Cold Moon Journal

Cold Moon Journal
Photo c. Alf B. Meier

Thursday, November 30, 2023

By Michael H. Lester

 

                              

   Green Witches

   Michael H. Lester 




Goblin Band in a Dollhouse

 Michael H. Lester  



Michael is the author of The Squeeping Catterwhip (available at amazon ( https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09NRF3832/ )  



Tuesday, November 28, 2023

By Refika Dedić

two bees

full of innocent looks

glass of wine

Refika Dedić

By Ed Ahern

First leaf barely brown

Waif on a still growing lawn

Prophet of the chill.

Ed Ahern

By Lakshman Bulusu

fall colors paint

the evening sky

a patio for Heaven

Lakshman Bulusu

By Richard Bailly

fresh air

changed person

new lungs

Richard Bailly

Thursday, November 23, 2023

By Adrian Bouter

warrr

Adrian Bouter

By David He

the rustles

of bamboo

under the moon

I listen

to an owl's hoots

David He


*


full moon

for harvesting...

a squirrel

pulls a pine cone

into her nest

David He

By John J. Dunphy

solar eclipse

a hermit crab

leaves its shell

John J. Dunphy

By David Ngo

clear signal—

the bird flees

while another nears

David Ngo

By Hassane Zemmouri

boiled potatoes

my nephew's begging

to turn the food mill
 

Hassane Zemmouri

By Andrew Terrell

approaching storm

hurrying across the yard

three magpies

Andrew Terrell

By Oscar Luparia

server offline . . .

I get a chance to notice

the moon at my window


Oscar Luparia

By Anthony Lusardi

a sudden gale

pushing me away

from the path i chose

Anthony Lusardi

Wednesday, November 22, 2023

By Deborah Karl-Brandt

home for sale

on the window sill

a dead fly

Deborah Karl-Brandt

By Ram Chandran

from a cuckoo's song

to another cuckoo's song

... the river flows

Ram Chandran


By James Penha

huddled in the woods

we observe, ask, study, learn

all over again

James Penha

By Kavita Ratna

tiger lily

tears on the pillow

begin to dry


Kavita Ratna

Monday, November 20, 2023

Update on Touchstone Award Nominations

Additional Cold Moon Journal nominations for the 2023 Touchstone Awards have been submitted to The Haiku Foundation (poems published July to mid-November 2023).

 

Congratulations to these 19 talented poets:

Bryan Rickert

Deborah Karl-Brandt

Dejan Ivanovic

Ingrid Baluchi

Janet Krauss

Jerome Berglund

JL Huffman

Joe Whitlow

M. R. Pelletier

Mariangela Canzi

Nicola Schaum

Priti Khullar

Roman Lyakhovetsky (invalidated, as he serves on the board)

Sébastien Revon

Steliana Cristina Voicu

Stephanie Zepherelli

Susan Burch

Timothy Daly

Vandana Parashar


Recap

Earlier this year, CMJ submitted (nine) nominations for individual poems published January to June 2023. 

Link to names of these nominees:

https://coldmoonjournal.blogspot.com/2023/06/2023-touchstone-nominations.html


Going Forward

Editors may nominate up to 30 poems annually. Thus far we are at 28. The possibility exists for us to nominate two more poems published between now and the end of Decemeber. Any such announcement will be made here.


Good luck to all our nominees!

Sunday, November 19, 2023

By Kelly Sargent

hospice children’s room

shadow puppets

on the wall

Kelly Sargent

By Douglas J. Lanzo

moss phlox

the softness in her face

caressed by misting rain

Douglas J. Lanzo


*

 

cold glimmer in her eyes

frostwork crystal

feathering sea cave

Douglas J. Lanzo

By Lakshmi Iyer

first strawberry pick

a swoosh of red

dawns

Lakshmi Iyer


*

 

post surgery

moon lights

the padded lingerie

Lakshmi Iyer

By Garret Schuelke

Jumping like Mario

to avoid

the mud

Garret Schuelke

By dan smith

galaxy

a snail's

silver painting

dan smith

By Wai Mei Wong

quiet autumn night—

the bubbling of

grilled clams

Wai Mei Wong


*


a rooster’s call

the sunny side up touches

grandpa’s nose

Wai Mei Wong

By Robert Witmer

a broom

over sunlight

a pile of dust

Robert Witmer

By Joshua St. Claire

white noise crackling

over the Susquehanna 

Pixel Moon

Joshua St. Claire

By Ron Nhim

regretting our words

we spent many nights staring

at old memories

Ron Nhim

By Louise Hopewell

river walk

our path wends

through frog song


Louise Hopewell

 

