By Rob McKinnon

thunderhead…

the nearing disaster’s

flashing brilliance

Rob McKinnon

*

 

sparkler…

child’s delight writing her name

in the dark

Rob McKinnon

By J. D. Nelson

three hens gobble up

bits of peanuts from my hand—

heat advisory

J. D. Nelson

*

 

blue skies follow rain—

after the children’s party

the dog relaxes

J. D. Nelson

By Kamil Plich

thick clouds

make the short day

even shorter

Kamil Plich

By Ash Evan Lippert

fallow fields

the faraway sorrows

of childhood

Ash Evan Lippert

 

*

winter crows

power lines divide

the sunset

Ash Evan Lippert

By Robert Witmer

moon gleam

on pine needles

whippoorwill

Robert Witmer

 

*

a child

on tiptoes

pointing to a star

Robert Witmer

By Elena Malec

cut up watermelon

sunset sky sinking

into the ocean

Elena Malec

By Barbara Anna Gaiardoni

road coast that

smells of strawberry

metal roofs


Barbara Anna Gaiardoni

*

 

the sun inside

bye-bye sadness

goodbye

Barbara Anna Gaiardoni

By A.J. Anwar

old street—

beneath the asphalt layers

my childhood footsteps

A.J. Anwar

 

*

flea market—

the haggles for something

priceless

A.J. Anwar

By Mirela Brăilean

rain of leaves drought

Mirela Brăilean

 

*

 

first date

his cheap smell

of desire

Mirela Brăilean

By Arvinder Kaur

the discourse on crooked toes   ageism

Arvinder Kaur

 

*

house sale

the wicket gate moans

one last time

Arvinder Kaur

By Bonnie J Scherer

mending socks —

mom heels

a broken heart

Bonnie J Scherer

By Chen-ou Liu

the tinkle

of my baby's laughter

this night of stars

Chen-ou Liu

 

*

a drift of blossoms

my Birman sleeps away

her last days

Chen-ou Liu

By Barrie Levine

suburban autumn

leaf blowing away

the season

Barrie Levine

By David Kāwika Eyre

august drought

she asks about

daffodil bulbs

David Kāwika Eyre

*

in one hop

the grasshopper

becomes grass

David Kāwika Eyre

By Jimmy Pappas

Saigon downpour


children swim

in the streets

Jimmy Pappas

*

 

plugged

into the earth . . .

 daffodil yellow

 Jimmy Pappas

By Stephen C. Curro

magic hour

the clop of hooves

down the road

Stephen C. Curro

 *

alpenglow

a golden moon

in silken clouds

Stephen C. Curro

*

 

half asleep

the hiss of bacon

in the pan

Stephen C. Curro

By Cloris Shi

high school

scrubbing insults off

bathroom stalls

Cloris Shi

By Mona Bedi

summer sunset

I catch my breath

in the lake’s reflection

Mona Bedi

 

*

 

deep winter—

mom’s lullaby sneaks

into my dream

Mona Bedi

By Nani Mariani

rainy moon

mourning flowers around the world

for Queen Elizabeth II


Nani Mariani

By Herbert Shippey

power lines

hum in the wind

all day

an old hymn

stuck in my head

Herbert Shippey

By Gabriel Rosenstock

all i know is this

the cello has fallen still

and all is quiet:

       the music of what is not

       ah, what strange music that is

Gabriel Rosenstock

*

alone with his thoughts

one thought flowering among weeds

quickly vanishes

              a thought that may yet return

              on the day his hair turns grey

Gabriel Rosenstock

By Adrian Bouter

day of leaving

I put our moon

in my backpack

Adrian Bouter

*

rock bottom love is a river

Adrian Bouter

By Patrick Sweeney

the autographed page torn out

Patrick Sweeney

*

 

again today ignoring the lump

Patrick Sweeney

 

*

I only like the idea of strawberries

Patrick Sweeney

*

in a room alone rooting for the underdog

Patrick Sweeney

By Uchechukwu Onyedikam and Christina Chin

lone light

candle flame

in the dark

Uchechukwu Onyedikam

insects and birds

die by it

Christina Chin

By Christopher Peys

the flutter by

of the butterfly

i too am changed

Christopher Peys

 

 

*

 

 

under the sycamore

with a sandwich

and summer

Christopher Peys

By Maria Cristina Pulvirenti

Autumn star

I always travel

the same road

Maria Cristina Pulvirenti

By Mike Gallagher

down platform

doors bang open and shut

on our silence

Mike Gallagher

*

 

 

frogspawn

the future of the planet

somehow surer

Mike Gallagher

*

 

 

no space

to be different

rowdy playground

Mike Gallagher

By Mariel Herbert

ginkgo

the dog stops to mark

my words


Mariel Herbert

By Ray Spitzenberger

toad plops

in cat’s water bowl

a hiss, a slap

Ray Spitzenberger

*

 

