Artur Zieliński

her smile

far off on the train

sparkling moon 

jej uśmiech

daleko w pociągu

iskrzy księżyc

—Artur Zieliński

Patricia Carragon

crystal glass—

another year

retires

—Patricia Carragon

Amihan, a haibun by Ruth F. Corro

Cloudy December afternoon, Ibajay, Aklan. I step into a classroom at five minutes to one, holding a class record that says fifty-six names on the roll. The room is almost empty.

I pace: door to teacher’s table, table to door, black shoes squeaking on the concrete floor like a nervous heartbeat. Behind the school, the rice fields lie like a brown mat; in front, the national road stretches silently. The sky presses low, offering every excuse to cancel the period. I could blame the weather, blame the harvest chores, blame poverty. Plenty of teachers before me have done exactly that.

Fifty-six names, five bodies.

I stop pacing. Five is enough.

I call the five by name—Amy, Ruel, Jim, Henry, Joselito. They drag the broken chairs into a small circle and read Henley’s lines aloud. When I reach the final stanza, Jim, who wakes at four to clean the pigsty and feed the pigs, mouths the words with me. Amy, who sometimes walks three kilometers barefoot, lifts her chin. Even Joselito, a Balik-aral, sits straighter than the cracked chalkboard.

Outside, the sky stays heavy. Inside, five voices rise, small but certain. I no longer need fifty-six chairs filled.

heavy clouds

unheard voices

rise

("In the Philippines, amihan refers to the season dominated by the trade winds")

Zoran Doderovic

dementia –

the bed rail divides

two realities

—Zoran Doderovic

Sharon Ferrante

half a bird 

in half a tree

half swaying 

half singing 

we miss you too 

—Sharon Ferrante

heavy hearts 

me and the fog 

hugging an oak 

—Sharon Ferrante

Susan Lee Roberts

dressed in black—

moonlight

rolls down her cheek

—Susan Lee Roberts

Sathya Venkatesh

heading home—

my briefcase

already lighter

—Sathya Venkatesh

Urszula Marciniak

old couple

suddenly starting

a snowball fight

dwoje staruszków

zaczyna znienacka

bitwę na śnieżki

—Urszula Marciniak

the tearful clown

on a cold hospice morning

an empty boy's bed

zapłakany klaun

ziąb i puste łóżko

chłopca z hospicjum

—Urszula Marciniak

Edited and translated by Alexander Daly & Marta Daly.

F. S. Blake

spring buds the sorry you can't hear

—F. S. Blake

Peter Kovalik

the hen breeder 

picks plums as if

they might break

chovateľ nosníc

zbiera slivky akoby

sa mohli rozbiť

—Peter Kovalik

Photos by Michael Shoemaker

 

Taking a long walk, Michael Shoemaker

Misty Lake Morning, Michael Shoemaker

Edited by Oana Maria Cercel.

Jamie Wimberly

pine straw

what’s left of being

neighborly

—Jamie Wimberly

John Pappas

falling leaves —

the one we call

my funeral suit

—John Pappas

all day snow

another poem

in the bin

—John Pappas

David Ngo

left too early

the unheard whisper

of snow 

—David Ngo

Thomas Landgraf

passing winter...

a woman in the same carriage

sleeping

—Thomas Landgraf

Arvinder Kaur

no sound

other than birdsong

at dawn

these moments

of quiet longing

—Arvinder Kaur

Morgan Ophir

washing potatoes

the shape of

my wedding ring

—Morgan Ophir

Bill Fay

late snow

my steps

inside my father’s

—Bill Fay

unburdened

a canary sleeps

in Buddha’s hands

—Bill Fay

Anne Fox

opening petals

this dream again           

of death

—Anne Fox

Haiga by Martina Matijević

—Martina Matijević. 

Edited by Oana Maria Cercel.

 

Alvin B. Cruz

creasing the corner

of a love poem

crescent moon

—Alvin B. Cruz

 

last petal

the pause before

she loves me not

—Alvin B. Cruz

Patricia Nellene Deal

—Patricia Nellene Deal

 

Tuyet Van Do

charity supplies

a woman asks 

about free wine 

—Tuyet Van Do

Bryan Rickert

winter’s darkness

the cool of cans

from the cupboard 

—Bryan Rickert

Anam Tariq

sweet-scented roses

starting to bloom

in late twenties

—Anam Tariq