*
 

the blue tip

of a dragonfly’s tail

day moon

Louise Hopewell

By Elliot Diamond

leaves ghosted by the wind


Elliot Diamond

By M. R. Pelletier

Empty nest—

   a hole through it

   to sky

M. R. Pelletier

By William Cullen Jr.

one sunflower

tracks its namesake

among stones

that have no names

potter's field

William Cullen Jr.


*


leaving mountain shade

a crow takes some along

for its shadow

William Cullen Jr.

By Lorraine Caputo

Night falls deeper

clouds weave over secret rivers

veins of our lives

Lorraine Caputo

Saturday, November 18, 2023

By Jay Friedenberg

fur and bone

there are no

safe spaces


Jay Friedenberg

By Joanna Ashwell

snowflake stars

dream by dream

a melting pot

Joanna Ashwell

By Jennifer Gurney

heavy heads

bow toward earth

sunflowers

Jennifer Gurney

By Joy Yin

Soft waves on the shore

Childhood memories long lost

With the faint tides

Joy Yin

By JL Huffman

undressing

spent garden beds

fallow fall

JL Huffman

By Jovana Dragojlovic

autumn day

a fantasy book

warms my mind

Jovana Dragojlovic


 *

 

stars from the sky

sprinkle stardust

giving magic to the world

Jovana Dragojlovic

Friday, November 17, 2023

By Stephanie Zepherelli

mom invites

all the stray dogs

thanksgiving

Stephanie Zepherelli


*


new moon

dancers seek a place

in the light

Stephanie Zepherelli

By Susan Andrews

acorns thunk

on rooftops

autumn heartbeats


Susan Andrews

By Samo Kreutz

leaves on the roof ...

the softness of her voice

after heated talk

Samo Kreutz

By Steliana Cristina Voicu

music from the sky

on the piano flaps

first yellow leaf


Steliana Cristina Voicu

By Susan Elizabeth Schipper

Leaves floating

To the ground

Colorful carpet


Susan Elizabeth Schipper

Tuesday, November 14, 2023

Pushcart Prize Nominations

 

Pushcart Prize Poetry Nominations

from Cold Moon Journal (poems published during 2023)


untitled (first line: a scattered mind) by Nicola Schaum


untitled (first line: autumn) by Sébastien Revon


untitled (first line: red glitter shoes) by Randy Brooks


untitled (first line: bread crumbs) by Mike Fainzilber


untitled (first line: where the leaf) by Brad Bennett


untitled (first line: old button) by Kimberly Kuchar


Congratulations to all (from the Pushcat)!

By Tom Brown

passing on the street

                 we remain perfect strangers

                                           as only our eyes have met

Tom Brown

By Tuyet Van Do

birthday celebration

strands of silver

in her hair


Tuyet Van Do

 

*

 

full moon

shining in the front yard

queen of the night

Tuyet Van Do

Monday, November 13, 2023

By Bipasha Majumder (De)

a peacock's cry

I foretell the fate

of farmers

Bipasha Majumder (De)

By Barrie Levine

Thanksgiving Day

mom invites the in-laws

to this year’s arguments

Barrie Levine

By Bernadette O'Reilly

truth half told

still waiting for more

autumn mist

Bernadette O'Reilly

 

 

the creak in one knee tying a shoelace

Bernadette O'Reilly

Sunday, November 12, 2023

By Mike Fainzilber

dancing on a crooked floor

the memory

of crutches


Mike Fainzilber


*


against all odds

blades of grass

through the pavement


Mike Fainzilber

By Maya Daneva

lemon petals

mom asks if I want to be

this bee

Maya Daneva


*


caught

in the autumn rain shower

a post-it note

Maya Daneva

By J. D. Nelson

television news—

Christmas tree lights reflected

in the black dog’s eyes

J. D. Nelson


*


last day of autumn . . .

