Issue 67

Chris Cross

delicate flower
sways in the warm mountain breeze
without a worry

Michael Griffith

cricket on my porch
4 AM longing and thirst
full moon sliding past

Michele Bledsoe

Threads, her words woven
flowering, flowing fabric
sown seeds of wisdom

Tim Heerdink

Between flooded stones
lies fresh earth & a small flag;
warmth for my mother.

Michael Flanagan

the rusty red bike
holding that poor old porch up
until I return

Erik Hodge

Willow branches dance
Warm breeze across the water
Mother calls me home

Bob Tice

trees, scent from nature.
fragrant blossoms, needles, blooms.
gifts, sent from heaven.

Michael Chanin

Heron in the marsh
Steely gaze, lethal hunter
Still as the Buddha

Jerry Levy

car engine idling
watching turtles cross the road
summer construction

Violet Snow

The plod of my boots
scatters the sparrows that glean
among the downed leaves.

SUSAN KAHN

The virus rages
Same old song of solitude
Tears in a bubble

Kennard Balme

Old friend grey-jowled
Barks remorseful at the hole
Appears to shiver

Francesca Leader

Clouds billow and spread,
Soaking up the emptiness,
Mopping up the sky.

Anne Drury

Cat with yellow eyes
on the pillow by my head
stretch to meet the dawn

Jack Freedman

Golden ratio
Correlations drawn between
snakes and the nighttime

Emory Jones

Trees stretch twig fingers
Tickling the underbellies
Of the laughing clouds.

Matthew Schultz

Canine emperor
atop his ottoman perch
tail brushing the floor.

Bruce Levine

Faith in the future
Time alone will make it true
New born days ahead

Alora Howard

I watch the gold leaves
Dancing lightly through the air
Autumn lifts her head

Tim Mueller

fingering her pearls
thumbing through her diary
the old sign language

Linda Sacco

Wriggling feet settle.
Fly screened window, coldest night.
Free falling backwards.

Elisabeth Purkis

take hold of the broom
part crisp leaves from grainy dust
make a space to think

Jessica Dawson

glow of morning fog
an empty eagle's nest waits
clinging to branches

William Biggs

cold, wintery breeze
blanket of frost covers ground
blackbird suns on branch

Jonathan Pettit

plain-dead flowers fade
but she nurses each dry stalk
still more tenderly

Charles Zito

Unbothered blossom
Tragically transient
Unworshipped wonder

Jacob Laba

Cold breeze strokes my skin
Soft melody of raindrops
Calm winter morning

Shai Afsai

Grazing time at dawn.
A bellwether leads his flock
to dew-covered grass.

Manny Turner

Adrift, weeping sea
violet sky, zeal & lust
but a dolent kiss

Frank Christmas

landlocked sixty years
her shoeless feet anointed:
seaweed, scalloped shells

Jennifer Montgomery

ice on the surface
hiding still flowing water
hushed but quite alive

Cheryl Slover-Linett

Storm clouds hover high
Rain hangs like mist in mid-air
We yearn for puddles

Vincent Penn

Nurseries for stars
With countless worlds to blossom
From bright, neon clouds

Matthew O'Callaghan

Above the red plains
and below the morning sun,
the swallowtail floats

Sarah Lindell

Red wine in the glass
in front of me like a bird,
perched and so pretty.

Patricia Pella

grandmother's journal
inscribed names nourished with tears
white lotus rising

Tim Mueller

winter reverie
sky appareled in patches
my thoughts piled in drifts

Marjorie Kutner-Greenberg

crystalline water
cradles swimming silver streaks
among swaying reeds.

Lee Hudspeth

ocean breeze arrives
rustling our potted bamboo
window faces west

Radhika Baruah

Crimson rivers swell
Signaling impending storms;
Doves dance on wet clay.

Tracey Ludvik

Formidable cloud
descends from trees at dusk, crows
keen to assess me

Homer Mitchell

snow swirls in the wind
torn blossoms of apple trees
ashes of moons past

Autumn Purdy

golden rays reaching
sapphire skies beckoning flight
forests calling forth

Krista Genevieve Farris

March wind blows petals.
One sticks to tear stained chapped cheek
content to be held.

Bjorn Bengtsson

Old blue dragonfly
Floats unseen along water
Currents of my dreams

Bill Melton

ball of glowing gnats
tumble in morning sunlight
never touch the ground

Sara Wilhoite-Mathews

the last cornstalk rests
waves of snow settle by her
peace for a moment

Thomas Festa

Amber leaves shudder
a thieving hand of bright wind
picking death's pocket

Robert Hunt

early harvest stroll
tentative hands within reach
seeking rapprochement

John McCabe

The evening primrose
Its tender yellow petals
Lift and fly away