Manasa Reddy Chichili

the homeless mother

makes home under the shadow

of the banyan tree

watching bird's babies in nest

unfinished mom's lullaby

—Manasa Reddy Chichili

Wiesław Karliński

cemetery fence

on both sides the same

color of snow

—Wiesław Karliński

Joseph Howse

 blink the ceiling fan backwards

—Joseph Howse

Eugeniusz Zacharski

lingering war

dark energy

in the void

—Eugeniusz Zacharski

lightning—

an even more visible

blackness of the night

—Eugeniusz Zacharski

diagnosis—

the spring wind disperses clouds

about the sky

—Eugeniusz Zacharski

Audrey Quinn

first light

on hardwood floors

a slap of bare feet

—Audrey Quinn

his spectacles

full of smudges

bedtime story

—Audrey Quinn

Richard L. Matta

deep winter

the flashing red lights

at her bedside

—Richard L. Matta

Sharon Ferrante

the desire

for aloneness

one winking star

—Sharon Ferrante

Stephen Jarrell Williams

getting old

looking in the mirror

for yesterday

—Stephen Jarrell Williams

John Hawkhead

songbird chorus

announcing the arrival

of the cat

—John Hawkhead

Marilyn Humbert

sultry evening…

after thunder the downpour

cools our mood

—Marilyn Humbert

Sondra J. Byrnes

sunup—

birdsong breaks

into light

—Sondra J. Byrnes

summer storm

church bells remixed

by the wind

—Sondra J. Byrnes

Allyson Whipple

snow walk

stepping in the footprints

of those who came before

—Allyson Whipple

flowering garden

even the hummingbird finds

a moment of stillness

—Allyson Whipple

your argyle sweater

the cigarette smoke

I can’t wash out

—Allyson Whipple

foggy morning

the hidden contours

of the shore

—Allyson Whipple

Herb Tate

flakes peeling

off the old pine gate

collecting my thoughts

—Herb Tate

beginning

to grow on me

grave side grass

—Herb Tate

purple

until I google the field

lacy phacelia

—Herb Tate

Belinda Behne

night owl

asking the moon and stars

how to heal the world

—Belinda Behne

Jamie Wimberly

winter birthday

giving me a bouquet

of twigs

—Jamie Wimberly

outdoor shower

the salt air within

soap bubbles

—Jamie Wimberly

falling stars

the day before

naming her

—Jamie Wimberly

Amir Kapetanović

as I roll out the dough

my hands tremble

just like mother’s

—Amir Kapetanovic

Hifsa Ashraf

raging heat

his words

against mine

—Hifsa Ashraf

moonlit trail

dad recalls

his first love

—Hifsa Ashraf

Marcellin Dallaire-Beaumont

looking at

a quartered apple

my other half gone

—Marcellin Dallaire-Beaumont

Pitt Büerken

parental leave

the young father is amazed

at all the work

—Pitt Büerken

Mark Forrester

evening rain

my father’s bookmarks

laid to rest

—Mark Forrester

hazy half-moon

geese flying north

geese flying south

—Mark Forrester

river ice

drifting downstream

the junco’s song

—Mark Forrester

smell of moss

close to the river

a heron’s cry

—Mark Forrester

Oliver Kleyer

every year

the walk over the graveyard

takes longer

—Oliver Kleyer

Louise Hopewell

tittering wrens

the skeleton of a ghost gum

catches clouds

—Louise Hopewell

Stephanie Zepherelli

spring magic

granddad’s potatoes sprout

butterflies

—Stephanie Zepherelli

Douglas J. Lanzo

moonlit hoarfrost…

grandad strokes 

his beard

—Douglas J. Lanzo

John H. Dromey

sleeping in

on frosty mornings

quilty pleasures

—John H. Dromey