By Alvin B. Cruz

empty well

only the echo

of a falling leaf

Alvin B. Cruz

By Roberta Beach Jacobson

fish in stream the river that never was

Roberta Beach Jacobson

By Brendan Duffin

bustling

saturday city

the river's silence

Brendan Duffin

By Diana Teneva

empty platform ...

I can't 

let you go

Diana Teneva

By Remzi Gülsün

the rose

falling out its petals—

chemo seance


Remzi Gülsün

By Mariangela Canzi

a jar of rain

on his grave—

rainbow

Mariangela Canzi

By Ruth Holzer

Days of Awe—

praying for a kind stranger

or angel

to place pebbles

on the family graves

Ruth Holzer

By Reid Hepworth

tree frog

sonata in g

before I sleep

Reid Hepworth

By Lakshmi Iyer

for one last chance I gather up my soul

Lakshmi Iyer

By Dennis Andrew Aguinaldo

On a thread of scent,

weaver ants

climb leaves of insulin. 

Dennis Andrew Aguinaldo

By Katherine E Winnick

dressed in kimono

the makeup of a ghost

Geisha girl all grown

Katherine E Winnick

By Tiffany Shaw-Diaz

beyond our ache the birth of stars

Tiffany Shaw-Diaz

By Arvinder Kaur

autumn breeze

this lightness of being

in a leaf’s fall

Arvinder Kaur

By Pat Davis

a swirl of confetti

the autumn wedding

of wind and leaves

Pat Davis

By John Hawkhead

morning bus

all the streetlights

swagged with fog

John Hawkhead

By Kelly Sauvage

moonlight masking the edges of her needlework

Kelly Sauvage

By Chen-ou Liu

tic-tac-toe

on my misty window ...

staycation

Chen-ou Liu

By Refika Dedić

tears on the glass

the breath freezes

homeless 

Refika Dedić

By Susan Bonk Plumridge

dry grasses

preparing the heart

for winter

Susan Bonk Plumridge

By Maya Daneva

December chill

piling these logs

on top of others

Maya Daneva

By Zahra Mughis

chaos brews

in the No Man's Land

melting Antarctica


Zahra Mughis

By our thomas

departure day –

sound of knives

against toast

our thomas

By Rosa Maria Di Salvatore

take-off... 

silent prayers

up to the sky


Rosa Maria Di Salvatore

By Nudurupati Nagasri

Conversing

at dinner table

watch and clock

Nudurupati Nagasri

By Maria Cristina Pulvirenti

Tracks run

towards the sunset

Autumn lights

Maria Cristina Pulvirenti

By Mircea Moldovan

unnecessary

attempt to change me

lunar eclipse

Mircea Moldovan

By our thomas

not coming

not going:

