By Stephen Jarrell Williams

jumping off the pier

not sure how far down

or if I'll drown

Stephen Jarrell Williams

breathing in

deep thoughts from years ago

recurring dreams

Stephen Jarrell Williams

By Sébastien Revon

in this country

that will never be mine —

autumn rain

Sébastien Revon

By Sharon Martina

singing the desert sunrise yellow warbler

Sharon Martina

 

sharing our deepest secrets autumn leaves

Sharon Martina

heavy snowfall

her tendency

to overshare

Sharon Martina

sled hill

the sound of kids

careening into winter

Sharon Martina

By M. Benjamin Thorne

his white beard grew out

'til it covered up his name—

December headstone

M. Benjamin Thorne

By Evgeny Khvalkov

leaves of crimson hue

dance in autumn's gentle breeze

nature's farewell waltz

Evgeny Khvalkov

By Katrina Serwe

softening

the edges of cold

snow blanket

Katrina Serwe

color of the sun

pressed into earth

a maple leaf

Katrina Serwe

By Tejendra Sherchan

in front

of the hospital mortuary

a blooming paradise

Tejendra Sherchan

news

the monsoon exits

my country

Tejendra Sherchan

By Peter Devonald

in some other life

we are happy together

destiny was kind

entwined like ancient great oaks

but here we are lost in woods

Peter Devonald

we wonder with sighs

if rains will ever stop tears

if floods will forget

will old weary ways remain

or will we just build fresh hell

Peter Devonald

By Jeremy Nathan Marks

When we die do our

eyes open or close I must

know dad just because

Jeremy Nathan Marks

By Thomas Smith

waiting for snowfall

Nevermore the next day

a raven’s cry

Thomas Smith

sunrise and sunset

autumn migrations

pass me by

Thomas Smith

By Jo Balistreri

gravesite service

a goldfinch tucks baby’s breath

into the nest

Jo Balistreri

flowering maples in autumn mist the orange bells barely

Jo Balistreri

By Partha Sarkar

smiling

sleeping Pegasus

a full moon

Partha Sarkar

By Anna Goluba

Bringing voices

From the other side

Autumn fog

Anna Goluba

By Hassane Zemmouri

this longtime longing ends with a sigh

Hassane Zemmouri

reSILiENCE

Hassane Zemmouri

By Audrey Quinn

all night rain

building a bouquet

of Lego roses

Audrey Quinn

half-life

still brimming

with ambition

Audrey Quinn

By j rap

election day —

above the gorge

a tightrope walker

j rap

By Matthew Cariello

blooming where the orchid stops that gap

Matthew Cariello

Queen Ann’s Lace –

the circumference

of a bee

Matthew Cariello

watching us argue

the blue jay

and his song

Matthew Cariello

By King Edward A. Eway

cold day

I try to plant the seed

from an eaten apple

King Edward A. Eway

falling leaves

our pretend wedding vows

face their trial

King Edward A. Eway

By Mark Forrester

forgetting to cancel

my father’s seed catalogues—

evening primrose

Mark Forrester

morning fog

in the hotel parking lot

more geese than cars


Mark Forrester

rain turning

into snow

into nothing


Mark Forrester

used car lot

the freezing rain

his best offer

Mark Forrester

By Marcellin Dallaire-Beaumont

forest fires

the dark beauty

of dead trees

Marcellin Dallaire-Beaumont

By Mirela Brailean

early winter

with new patches

the teddy bear

Mirela Brailean

By Mircea Moldovan

the moon fallen on thoughts after snow


Mircea Moldovan

fingers slipping

on the piano keys

long winter wind


Mircea Moldovan

 

 

By Monica Kakkar

left where it belongs

awash in the westerly . . .

