Photography by Michael C. Roberts

—Michael C. Roberts

—Michael C. Roberts

—Michael C. Roberts

By M. R. Pelletier

 soap opera 

my neighbor sings 

in the shower

—M. R. Pelletier 

By Jackie Chou

winter sparrow 

the cashier declines 

my food stamp card 

—Jackie Chou

By Steve Van Allen

seven starlings 

on a wire 

melting in november rain 

—Steve Van Allen

By Jerome Berglund

tipsy snow 

whenever a car passes 

I flinch

—Jerome Berglund

By Joshua St. Claire

precession of the equinoxes 

my hands reach 

middle age

—Joshua St. Claire

By Joanna Ashwell

votives 

by the window 

early shadow

—Joanna Ashwell

night chrysalis 

lost in the snow 

forest stars

—Joanna Ashwell

By Tuyet Van Do

red tinsels 

on neighbor's fence 

wind chimes tinkling 

—Tuyet Van Do

By j rap

birthday song 

a balloon floats 

above the moon

—j rap

inside his silence an echo of dad’s

—j rap

descending the peak 

by full moon 

rock fall

—j rap

Editor's Note: forthcoming texts, editorial team

Dear contributors and readers of Cold Moon Journal,

I am delighted to be taking over from Robin and writing this first post, and to announce that from hereon, I'll be adding the texts chosen for publication in February (Robin may well continue adding some previously accepted texts due to them getting lost). 

I'm joined for my editorial duties by Oana Maria Cercel, who along with being co-editor, will also be responsible for social media promotion of your work. We'll choose two texts each month for the Touchstone Awards, leaving us 6 choices at the end of the year for a bit of wiggle room (we'll submit 30 each year). We'll announce these Touchstone Nominations at the end of each month on Instagram, and on the website at the end of the year. Follow CMJ here. If you post on Instagram, please tag the account! 

Here's Oana's bio: Oana Maria Cercel is simply a shrewd human being that fears what mankind is capable of, given our inability to accept our fundamental connection to the abundant quality that already exists.

Some of you may have noticed that after our first editorial screening of the texts, where I think a poem could be a better fit through a little tweaking, I will suggest this over e-mail. This means, please send only up to five texts in total, made up of haiku/senryu/tanka/mini-haibun/haiga/photos. 

Without further ado, let's read some poetry! 

Thank you,

Timothy and Oana

By Joshua Eric Williams

inkblot god

the rotting

leaves


Joshua Eric Williams

longer nights

the sleep in these

hooded eyes
 

Joshua Eric Williams

each word

after the first

river delta


Joshua Eric Williams