the winter pines

our thomas

By Stephen Jarrell Williams

face of stone

deep inside

crying for freedom

Stephen Jarrell Williams

By Benedetta Cardone

uncovering

a leftover moonlight--

start over

Benedetta Cardone

By Nudurupati Nagasri

sunbathing

plastic plant pot waking up

few shades lighter

Nudurupati Nagasri

By John Hawkhead

whittling pine

I release the shape

of its scent

John Hawkhead

By Chen-ou Liu

smoky skies

a broken river

of lava

Chen-ou Liu

By Sushama Kapur

my bucket list—

on distant shores seahorses

       spin the foam


Sushama Kapur

By JL Huffman

rooftop gardens

green oasis

amid the hustle

JL Huffman

By Nazarena Rampini

bitter cold -

a curled up cat

under the moon

Nazarena Rampini

By John J. Dunphy

breaking the wishbone

our Thanksgiving guest

wins the contest using

his new hand from

the Veterans Administration

John J. Dunphy

By Sherry Grant

a kettle’s memory perfect pitch

Sherry Grant

By Sushama Kapur

kitchen table the wooden dents of conversation

Sushama Kapur

By Cynthia Anderson

somewhere between us what I always wanted
 

Cynthia Anderson

By Kelly Sauvage

eden holding space for the rain

Kelly Sauvage

By Mircea Moldovan

glass beads the rainbow on her face

Mircea Moldovan

By Roberta Beach Jacobson

truth among sunflowers

Roberta Beach Jacobson

By Tiffany Shaw-Diaz

this solitude a dew-covered marigold

Tiffany Shaw-Diaz

By Carmela Marino

cold words

with a leaf falls

its shadow

Carmela Marino

By Maria Concetta Conti

autumn hike

a book shelters me

from the rain

Maria Concetta Conti

By Anna Maria Domburg-Sancristoforo

cold night

to cross the darkness

I collect words

Anna Maria Domburg-Sancristoforo

By Steve Bahr

scatterling trace

a footprint span

from the cradle land

Steve Bahr

By Radhamani Sarma

Forsythia

her dream of gardening

its first call

Radhamani Sarma

By Paweł Markiewicz

wing of butterflies

the strong epiphany born

from ontology

Paweł Markiewicz

By Jenna Manley

outside a cat basks

in the dryer vent's warm breeze

lint in its whiskers

Jenna Manley

By Steve Bahr

Indian Paintbrush

flourishing flares

in a native land

Steve Bahr

By Vincenzo Adamo

in a dirt road the stone of memories

Vincenzo Adamo

By Louise Hopewell

Milky Way

following the twang

of a banjo


Louise Hopewell

By Cynthia Anderson

never liked never worn

the years it takes

to let go

Cynthia Anderson

By Richard L. Matta

starlit pampas twinkling comet tail

Richard L. Matta

By Louise Hopewell

his hand

in my back pocket

favourite jeans 

Louise Hopewell

By Sushama Kapur

sharing moonlight a silent garden owl

Sushama Kapur

By Kristen Lindquist

sunlit darner

I don't always filter

what I say

Kristen Lindquist

By Christian Ward

Seagulls carry rough seas on their wings


Christian Ward

By Susan Bonk Plumridge

side B

every record needs 

a second song

Susan Bonk Plumridge

By Pippa Phillips

all day by the phone waiting for my voice

Pippa Phillips

By Agnes Eva Savich

maples ablaze

the road descends

into Beethoven

Agnes Eva Savich

By Kristen Lindquist

has everyone

lost their minds

falling leaves


Kristen Lindquist

By Kyoko Bengala

Nothing: a breath of wind through the leaves


Kyoko Bengala

By Bernadette O'Reilly

news

of niece's engagement

leaves fall

Bernadette O'Reilly

By Agnes Eva Savich

in my atoms

a mandelbrot set

of the universe

Agnes Eva Savich

By Amrutha Prabhu

amidst crackers and fireworks

I swim through

layers of me 

Amrutha Prabhu

By Neena Singh

roadside café

we share hot coffee

and birdsong


Neena Singh

By Freya Pickard

gentle surf thunders

drowns in a thousand kisses

on compliant sand

Freya Pickard

By Melanie Alberts

after the election

a cockroach belly up

dancing alone

Melanie Alberts

By Rp Verlaine

red and gold leaves

of autumn forming a trail

that ends in winter

Rp Verlaine

By Richard Bailly

lingering goodbye

orchestra plays the planets

stellar traveler

Richard Bailly

By Samo Kreutz

hide and seek

a boy's grandad

lost among memories


Samo Kreutz

By Douglas J. Lanzo

yesterday’s paper

lines homeless man’s dreams

with what could have been


Douglas J. Lanzo

By Vasile Moldovan

from the hospital gate

two paths are beginning...

only one to home


Vasile Moldovan

By Lakshmi Iyer

night light slips

into my milkshake

vanilla moon

Lakshmi Iyer

By Veronika Zora Novak

awakening

the mind of a lotus . . .