a dragon wind chime

Monica Kakkar

By Melissa Laussmann

first snowfall—

traces of yesterday

slowly vanish

Melissa Laussmann

morning rush

a sparrow takes its time

in the bird bath

Melissa Laussmann

By Maya Daneva

unread travel guides filling up my life

Maya Daneva

late autumn sun

slicing warm apple pie

for breakfast

Maya Daneva

More Touchstone Award Nominations

Congratulations to these talented Cold Moon Journal poets for their 2024 Touchstone Award nominations:

Biswajit Mishra

Stacy Taylor

Bipasha Majumder (De)

Bryan Rickert

Sharon Ferrante

Mark Hendrickson

Jerome Berglund

j rap

Sharon Martina

Rita Melissano

Alvin B. Cruz

Scott F. Parker

Xiaoou Chen

Jay Friedenberg

Susan Burch

Alaka Y

Mohua Maulik

Wendy Cobourne

Adrian Bouter

By Wendy Cobourne

open window

a cat leaps

into my story

Wendy Cobourne

harbor dawn

a tug pulls pink

downriver

Wendy Cobourne

By Mohua Maulik

spring cleaning

we discover mom’s

insecurities

Mohua Maulik

By Adrian Bouter

away, away

carries the wind

her red balloon

Adrian Bouter

loss —

our moon as it is

as it was

Adrian Bouter

By Katie Montagna

open market

truth goes

for the highest price


Katie Montagna

under an old oak tree

the sky

is falling

Katie Montagna

By Rita R. Melissano

that story…

is already written

in the sand

the sky has heard

the water singing it

Rita R. Melissano

in the murmur

of a calm river

the ripples of your voice

Rita R. Melissano

a puzzle piece remembering where to go

Rita R. Melissano

dark circles

the void inside

many moons

Rita R. Melissano

black holes...

pulled into forever

on a bed of dead stars

Rita R. Melissano

By Robert Epstein

pre-autumn breeze

she brushes her hair

to take out the trash

Robert Epstein

By Robert Witmer

dad’s chair

the worn cushion

beneath the cat

Robert Witmer

white nights

the ghost by the fire

asleep

Robert Witmer

babushka

memories wrapped in cabbage

baba's twinkling eyes

Robert Witmer

By Ram Chandran

day moon —

today

with yesterday's dream

Ram Chandran

By Richard Bailly

climbing

to reach her soul

ivy

Richard Bailly

riding

a tricycle—

again

Richard Bailly

By Ron Scully

sand dollar

saved for a rainy day

week's vacation

Ron Scully

By Ravi Kiran

candied bacon

the ice cream flavours

she loved

Ravi Kiran

on a leaf

still holding on

first snow

Ravi Kiran

dry riverbed

it’s time to become

strangers again

Ravi Kiran

By Kelly Sargent

a new sprig

on the horizon

baby’s breath

Kelly Sargent

questioning why no more shooting stars

Kelly Sargent

double consonants recalling the little things

Kelly Sargent

pistachio shells

under the couch cushions

self-help workbook

Kelly Sargent

By Pippa Phillips

an S shape in the window of her content

Pippa Phillips

cold morning

the curl of a cat’s tail

around my wrist

Pippa Phillips

unable

to be myself

autumn leaf

Pippa Phillips

snail shell

the curl of a day

into itself

Pippa Phillips

By Federico C. Peralta

border check—

   monarch overtakes

      a long queue

Federico C. Peralta

Nominations for the 2025 Pushcart Prize (Poetry)

 

 

Mar 26:

periodic table

the stars that flow

through us

Eugeniusz Zacharski

Apr 5:

closed clinic

another choice

terminated

Scott Wiggerman

Apr 9:

gentle dawn ...

the haiku remains

unfinished

Samo Kreutz

Apr 22:

losing the path

deep in the forest

I find myself

deep in the forest

losing myself

I find the path

losing the path

I find myself

deep in the forest

Belinda Behne

Oct 6:

long weekend

the news comes

on a friday

Jerome Berglund

Oct 12:

fake profile —

why would anyone

want to be me

Susan Burch

 

Big congratulations to our six Pushcart nominees!

