Mike Fainzilber

mountain and lake

the silence

of not talking

—Mike Fainzilber

hospital café

soap and soup

same color

—Mike Fainzilber

zazen

the fold

in my underwear

—Mike Fainzilber

panic attack

the mountain

always there

—Mike Fainzilber

Jacob D. Salzer

tangled chains

around the cemetery gate

the scent of moss

—Jacob D. Salzer

unprepared

on a long journey

with no destination

what should I carry?

a forest path fades into fog

—Jacob D. Salzer

Susan Burch

how you rub me

the wrong way

Brillo pad

—Susan Burch

bluebells

hanging low

for a while

—Susan Burch

Thomas Landgraf

spring wind...

so strong

this feeling i'm under

—Thomas Landgraf

Hynek Koziol

walk with mom

this much space in her jacket

for the evening breeze

—Hynek Koziol

Nicoletta Ignatti

spring fog-

he asks if the man in the painting

is his father

—Nicoletta Ignatti

on the hills

here and there splashes of sun -

dandelion in bloom

—Nicoletta Ignatti

Mona Bedi

cloud animals

the lingering memory

of my childhood sky

—Mona Bedi

Anne Fox

black ink

a trail of words

becomes night

—Anne Fox

slow snowmelt

the many blues

of a winter sea

—Anne Fox

Paul Callus

spring waves—

a cornfield yields

to the wind

—Paul Callus

Mark Forrester

sparrow’s song

gathering twigs

after the rainstorm

—Mark Forrester

Marilyn Humbert

the blank page

in my diary continues

to taunt me

outside the window

a single rose unfurls

—Marilyn Humbert

Ben Oliver

reading the breeze house martins

—Ben Oliver

John Pappas

moonrise

the sigh of the

porch swing

—John Pappas

Lavana Kray

swarm of bees—

the straight and crooked trees

bloom the same

—Lavana Kray

pressed flower

between the diary pages—

no memory

—Lavana Kray

Editorial May break

Dear CMJ Community,

For personal reasons, we can't undertake our editorial duties for the month of May, and will resume June 1st. This doesn't affect any submissions. Of course, we'll have a lot of catching up to do when we get back, so if you read this message and also have work under consideration with us, then do consider sending any further work elsewhere this month. 

Please check out our updated guidelines for contributors in case you missed anything.

Best wishes,

Timothy and Oana 

Roberta Beach Jacobson

beach day

rinsing my hair

in sea salt

—Roberta Beach Jacobson

Wendy Cobourne

unopened letters

the father

he never knew 

—Wendy Cobourne

still waters

the silence

inside me

—Wendy Cobourne

Audrey Quinn

looming storm clouds

the memories come back

in fragments

—Audrey Quinn 

Bill Fay

pond sunset

night arrives

upside down

—Bill Fay

sumi brush

a bit of myself

in each peony

—Bill Fay

Bona M. Santos

high noon

the watchful eye

of a crow

—Bona M. Santos