Zahra Mughis

who remembers

after they wither . . .

azaleas

—Zahra Mughis

Jahnavi Gogoi

peace lilies 

writing her son’s 

obituary 

—Jahnavi Gogoi 

spelling bee—

my name mere syllables 

in a new country 

—Jahnavi Gogoi 

Alvin B. Cruz

lavender fields

the less traveled road

to peace

—Alvin B. Cruz

Daniela Misso

not sure 

whether to stay or go . . .

hay-filled wind

—Daniela Misso

Mohua Maulik

mother of six

resettles between the books

kittens

—Mohua Maulik

Srinivasa Rao Sambangi

monsoon rain

one box ticked

in the farmer's wishlist

—Srinivasa Rao Sambangi

Priority Mail, a haibun by Zachery May

He never remembered the accident. Just the bumps, sirens pulsing out distant windows, a storm of red and white. Strangers worked over his body, rocking with waves. They pulled daggers from his skin, stabbed him with their own. Pressed deep in his chest. Numbness crept up his limbs, enfolded him in an empty hug. In that moment, the EMTs became his best friends. He cast his precious message in a bottle toward the shore, then slipped into the ocean.  

   gasping star

   tell the dark
   I love her

Sharon Ferrante

inviting dark clouds my blue morning 

—Sharon Ferrante

Arvinder Kaur

almost dusk 

a mynah tiptoes 

on gulmohar petals 

—Arvinder Kaur

snapping beans

my sister and I 

unburden 

—Arvinder Kaur

jungle walk 

he proposes to me 

with a wildflower

—Arvinder Kaur

Kelly Sargent

county fair

the stickiness

of school bus seats

—Kelly Sargent

Mona Bedi

road trip  

we argue over the flavor 

of potato chips --

how different the worlds

we come from

—Mona Bedi

Bryan Rickert

 at both ends of winter burning leaf scent

—Bryan Rickert

Randy Brooks

wild blackberries

her handful

of sour memories

—Randy Brooks

Karen Battoo

 communed inside a clannish circle needles speak

—Karen Battoo

Roberta Beach Jacobson

a sea

of rainbow plastics

whale belly

—Roberta Beach Jacobson

karaoke night . . .

clearing the room fast

mosquito song

—Roberta Beach Jacobson

pushing empty wheelchair across the room widower

—Roberta Beach Jacobson

Hynek Koziol

strawberry season 

the taste in the garden

of morning rain

—Hynek Koziol

John Richard Stephens

its reflection

on the pond

dragonfly 

—John Richard Stephens

Vandana Parashar

can of sardines

the cat through the pet door

not ours

—Vandana Parashar

Eugeniusz Zacharski

frogspawn

a gentle glow

of distant lightning

—Eugeniusz Zacharski

cold night

nebulae

drift apart

—Eugeniusz Zacharski

Jerome Berglund

badlands

a dam bawling  

for its calf

—Jerome Berglund