By A.J. Anwar

lowland complex

the main road

becomes a river

A.J. Anwar

By Jennifer Gurney

How can there be so

Many unanswered questions

In one human heart?

Jennifer Gurney

By Elena Malec

late fall orchard —

fluffing up feathers

sparrows sustain the sky


Elena Malec

By Stephen Williams

sandy beach

being washed away

jealous storms


Stephen Williams

By Mirela Brăilean

at the spring

in my cupped palms

his thirsty lips


Mirela Brăilean

By Katja Fox

secrets of the moor— 

buried forever

the peat cutter’s sighs

Katja Fox

By Ellen Kom

a swirl of clouds

the shape of my day

in tears

Ellen Kom

By Vladislav Hristov

aging

his wrinkles

on her face


Vladislav Hristov

By Angiola Inglese

first cold —

let's go to breathe

the last rose

Angiola Inglese

By Adrian Bouter

windows

not one raindrop

out of place

Adrian Bouter

By Rob McKinnon

breezy evening…

wind chimes fail to find

a pleasant tune

Rob McKinnon

By C.F. Tash

what the mind 

asks of the heart 

plum blossoms

C.F. Tash

By Maria Tosti

sunchoke flowers —

the sun i was looking for

behind gray clouds

Maria Tosti

By Priti Khullar

morning newspaper

the only thing dad

looks forward to, now

Priti Khullar

By Nani Mariani

gripping cold

towards the end of the year

world peace

Nani Mariani

By Madeleine Vinluan

remember to kiss the moon on Christmas
 

Madeleine Vinluan

By Keith Evetts

                                                                                                                                                Keith Evetts

By C.X.Turner

hollow tree—

I try to figure out the depth

of solitude

C.X.Turner

By Christina Chin and Uchechukwu Onyedikam

after

the noon rain

rainbow

across the sky

we hang our laundry

Christina Chin and Uchechukwu Onyedikam

By RJ Humbl

On washing lines

The spotted starlings form

Musical notes

RJ Humbl

By M. R. Pelletier

Rotting log—

   forest returns

   to forest

M. R. Pelletier

By Ron Scully

cranberry sauce

in-laws

take sides of the table

Ron Scully

*

 

leftovers

what we talk about

driving home

Ron Scully

By Ram Chandran

passing village school

the child in me

slips through train window

Ram Chandran

By Caroline Ridley-Duff

Sunlight through stained glass,

new patterns on

an ancient stone floor.

Caroline Ridley-Duff

By Robert Witmer

blinking

with a thousand eyes

raindrops on the lake

Robert Witmer

*

 

chainsaws

no one to answer

the ringing in the trees

Robert Witmer

By Maria Malferrari

Speaking every day with silence


Maria Malferrari

By Barrie Levine

fridge magnets

yet another plan

to sort out my life

Barrie Levine

By Joseph P. Wechselberger

taproom

the clink of a coin

as it drops in the jukebox

Joseph P. Wechselberger

By Chris Langer

nightly stroll

my shadow

a black cat

Chris Langer

*

 

sunny afternoon

painting the wall

with shadow puppets

Chris Langer

*

 

book fair

children wait in line

for new adventures

Chris Langer

By Ruth Holzer

waking

from a dream of love

I'm grateful

for imagination

in place of memory

Ruth Holzer

By Maria Teresa Sisti

beaver moon —

the hospice so cold

without noise

Maria Teresa Sisti

By Peter Jastermsky

forest jazz a polyrhythm of woodpeckers

Peter Jastermsky

By Chris Peys

alley cat

today my friend

meow, meow

Chris Peys

*

 

rainy day

(un)folded paper

still not a crane

Chris Peys

By Refika Dedić

cat

scratches on the window

haiku

Refika Dedić

By Pat Geyer

gnawing

from dusk

til dawn...

forecast of biting cold

under the light

of the full beaver moon 

 

Pat Geyer

By John Pappas

owl light

what I would

do differently

John Pappas

By Anna Eklund-Cheong

if trees

could sing . . .

magnolia blossoms

Anna Eklund-Cheong

By Chen-ou Liu

at twilight

my father in the window

of his care home room

he lives the present only

leaning on his wartime past

Chen-ou Liu

By Mircea Moldovan

prayer

the yellow taste

of pumpkin soup

Mircea Moldovan

By Mirela Brăilean

the old house

inhabited again

weeds

Mirela Brăilean

By David Josephsohn

rippling the pond,

a frog lands

on its reflection

David Josephsohn

By Govind Joshi

falling water

the rock garden

sings

Govind Joshi

By Tuyet Van Do

by the roadside

checking their mailbox

a black bear

Tuyet Van Do

By John J. Dunphy

plenty of kisses

beneath the mistletoe

at our animal shelter

John J. Dunphy

By Katherine E Winnick

winter butterfly

the moon watches

over your flock
 

Katherine E Winnick

By Helen Ogden

my pockets filled

with broken sand dollars

daylight savings

Helen Ogden

By Louise Hopewell

crimson leaves

losing myself in the swirl

of his guitar


Louise Hopewell

 

*

 

winter sun

catching shadows

in her butterfly net

Louise Hopewell

By Mike Gallagher

shamelessly

on power lines

sparrows

Mike Gallagher

 

*

 

winding river

a sluggish snake slithers

along the bank

Mike Gallagher

By Wanda Amos

fuel prices

rocketing

cold moon winter

Wanda Amos

By Kerry J Heckman

as above,

so below

fog


Kerry J Heckman

*
 

winter solstice approaching a bend in the river

Kerry J Heckman

By Mona Iordan

hidden moon

the spreading

wings of a bat

Mona Iordan

By Sreenath

time and again

humanity

ticking like a time bomb

Sreenath

By Eavonka Ettinger

moonflower

mistress of the night

unfurls in white

Eavonka Ettinger

*

delight

in their eyes

shooting stars

Eavonka Ettinger

*

a sharp caw

crow remind me

who is boss

Eavonka Ettinger

Our Touchstone Award Nominations

The second set of Cold Moon Journal nominations for the 2022 Touchstone Awards have been submitted to The Haiku Foundation (for poems published July to December 2022).