akitsu

Veronika Zora Novak

By Vladislav Hristov

quince garden

my mom’s perfume

alive again

Vladislav Hristov

By Agus Maulana Sunjaya

balmy breeze

mother traces

my face


Agus Maulana Sunjaya

By Mirela Brăilean

winter sea
— 
a fair-weather flag
ragged by wind

Mirela Brăilean

By Jackie Chou

pandemic

the lilt of a flute song

lifts the blues

Jackie Chou

By Tsanka Shishkova

lily pond

the flickering reflections

of the stars


Tsanka Shishkova

By Douglas J. Lanzo

Spanish moss

bathed in moonlight

drapes romance by the bay

Douglas J. Lanzo

By Milan Rajkumar

classical dance

the divine proportion—

she once talked

of a blooming lotus

on a stone buddha's lap


Milan Rajkumar

By Mircea Moldovan

nomadland

between a cactus

and a singing stone

having dinner on clay plates

with a stranger

Mircea Moldovan

By Sushama Kapur

secrets lost a labyrinth of drawers

Sushama Kapur

By Keith Evetts

insomnia drips from the faucet

Keith Evetts

By Michael Nickels-Wisdom

fin- 

gers 

once 

straight 

and 

branch- 

es 

new- 

ly 

bare


 

Michael Nickels-Wisdom

By Minal Sarosh

garden party

the squirrel goes up the

squirrel goes down
 

Minal Sarosh

By Christian Ward

Trees undress themselves

Christian Ward

By Jackie Chou

basement haven

a ceiling water stain

smiles at me


Jackie Chou

Pushcart Prize Nominations by Roberta Beach Jacobson

The Pushcart Prize honors the best poetry, short fiction, creative nonfiction and essays published (in print or online) by small-press magazines and book publishers. 

The poetry nominations for 2021 from Cold Moon Journal were mailed to Pushcart Press in New York today. Congratulations to these talented poets:

Yasir Farooq

https://coldmoonjournal.blogspot.com/2021/10/by-yasir-farooq.html

Vladislav Hristov

https://coldmoonjournal.blogspot.com/2021/02/by-vladislav-hristov.html

JL Huffman

https://coldmoonjournal.blogspot.com/2021/04/by-jl-huffman.html

Barrie Levine

https://coldmoonjournal.blogspot.com/2021/10/by-barrie-levine_22.html

Miriam Sagan

https://coldmoonjournal.blogspot.com/2021/03/by-miriam-sagan.html

Stephen Toft

https://coldmoonjournal.blogspot.com/2021/09/by-stephen-toft.html

By John J. Dunphy

Daylight Savings Time ends

my car clock correct

again

John J. Dunphy

By Christian Ward

Rain makes boats of everything

Christian Ward

By Tim Murphy

loud rain

telling secrets

through art

Tim Murphy

By Barrie Levine

autumn light . . .

her skin

pouring gold

Barrie Levine

By Helene Guojah

earnest faces

in drizzle

subtitled

Helene Guojah

By Eufemia Griffo

first frost

the last leaves sparkle

in the twilight

Eufemia Griffo

By Keith Evetts

wet Monday

mute life stories

waiting for a bus

Keith Evetts

By Devoshruti Mandal

scattered stars collecting my thoughts

Devoshruti Mandal

By Barrie Levine

beyond the ridge no end to the stars

Barrie Levine

By Mona Bedi

winter fog

the colour of silence

is grey


Mona Bedi

By Frank William Finney

The clacking of clogs

On a well-heeled street.

Thunderclouds spitting at rooftops.

Frank William Finney

By Mircea Moldovan

wounded moon

the hermit's prayer

a scream

Mircea Moldovan

By Keith Evetts

vortex my cerebral cortex

Keith Evetts

By Ron Scully

crack in the glass

sealed by ticks of ice

holds all winter


Ron Scully

By Vincenzo Adamo

autumn trail—

I feel like a leaf

in a dream

Vincenzo Adamo

By John J. Dunphy

a 14-point buck

the veteran hunter

lowers his rifle

John J. Dunphy

By Keith Evetts

encyclopedia

dust covers everything

Keith Evetts

By Ram Chandran

day moon

I stir the remaining dream

in the coffee

Ram Chandran

By Keith Evetts

after the eulogy crows


Keith Evetts

By Joe Sebastian

waves across a floating refugee arc of searchlights

Joe Sebastian

By Joanna Ashwell

evening walk

pushing myself forward

into the world

Joanna Ashwell

By John J. Dunphy

3 am

sound of sobbing

from the hospital chapel

John J. Dunphy

By B.A. France

blues harmonica

cresting and falling again

—waves of life

B.A. France

By B.A. France

long breaths

at twilight

waiting

B.A. France