Cold Moon Journal

Cold Moon Journal
Photo c. Alf B. Meier

Saturday, October 12, 2024

By Susan Burch

fake profile —

why would anyone

want to be me

Susan Burch



getting under peoples’ skins poli(tics

Susan Burch



a thunderstorm stuck in my car

Susan Burch

By Elliot Diamond

a shadow of a shadow down the rabbit hole


Elliot Diamond

By David Cox

hidden

caterpillars make latticework

out of leaves

David Cox

By Suraja Menon Roychowdhury

bottled winter

the warmth

of maple syrup

Suraja Menon Roychowdhury

By Mike Gallagher

tall yarns

the storyteller speaks

beyond the beyond

Mike Gallagher

By Mark Forrester

highway robbery—

every year

less groundwater


Mark Forrester



waking to late-night sirens beach vacation

Mark Forrester



morning crows

the day moon

in a dead tree


Mark Forrester

By Meera Rehm

all-day-long

the weight of storm

before storm

Meera Rehm



finally

the naked truth

winter tree

Meera Rehm

By Michael Buckingham Gray

rusty hinge

the old monarch butterfly

opens its wings

Michael Buckingham Gray



school holidays ...

the sand

in my shoes

Michael Buckingham Gray

By Kavita Ratna

shallow

of a pink shell

seasons within

Kavita Ratna



river view

a salmon floats

on a cloud of oil

Kavita Ratna

By Robert Beveridge

magic 8-ball

I ask it how it’s

feeling today


Robert Beveridge


sometimes no difference between monostich and cookie fortune

Robert Beveridge

By Marguerite Doyle

Leaving the thrift shop

on the dirty, shuttered street,

an old lady holds

two embroidered cushions stuffed

with a thousand dollar notes.

Marguerite Doyle

By Tony Williams

before we talk

I could be

anyone


Tony Williams


 

because of you

I am a cell

that kept dividing

Tony Williams

Friday, October 11, 2024

By Bipasha Majumder (De)

earthworms . . .

gender conflicts cease

to exist

Bipasha Majumder (De)

By Steve Van Allen

hummingbirds packing for Mexico


Steve Van Allen

By Darrell Petska

dead possum          walking


Darrell Petska



Grandma’s meander

down memory lane

lined with gravestones

Darrell Petska

By Kelly Sargent

saltwater showers the wounds in you in me

Kelly Sargent

 

By Bryan Rickert

howler monkey your bold faced lies

Bryan Rickert



long marriage

the silent treatment

of snow

Bryan Rickert

By Karen O’Leary

new widow a raven shares her song

Karen O’Leary



birdsong

never

a wrong note

Karen O’Leary

By Yasir Farooq

summer night

for every raindrop

praises to God

Yasir Farooq

By Manasa Reddy Chichili

mind excercise

learning new things

for extension of old life

Manasa Reddy Chichili



monsoon flood

a bird's cage floating

far from the sky

Manasa Reddy Chichili

By Louise Hopewell

dog park

all the owners

off leash
 

Louise Hopewell

 

 