Congratulations to these 12 talented poets:

Amrutha Prabhu

Andrew Markowski

Bisshie

Eavonka Ettinger

John J. Dunphy

Keith Evetts (2)

Mike Gallagher

Orrin PréJean

Saumya Bansal

Susan Burch

Tony Williams

Tuyet Van Do

 

Good luck to all!

By Mark Gilbert

today

unlike yesterday

the right kind of snow

Mark Gilbert

By Jonathan English

night snow

Handel's Messiah cradles darkness

in light

Jonathan English

By Dan Iulian

snowy morn —

so cold between us

the silence

Dan Iulian

By Alvin B. Cruz

falling snow

a void impossible

to fill

Alvin B. Cruz

*

 

folded blanket

a sky

full of dreams

Alvin B. Cruz

*

mother's quilt

i follow the thread

of her story

Alvin B. Cruz

By Andrew Markowski

abandoned mall a mannequin wears layers of dust

Andrew Markowski

*

a child scribbles

on the wall

drawing attention

Andrew Markowski

*

 

quiet coffee shop— the barista drops a dollar into the tip jar

Andrew Markowski

By Susan Burch

too many nights

dad visited my bed

and told me not to tell —

too many mornings

before I realized

mom already knew

Susan Burch

By Ram Chandran

outside my window

a cotton seed

searching for home

Ram Chandran

By Zdenka Mlinar

step by step

starry sky

boy's dream

suddenly

cloudy

Zdenka Mlinar

By Devin Rogan

The indefinite

future of all subjects

Yet you still love

Devin Rogan

By Lakshmi Iyer

waning moon

mother's moods

steady and stable

Lakshmi Iyer

By Yasir Farooq

puddle reflection

the silent trees

talk

Yasir Farooq

By Maria Cristina Pulvirenti

South compass

Autumn equinox

in my footsteps

Maria Cristina Pulvirenti

By Janet Ruth Heller

forest trail

with red and gold maple leaves—

patchwork quilt

Janet Ruth Heller

By Mike Gallagher

two seagulls

flapping into the calm

before the storm

Mike Gallagher

*

 

full moon

a long shadow

for company

Mike Gallagher

By Tuyet Van Do

spring rain

her midnight

lullaby

Tuyet Van Do

By Owen Bullock

all this

ridiculous industry

tangle of wisteria


Owen Bullock

By Ray Spitzenberger

the morning sight

of her sweet face

fur and whiskers


Ray Spitzenberger

By Florin C. Ciobica

moving day

our dog marks the gate

for the last time

Florin C. Ciobica

By Stephen J. DeGuire

two cats stare—

opposing paws slap

the mirror

Stephen J. DeGuire

*

 

on treadmills—

man during the day

hamster at night

Stephen J. DeGuire

*

thought bubble

dot dot dot

loss for words

Stephen J. DeGuire

By Anna Cates

Neanderthal relics

an old god winking

in primordial stars
 

Anna Cates

By Angiola Inglese

remembering

the name of a rose ...

moonlit evening


Angiola Inglese

By David Eyre

full autumn

full moon 

empty glass

David Eyre

By Jonathan English

floating leaves

words pile and fade

forsaken

Jonathan English

By Sreenath

on my first flight

nearer to God . . .

air turbulence

Sreenath

*

cobwebs, shadows, darkness

invading the brain

Alzheimer's

Sreenath

By Hassane Zemmouri

afternoon coffee—

pupils on the way home

sing school songs

 

Hassane Zemmouri

By A.J. Anwar

saved movies

skipping

to the best scenes

A.J. Anwar

By Govind Joshi

night bus—

we move

with the moon


Govind Joshi

*

in okra blooms—

ants

on a tour

Govind Joshi

By Lorelyn De la Cruz Arevalo

aquarium

nephew and goldfish

in a staring game

Lorelyn De la Cruz Arevalo

By Daniela Rodi

an empty nest

in a bare tree...

autumn stillness

Daniela Rodi

By Daniel Birnbaum

National Day

his yearning for a land

he does not know

Daniel Birnbaum

By Samo Kreutz

worker bee

nourished with pollen

the child in me

Samo Kreutz

By Françoise Maurice

a gentle breeze frolics with the leaves ending summer Françoise Maurice * already autumn I breathe the fragrance of dry grass Françoise Maurice

By JL Huffman

frost-tipped maples

first scarlet burst

JL Huffman

By Patricia Hawkhead

allium buds

about to burst

sparrow wings

Patricia Hawkhead

By Douglas J. Lanzo

trimming insects

off our rose bush

morning sparrows


Douglas J. Lanzo

By Chen-ou Liu

first day

after being laid off

alone

and awake to the silence

of falling leaves

Chen-ou Liu

By Anna Maria Domburg-Sancristoforo

rusty red

the colour of my heart

in a leaf


Anna Maria Domburg-Sancristoforo

By Kamrun Nahar

         thirsty leaves...

cries for monsoon

         at a winter dusk


Kamrun Nahar

By David He

I glance back

at her window light

after I leave

cold wind

strikes my face

David He

*

 

a little boy

waves goodbye

to the whistling train...

Mum's tears

soak her mask
 

David He

*

 

snowflakes

dance through the air

before a lightpost

an old monk

whispers his prayer
 

David He

By Mircea Moldovan

death spits pumpkin seeds in the hospital yard

Mircea Moldovan