By Ray Spitzenberger

dark

sky

dark

silence

dark

thoughts

Ray Spitzenberger

By Nani Mariani

Semeru Mountain

volcanic eruptions

gray December

nation's sadness

my heart is there


Nani Mariani

By Pat Davis

the walk to work

all the familiar

strangers

Pat Davis

By John Grey

from room to room,

love moves out

saves a space for loneliness

John Grey

By Maria Teresa Sisti

winter solstice—

a painted silence

in my memories

Maria Teresa Sisti

By Brad Bennett

winter morning

the sound of an orange peel

tearing away
 

Brad Bennett

Alvin B. Cruz

Covid fatigue

a coastal town

screams at the sea

Alvin B. Cruz

Allyson Whipple

no frost yet

the neighbor’s power drill

whines at dawn

Allyson Whipple

By Cynthia Anderson

old friends

too old to pick up

where we left off

Cynthia Anderson

John Hawkhead

wind chimes

releasing ice melt

into her silence

John Hawkhead

By Nudurupati Nagasri

complementary dining

buffalo feeding

egret topiary

Nudurupati Nagasri

Chen-ou Liu

Christmas dinner for two

the click, clank, click

of my teenager’s chopsticks

Chen-ou Liu

Roberta Beach Jacobson

at our table

having the best time

those asleep

Roberta Beach Jacobson

By Mariel Herbert

christmasupstairstumblingdownstairssugarplums

Mariel Herbert

Lakshmi Iyer

Christmas Eve

the moon comes riding

on a reindeer

Lakshmi Iyer

By Helen Ogden

homeless camp

a Christmas ornament

on a bare branch

Helen Ogden

By Helen Ogden

full of lights

the Christmas tree

in the bagel shop

Helen Ogden

By Mariangela Canzi

a jar of holly...

Christmas thoughts

by the fireplace

Mariangela Canzi

By Refika Dedić

a night of joy

without a face mask

a smile shines

Refika Dedić

By John J. Dunphy

newly-divorced man

his first Christmas dinner

at a Chinese restaurant

John J. Dunphy