murky pond

a child scatters crumbs

by the no feeding ducks sign


Louise Hopewell



river beach

overlapping footprints

of birdsong


Louise Hopewell

By Rupa Anand

that blush

slinking over skyscrapers

sunrise

Rupa Anand

Thursday, October 10, 2024

By Sharon Ferrante

sunken ship…

the ghostly rhythm

of her violin

Sharon Ferrante

By Mircea Moldovan

tears of saints, the thundering voice of a priest


Mircea Moldovan

By Chris Collins

scratching like crazy

FedEx arrives

with itch cream

Chris Collins

Wednesday, October 9, 2024

By Mark Hendrickson

misspent youth

if only I could

misspend it again

Mark Hendrickson

Monday, October 7, 2024

By Alexis Rotella

from one balcony to the next spider silk


Alexis Rotella

By Andrew Brindle

mountain mist

the emptiness

between us

Andrew Brindle



a silent falling

of late summer dreams

ocean rain

Andrew Brindle



all the words

we left unsaid

shrouded mountains

Andrew Brindle

By Alvin B. Cruz

finding peace

in a lonely place

desert lily

Alvin B. Cruz

By Anthony Lusardi

almost like your first love

no one gets over

their first fright

Anthony Lusardi

By Anthony Ward

Autumn evenings

Nights like spilled ink

Encapsulating memories

Anthony Ward

By Anju Kishore

rain needles

the streetlight spotlights

a shivering cat

Anju Kishore



summer holidays

a family of monkeys

on the clothesline


Anju Kishore

Sunday, October 6, 2024

By Joseph P. Wechselberger

wind gusts

a comb-over

flips


Joseph P. Wechselberger


Father's Day

the annual reminder

I will never be one


Joseph P. Wechselberger



a squirrel nibbling

the tree's last pear

cold drizzle

Joseph P. Wechselberger

By Jonash Lepcha

we destroy forests

to make paper and pencils

to write 'save the trees'

Jonash Lepcha

By John J. Dunphy

politician's speech

I stop his lying

by pressing mute

John J. Dunphy

 

 

high-end church

its communion wine

very dry

John J. Dunphy

By Jerome Berglund

long weekend

the news comes

on a friday

Jerome Berglund

By Jennifer Gurney

leaves changing

nearly as quickly

as life

Jennifer Gurney


 

all along the street

in the quiet of the night

fireflies dance

as if

no one is watching


Jennifer Gurney

Saturday, October 5, 2024

By Kelly Moyer

 

Without You

Kelly Moyer

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Oaknuts

Kelly Moyer

Wednesday, October 2, 2024

By Marilyn Ashbaugh

returning every year autumn solitude


Marilyn Ashbaugh



no rush to say goodbye scarlet maple


Marilyn Ashbaugh



autumn sky

a new galaxy

in the cat’s eyes



Marilyn Ashbaugh



an ant

with its own agenda

conference room


Marilyn Ashbaugh



skip in the record the wingbeats of swans


Marilyn Ashbaugh

Tuesday, October 1, 2024

By j rap

hexagon to square

my shrinking circle

of friends


j rap

 

 

coming out of the storm I didn’t know I was in


j rap



dusk

a single sheet of paper

swirls down the empty street


j rap

By Chen-ou Liu

in my tank

rainbow koi swimming

in circles ...

the same question years ago,

to stay or to go

Chen-ou Liu

By Pitt Büerken

supported by AI

the orator speaks

like thousands of others


Pitt Büerken

By Debbie Olson

the barn swallows the blue sky

Debbie Olson


 

crickets

the same fairy tale

every night

Debbie Olson

By M. R. Pelletier

Hushed conversations—

sparrows listen

from the eaves

M. R. Pelletier

By Ravi Kiran

when and where

to stop

eulogy

Ravi Kiran

By Oscar Luparia

harvest moon

with all my wishes

in the little well


Oscar Luparia

By Jovana Dragojlovic

summer breeze

fluttering dandelions

on her skirt


Jovana Dragojlovic

Monday, September 30, 2024

By Daipayan Nair

escorting

a ladybug to my door

twilight breeze

Daipayan Nair

By Rupa Anand

lady birds

skirting a birdbath

autumn rain

Rupa Anand

By Mircea Moldovan

death journey

suddenly interrupted...

door wide open


Mircea Moldovan

Sunday, September 29, 2024

By Debbie Strange


 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

fast fashion

the roses have had

their day

image and words Debbie Strange

Saturday, September 28, 2024

By Pris Campbell

blue moon...

Elvis dolls swivel

at Graceland

Pris Campbell

By Srinivasa Rao Sambangi

graveyard —

a part of the circle

not colored

Srinivasa Rao Sambangi



granite boulder

removing all outside

the Buddha


Srinivasa Rao Sambangi

By Suzanne Leaf-Brock

yellow prayer shawl

my friend’s fingers

grace each stitch

Suzanne Leaf-Brock

By Lakshman Bulusu

     a blade of grass

     swaying in the wind

      the delicacy of dance

Lakshman Bulusu

By Jharna Sanyal

black tea

sharing the evening

with home bound crows

Jharna Sanyal

By Wanda Amos

abandoned factory...

