Tsanka Shishkova

fading gipsy song

in the summer night

lonely boat

—Tsanka Shishkova

Neena Singh

scorching heat

the farmer borrows

his scarecrow's hat

—Neena Singh

Marilyn Ashbaugh

quick-mart

gran picks up a six-pack

of petunias

—Marilyn Ashbaugh

farmstead auction

stealing plants

to save her garden

—Marilyn Ashbaugh

knee-high in the cornfield solstice moon

—Marilyn Ashbaugh

river of stars sneaking out to see you

—Marilyn Ashbaugh

Jay Friedenberg

stock market

trying to make

cents of it all

—Jay Friedenberg

Bipasha Majumder (De)

 overcast sky

stars twinkling

in granny's stories

—Bipasha Majumder (De)

air raid

wren songs squeezing

through the debris

—Bipasha Majumder (De)

drone strike

a widower's wailing paints

the stars black

—Bipasha Majumder (De)

a war orphan wailing wildflowers

—Bipasha Majumder (De)

war win

trees dressed

in white

—Bipasha Majumder (De)

John Hawkhead

sudden remembrance

of an empty crib

gentling rain

—John Hawkhead

Jon Thurlow

outside the hospital

a white rose blooms—

sleepless night

—Jon Thurlow

Tony Williams

cold shower—

the nettles

erect

—Tony Williams

Audrey Quinn

fevered night

the clock ticking

slowly

—Audrey Quinn

rainstorm

a scorpion

out of hiding

—Audrey Quinn

Blueprint, by Ariana Afrin Emu

I used to love like a storm

no map

no shelter

just sky and surrender

—Ariana Afrin Emu

Melissa Laussmann

sipping tea

under the morning moon

scent of jasmine

—Melissa Laussmann

Mark Forrester

funeral season

bittercress blossoms

beside the old school

—Mark Forrester

Boryana Boteva

rose bud

more gentle than ever

my mom’s hug

—Boryana Boteva

park breeze

a few chestnut blossoms

in my coffee cup

—Boryana Boteva

Maya Daneva

wedding proposal…

the serenade

of the cicadas

—Maya Daneva

Robert Witmer

falling leaves

that yellow carpet

in mother's room

—Robert Witmer

a

puzzle

missing

pieces

childhood 

—Robert Witmer

Christine Forbes

starless shore

one white pebble

glints moonlight

—Christine Forbes

Manasa Reddy Chichili

spring rain

i fold my mom's smile 

into paper boats

—Manasa Reddy Chichili

Mark Gilbert

crimson poppy

there will always be life

among the rubble

—Mark Gilbert

خشخاش قرمزي

توجد حياة دائما

بين الأنقاض

—Arabic translation: Fatma Zohra Habis

Colleen M. Farrelly

spring rain

I trace his name

on the tombstone

—Colleen M. Farrelly

Tuyet Van Do

extra protein 

in the porridge 

a riceworm

—Tuyet Van Do