Nominations for the Touchstone Awards are underway, so please remain patient. Uploading the data for 30 poems is taking considerable time and effort. It's a lengthy process, but the Touchstone announcement will be posted at the journal once everything is finished.

By Robert Kania

from where

the wind is blowing

an election flyer

Robert Kania

By Joshua St. Claire

two racks of antlers collapsing stars


Joshua St. Claire

By Michael Minassian

Because it has 3 lines

and you mention spring

doesn’t make it a haiku.

Michael Minassian

By Joseph Howse

silence

as shrill

as a shriek

Joseph Howse

By Herb Kitson

shattered dreams—

I stay behind

to pick up the pieces

Herb Kitson

By Robert Epstein

pre-autumn breeze

she brushes her hair

to take out the trash

Robert Epstein

By Mike Gallagher

six crocodiles

a thousand years

among the reeds


Mike Gallagher

struggling

up the hill

stragglers

Mike Gallagher

By Alexis Rotella

To become a butterfly

I spill out

my guts

Alexis Rotella

 

 

tree frog a pendant I'll never wear around my neck


Alexis Rotella

 

 

a note to myself reminding me to eat

Alexis Rotella

By RJ Humbl’

Tired old gent

Up the Apple and Pears

And done

RJ Humbl’

Cup of Rosie

With each warm embrace

Steam leaves

RJ Humbl’

By Pitt Büerken

skyscraper

the window cleaner comes

from above


Pitt Büerken

joyride

the engine oil level

warning light flashes


Pitt Büerken

winter approaches

a summer love ends

for good

Pitt Büerken

By Cecil Morris

Haunted


all night long the ghosts

creak through the house on mouse feet

whispering regrets


Cecil Morris

By Ravi Kiran

robed in starlight

ghost of the dream

we strangled

Ravi Kiran

By Barrie Levine

city afternoon . . .

a cool breeze spiced

with pumpkin latte

Barrie Levine

By Nancy Brady

apple cider and donut holes

on the refreshment table

—fall festival

Nancy Brady

By Stephen Jarrell Williams

running

out of words

tired poet

Stephen Jarrell Williams

eating the last piece

of bread in the world

nuclear toast

Stephen Jarrell Williams

By Isabella Mori

love song ...

through the soles

of my old sneakers

listening for the whisperings

of the street

Isabella Mori

across the lawn

the lawless reach

of blackberries

Isabella Mori

By Marcellin Dallaire-Beaumont

airplane in flight

above the clouds

it's so easy

to cross borders

when you have papers

Marcellin Dallaire-Beaumont

By Mohua Maulik

quicksand…

extending a hand

from across the seas


Mohua Maulik

amongst the folds

a cache

should I unpack

the emotions

or tighten the straps

Mohua Maulik

By Xiaoou Chen

fitful sea-breeze

snatches of sailors’ song

waft to my ears

Xiaoou Chen

By Belinda Behne

a monarch kisses my brow

mistaking me for a flower


Belinda Behne

 

at the laundromat

I share my change

with a stranger

Belinda Behne

By Monica Kakkar

a wisp of ecru

hovers over the cradle . . .

the moon at midday

Monica Kakkar

By Sam Calhoun

last leaf of the maple

cups the last star in the sky—

is this love

Sam Calhoun

By Elena Zouain

autumn solitude —

the moon at my window


Elena Zouain

silence of the forest —

the stag's bellow reaches the stars

Elena Zouain

By Rita R. Melissano

meeting again the old pain disappears

Rita R. Melissano

welcoming

the precious beauty

of ordinary days

this morning begins

with pearls of dew

Rita R. Melissano

By Richard Bailly

heaven on earth

grandmother's blueberry pie--

a la mode

Richard Bailly

viewing

all my memories...

online

Richard Bailly