Ruth-Killgore

Guilt pulls me under.
Words float up, die on my tongue.
Silent this abyss.

Bill Melton

roadside primroses
politely wave, passing car
unnoticed, alone

Michael Flanagan

deer season predawn
I pray the skill to bring death
and win forgiveness

Sarah Thomas

Early spring sunshine
Resilient daffodils
Defying the frost

Jennifer Montgomery

grove of fallen trees
blackened roots curl towards the sky
seeking permanence

Clare Brown

A budding flower
Born of callous sunlight's eye
Bearing august fruit

Melissa Laussmann

Enchanted nightfall
Starlit sky and crescent moon
Too dreamy for sleep

Andrew Moore

Life spent wallowing
like a pig in the image
I keep of myself

Shirley Smothers

Words flowing from mind
Touching people I don't know
Hoping to inspire

Rp Verlaine

Wife's whip leaving marks
his eyes fixated upon
his mother's picture.

Jody Larson

one sweet gardenia
bursts forth this late March morning
promising summer

Kael Smith

Counting the orange peels
Piled upon my dirty desk...
Vacation ended.

Maryam Qureshi

Cold winter evening
Cardinal on snowy bough...
Truly feeling blue

Diane Merchant

Breathless leaves curling
stolen from the bending bough
no time for goodbye

Agnieszka Krajewska

Crow stops on the lamp
Polishes his beak against
The sharp blue heavens

Bruce Levine

Only the wind knows
Blowing through leaves and branches
Passages of time

Isaac Eustice

To see holiness
Shining through each poor moment
Brings heaven to earth

Louise Lynch

walking in the fog
steps ahead, the dog dissolves
the red leash remains

Briann Meyers

Bright orange bobber
bouncing, floating, and sinking
a meal, two lives, gone

Dianne Moritz

night blooming jasmine
savors silky, hushed moonlight
scents soft summer nights

Rebecca Howell

single orchid plant
encircled in a glass jar
bibles all around

Sandra Barnett

magenta redbuds
planted on a landscaped hill
shunned by chickadees

Emily Pavick

in winter, we sleep
tomorrow brings nourishment
our spring attunement

Jeremy Hermann

perhaps it was too
easy to tell you that you
needed to be free.

Lucy Ryan

bleached clean like the bones
passed down between the branches
seen with mother's eyes

Sef Churchill

Books crack wintry-wide.
Mushroom pages spreading spores:
Words drift like fungus.

Sharon Stansfield

Contentedly watch
Determined squirrels planting
Tomorrow's forests

Jennifer Cherry

Crickets trill half notes
fingers light on bow and strings
midnight violin

Ayndria Averett

A flag in the wind,
Half mast for dead soldiers still
Singing battle hymns

Russell Hemmell

burning horizons
shooting stars, electric rain
- cretaceous magic

Barbara Martens

the smell of chestnuts
roasting - on the cool sea mist
assaults my senses

Maria DePaul

Seashore turtle clutch
Tight knit family unit
Hatchling swims away

Kent McQuillen

state park before dawn
homeless man sleeps in restroom
his smart phone charges

Mark Hitri

when I close my eyes
in the rocking chairs creaking
my grandmother's voice

Suzanne Cottrell

Spring rains replenish
Droplets sparkle in sunlight
Mudslide closes road