an abandoned shopping cart

here on the sidewalk

J. D. Nelson

By Susan Lee Roberts

grandma’s shelf—

a dusty pile

of my poems

Susan Lee Roberts


*

 

autumn moonwalk

silence engulfs

the couple


Susan Lee Roberts

By Michelle V. Alkerton

each retelling

a subtle shift

of memory


Michelle V. Alkerton

By Meera Rehm

bone moon

icy wind penetrates

into my coat into me

Meera Rehm

By Monica Kakkar

by rain-washed window

asleep in perspiration—

autumn equinox

Monica Kakkar

By Michael Shoemaker

 

The Road to Beyond

Michael Shoemaker

 

 

Tall Grass by the Lake

Michael Shoemaker

By Mary Harwell Sayler

Ocean waves ruffling

skirting the edge of hot sand,

lacing shoes with foam

Mary Harwell Sayler

By Myrna CG Mibus

fireside old-fashioned blue moon hiding in a tree

Myrna CG Mibus

By Marilyn Humbert

silent death

a scorpion’s tail

flicks

Marilyn Humbert

By Michael Shoemaker

casting light tackle

high into the wind above

crashing sounds of waves

Michael Shoemaker

Friday, November 10, 2023

By Christa Pandey

naked trees

windblown nests

await repairs


Christa Pandey

By Carmela Marino

solar eclipse

a bouquet of sunflowers

covers autumn

Carmela Marino


*


starry sky

stumbling in the shadow

my shadow

Carmela Marino

By Cecil Morris

Black Marks


crows patrol my yard:

punctuation marks escaped

from someone’s sentence.


Cecil Morris

By Charlie Lawler

falling leaves

history returns

to the ground

Charlie Lawler

By Gavin Austin

late autumn

a scent of moonlight

in the pines

Gavin Austin


*


childhood river

the silence

of hidden stones

Gavin Austin

By Govind Joshi

street lamp

on the other side

the gibbous moon

Govind Joshi


*


sloping road

a man helps his bullock

in moving the cart

Govind Joshi

By Nancy Brady

autumn afternoon

migrant workers give apples

to a mare

Nancy Brady


*


the rustling of leaves

under a rake's tangs

autumn wind

Nancy Brady

By Anna Maria Domburg-Sancristoforo

ring of pebbles

the grey path

of my thoughts


Anna Maria Domburg-Sancristoforo


*

 

roses in the dust

the dead eyes

of refugee children

Anna Maria Domburg-Sancristoforo

By Ravi Kiran

temple gates close

the bell dissolves

into the silence

Ravi Kiran

By Simon De Courcey

fresh root rot —

waterlogged

text messages

Simon De Courcey

By Richa Sharma

a fruit falling from your hands :: i float over the waters of womanhood
 

Richa Sharma

By Radhika De Silva

lost mobile

eyes rest

on the moon

Radhika De Silva

By Daya Bhat

wind dispersal

warring time zones

on my widget

Daya Bhat

By Mona Bedi

black ice —

the homeless man and I

talk about karma

Mona Bedi

By Pitt Büerken

turn of an era

the mouse munches

the cat

Pitt Büerken

By Chen-ou Liu

Ramadan moon

wave upon wave of prayers

in a tent city

Chen-ou Liu

By Ingrid Baluchi

eco courtyard

artificial grass around

their plastic palms

Ingrid Baluchi

By Vivien Eliades

doctor’s waiting room

patients glued to their phones

a modern sickness


Vivien Eliades

By Chris Collins

my first woolly bear

uncurled and walked on my hand

whispers of winter
 

Chris Collins

By Jayson Dela Fuente

fading moonlight of endless night shivers

Jayson Dela Fuente

Thursday, November 9, 2023

By Bryan Rickert

river baptism all the crows gathered

Bryan Rickert


*


fire season poppies jump the break line

Bryan Rickert

By Roy N. Mason

Joan Baez Said

 

saying and being

told goodbye

two different cries

Roy N. Mason

By Ana Drobot

child's play —

touching the moon

from my window

Ana Drobot

By Susan Burch

marriage proposal

all the Yeps

on the steps

Susan Burch