brightened by graffiti

and dandelions

dancing

between potholes

Wanda Amos


 

under

the

dark

moon

night

stalker

image and words Wanda Amos

By Sarah Mahina Calvello

Blooming camellias

Red and velvet lit

By afternoon sun

Sarah Mahina Calvello

By Suraja Menon Roychowdhury

a vase

of gifted sunflowers

borrowed light

Suraja Menon Roychowdhury



always singing

the wrong note right

music lesson

Suraja Menon Roychowdhury

By Monica Kakkar

for days in a row

origami everywhere . . .

it’s raining bullfrogs

Monica Kakkar

Friday, September 27, 2024

By Sharon Martina

years since

my last confession

pouring rain

Sharon Martina



afternoon snooze

the gentle sway

of a hammock

Sharon Martina

By Stephen Jarrell Williams

in the porch swing

just holding each other

lovers in the dark

Stephen Jarrell Williams

By Rita Melissano

   acorn

             falling

               the

             sound

                of

               new

                life

Rita Melissano



one more dream each night finding a new storyline

Rita Melissano

By Suraj Nanu

house sparrows

chirping from beam to beam

of the morning sun

Suraj Nanu

Thursday, September 26, 2024

By Deborah Karl-Brandt

Behind the Curtain


phone call

the stranger says

a familiar name


out for fresh air

on the wet asphalt

a dying worm

 

feel-good-tea

her birthday package remains

unopened

 

some things I will never know

did she really liked white roses?

 

one last time looking up her name in the address book

 

the woman

who wasn't my grandmother

someone sends his

condolences

Deborah Karl-Brandt

Wednesday, September 25, 2024

By M. R. Pelletier

Balcony chimes

& a wind among the trees—

my mind ringing

M. R. Pelletier

By Ron Scully

heat wave

even the terns don’t want

to come out of the water

Ron Scully

By Saumya Bansal

ocean blue sky blue ocean

Saumya Bansal



first flight just winging it

Saumya Bansal

By Robert Witmer

the widow's plants

dying in the dark

windows

Robert Witmer

By Refika Dedić

morning freshness

still on the window

pumpkin seeds

Refika Dedić

By Devoshruti Mandal

old memories...

still that flickering

midnight lamp

Devoshruti Mandal

By Kavita Ratna

blown fuse

Orion leaps

forward

Kavita Ratna

By Wilda Morris

looking both ways

before crossing—

a Canada goose

Wilda Morris

By Kathryn Jones

sunflower math

truth plus beauty equals

galaxies of gold

Kathryn Jones

By Alvin B. Cruz

his wife’s need

for some space

desert flower

Alvin B. Cruz

By Manasa Kaliki

sound of a seashell

silence in meditation

both infinite

Manasa Kaliki

By Chad Parenteau

The late summer rain

never calls, never writes, gets

visit over with.

Chad Parenteau

By Madhavi K

marching seasons

the garden gnome

stands to attention

Madhavi K

Tuesday, September 24, 2024

By Adele Evershed

orange crush

the long line to buy

MAGA hats

Adele Evershed

Sunday, September 22, 2024

By Sharon Ferrante

I wander off…

how lovely this moment

without purpose

Sharon Ferrante

By Mike Gallagher

romping lambs

unaware of the closeness

of rosemary

Mike Gallagher

By Ram Chandran

strange —

this cloud looks like

Papa's profile

Ram Chandran

By Scott F. Parker

coffee and donuts

as i police

the sunrise

Scott F. Parker



where we are—

beyond us

only fog


Scott F. Parker

By Wilbert Salgado

crayon box

the kid´s imagination

sharpens

Wilbert Salgado

By Nitu Yumnam

departing train

the weight of

unspoken words

Nitu Yumnam

By Eugeniusz Zacharski

dead of night

an octopus turns off the valve

on the gas pipeline


Eugeniusz Zacharski

By Fatma Zohra Habis

isolation

alone with

artificial Intelligence

Fatma Zohra Habis

By Marjolein Rotsteeg

under the streetlight

two moths

dance away the night

Marjolein Rotsteeg


holiday abroad

a stray cat looking like mine

wants to make friends

Marjolein Rotsteeg