Doug Sylver

the morning she

left me for good

spotless coffee cup 

—Doug Sylver

Gareth Nurden

middle of summer

lapping waves

lifting her sundress

—Gareth Nurden

Anne Fox

knee-deep in dawn

where the road was

a heron

—Anne Fox

midnight sail

skimming the surface

of stars

—Anne Fox

Diane Webster

on the lake

a rowboat ripples across

the swan’s wake

—Diane Webster

Joanna Ashwell

sunflower dowry

the first nod

of dewfall

—Joanna Ashwell

Vaishnavi Ramaswamy

how rapidly 

those memories swell 

like chia seeds in water

i soak my anger

and drink it down

—Vaishnavi Ramaswamy

seven times over

nomads

changing homes 

my son revels

in the joy of new spaces

—Vaishnavi Ramaswamy

Monica Kakkar

grandmas leave

aromas in the alley . . .

Eid al-Adha

—Monica Kakkar

Nivy

the glow

on mother's face...

brahmakamalam

—Nivy

Srinivasa Rao Sambangi

sunset colors

the missing green

on the earth

—Srinivasa Rao Sambangi

Susan Lee Roberts

pitched tent

beneath the stars…

a chorus of bullfrogs

—Susan Lee Roberts

John Hawkhead

filling the basket

with cut flowers

a wicker coffin

—John Hawkhead

soft flurries

our old cat releases

her final purr

—John Hawkhead

Katie Montagna

sharing the canyon silence

bighorn sheep

and me

—Katie Montagna

afternoon humidity

the thickness

of lavender

—Katie Montagna

rain in the beech grove

I drop my hood

to listen

—Katie Montagna

against the wind

a sparrow lands

where it started

—Katie Montagna

flashes of red

in the rose bush

a touch and go robin

—Katie Montagna

Ricardo de la Concha

wallet gone

should have known

her track marks

—Ricardo de la Concha

Hynek Koziol

storm day

her four blowouts

on three candles

—Hynek Koziol

coming home

in an empty cigarette box

butterfly wings

—Hynek Koziol

Bryan Rickert

snowmelt

again no sign

of the crocus

—Bryan Rickert

not remembering 

how I got the bruise

autumn’s darkness 

—Bryan Rickert

Melissa Leaf Nelson

chapped lips

waiting for hot cocoa

to cool

—Melissa Leaf Nelson

long drive home

spotting a bald eagle

standing in the ditch

—Melissa Leaf Nelson

wind-sculpted snowdrifts

she snuggles deeper

into her afghan

—Melissa Leaf Nelson

Govind Joshi

monsoon drizzle

an ant circling

on the taro leaf

—Govind Joshi 

hibiscus bloom

spider siblings

learning to weave

—Govind Joshi 

Vaishnavi Pusapati

narrow mountain road

both drivers

unrelenting

—Vaishnavi Pusapati

monday morning

office plant and I

both droopy

—Vaishnavi Pusapati

Tim Dwyer

Botanic Gardens

the apple tree tagged

in loving memory

—Tim Dwyer

chemo infusion

you and me in paradise

on the radio

—Tim Dwyer

phone booth locked 

on an empty crossroad—

missed calls

—Tim Dwyer

 

Sharon Ferrante

wine at dusk 

my dark wings 

growing 

—Sharon Ferrante