dirty spider's web
the creeping hourglass
etched in all of us
—László Aranyi
Wednesday, February 5, 2025
Shine on, a haibun by David Ngo
Amid the rhythm of machines in the ICU, you ride the relentless tide of a stroke, each breath straining to fill your fading lungs—all for one thought: the uncertain future of those left behind.
twilight...
the fading flicker
of a spark
(in memoriam, my late mother Ling Boey King, 1936-2025)
—David Ngo
Read by Oana Maria Cercel: https://www.instagram.com/reel/DGyGZEgvO-A/?igsh=cnphZ3E2eGVuM2lx
Tuesday, February 4, 2025
Joanna Ashwell
votives
by the window
early shadow
—Joanna Ashwell
night chrysalis
lost in the snow
forest stars
—Joanna Ashwell
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 (2025)
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 the IG here and Facebook here. If you post your work, 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
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
Sunday, February 2, 2025
By Scott Wiggerman, j rap and Janet Ruth
Urban Harvest
a
potpourri
of fallen leaves
each step
(sw)
strawflowers and dahlias
in the wedding bouquet
(j
rap)
mulching the garden
with leftover hay
sharp
scent of rot
(jr)
soused cranberries
too much
pumpkin spice
(sw)
kitchen step stool
the
fragrance of basil
dangling from twine
(j rap)
moving
the parsley pot inside
before first freeze
(jr)
Scott Wiggerman (sw), j rap and Janet Ruth (jr)
Manoj Sharma
tranquil
lake
a playful wind stirs
ripples in the mind
Manoj
Sharma
early
autumn
caught in a moment
my double shadow
Manoj Sharma
Saturday, February 1, 2025
Mohua Maulik
our watches
side by side on the dresser—
the
widening gap
Mohua Maulik
trailing a finger
over the shimmering
still waters
unaware of the storms
that
lurk below your façade
Mohua Maulik
planting
peace lilies in beds
overrun
with the same old
unresolved
grudges
Mohua Maulik
Chen-ou Liu
frog pond
the slow drifting
of
my haiku-boat
Chen-ou Liu
she's gone ...
alone, I sleep
with
the dark
Chen-ou Liu
the door
of a foreclosed house
blown open
by a winter gust ...
inside
and out this emptiness
Chen-ou Liu
Diane Webster
morning sunshine
a galaxy of stars
across
the snow
Diane Webster
white scarf flung
over the dilapidated fence
surrender
Diane Webster
covered in ice
the statue prays
to
the sun god
Diane Webster
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