 

a walker

corrects my wobble

at eighty-eight

Ray Spitzenberger

By Joseph P. Wechselberger

childless

and the only child of an only child …

the brief lives of mayflies

Joseph P. Wechselberger

By Susan Bonk Plumridge

63 . . .

few words 

left to share

Susan Bonk Plumridge

 

*

 

63 . . .

deep stretch

in my knees

Susan Bonk Plumridge

 

 

*

 

63 . . .

summer heat

late in August
 

Susan Bonk Plumridge

By Kelly Moyer

golden anniversary

his affinity for her

heirloom tomatoes

Kelly Moyer

By Rupa Anand

not a soul in sight—

my footsteps follow me

on this wooded path

Rupa Anand

 

*

neighbourhood park—

on discarded idols

moss drapes herself

Rupa Anand

By Tony Williams

harvest moon

everything they say

is true

Tony Williams

*

 

summer shimmer

the wildflower I like

is poisonous

Tony Williams

By John Pappas

sun-burned grass all these useless words

John Pappas

*

 

empty mall

all the mannequins dressed

in darkness

John Pappas

By Jennifer Isham

first day of school

the teacher dons

her bulletproof vest

Jennifer Isham

By Saumya Bansal

first petrichor after learning the word petrichor

Saumya Bansal

*

morning drizzle

she pretends

to speed walk

Saumya Bansal

By Vipanjeet Kaur

downpour —

floating in rain

a lone leaf.

Vipanjeet Kaur

By Joshua St. Claire

plum wine

the dopplich flight

of the bumblebee

Joshua St. Claire

 

*

passionflower desiring to be clever

Joshua St. Claire

By Bisshie

imagine

strawberry fields

when the war is over

Bisshie

 

*

next to the tourist

the man in a gabardine suit

sweats on the B line

Bisshie

By Ruth Holzer

the day

I moved into

my starter house

little did I know

that would be it

Ruth Holzer

By Robert Epstein

sun-dried tomatoes —

she could have taken

more time with me

Robert Epstein

*

 

Alcatraz

what hard labor it is

to get over myself

Robert Epstein

Best of the Net Nominations

Cold Moon Journal has nominated the following poets for Best of the Net (for poems published between July 1, 2021 and June 30, 2022):

Chen-ou Liu

Janet Ruth

Agus Maulana Sunjaya

Alvin B. Cruz (2)

Tina Mowrey

Congratulations to all. Good luck!

By Pippa Phillips

shed skin—

I am everywhere

I’ve ever been

Pippa Phillips

*

 

a map 

on her bridal veil 

 

the flat earths 

that lay folded

in her trousseau

Pippa Phillips

*

 

new arms

for the venus de milo

she carves herself

back

into a slab of marble

Pippa Phillips

*

toasting clouds

on an open sun

we tell ghost stories

that end

happily ever after

Pippa Phillips

By Alvin B. Cruz

late night news

last slice of

left-over pizza
 

Alvin B. Cruz

*

 

Basho

the sound of frog

in his language

Alvin B. Cruz

*

window seat

a bus ride with grandma

way back when

my dreams

took the shape of clouds

Alvin B. Cruz

By C.X. Turner

a lone leaf

awaiting the inevitable

fall
 

C.X. Turner

*

clinging to the rain

everything we can be

wild roses
 

C.X. Turner

By Samo Kreutz

old sandpit

a time when the rain was still

a playful companion

Samo Kreutz

By Brad Bennett

mid-summer

a dream between

thunderstorms

Brad Bennett

* 

 

in out of the storm

milk billows

in my tea
 

Brad Bennett

By Steve Bahr

beach walking

weight of the ages

in rock-filled pockets


Steve Bahr

By Tuyet Van Do

post covid

he returns to work

coughing

Tuyet Van Do

By Bakhtiyar Amini

unexpected news

father leans against

the wall

Bakhtiyar Amini

By Daipayan Nair

funeral march—

incense

fills the street


Daipayan Nair

*

morning glory—

she smiles until

she doesn't

Daipayan Nair

By Linda Ludwig

old family album

I breathe deep —

the memories

Linda Ludwig

By Mircea Moldovan

summer dream a beast eats my thoughts

Mircea Moldovan

By David He

cool breeze

on this autumn night

I listen

to the warm whispers

of a love story

David He

*

the fresh smell

of newspaper...

my parents

sip their coffee

without any words

David He

By Joanna Ashwell

lingering

a trace of moon

in my glass

Joanna Ashwell

 

*

tranquillity

breath held

in forest stars

Joanna Ashwell

 

*

 

between seasons

words becoming

hoverflies
 

Joanna Ashwell

By Jerome Berglund

tell me how you see the world ink blot queries

Jerome Berglund

*

doodlebugging soldier of fortune
 

Jerome Berglund

By Stephen Jarrell Williams

sundown

bat flying zig-zags

eating mosquitoes

Stephen Jarrell Williams

 

*

desert nomad

night dancing under the moon

humming old songs

Stephen Jarrell Williams