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

Ravi Kiran

Mid-west cornfield 

the slow twirl 

of a windmill

—Ravi Kiran

braking reflex 

a crow's shadow 

crosses the road

—Ravi Kiran

Vaishnavi Ramaswamy

my father's last smile 

floats upon my grief

—Vaishnavi Ramaswamy

Louise Hopewell

reflection pond 

pondering a dragonfly 

pondering a dragonfly

—Louise Hopewell

Tonya Hall

crescendo 

dawn chorus 

of whippoorwills

—Tonya Hall

Tom Blessing

old photos

old memories

and yet

—Tom Blessing

Chen-ou Liu

river stroll

salmon leap from cloud

to cloud

—Chen-ou Liu

Mother's farewell

lasts far into my first night ...

Taiwan, lone island

seen through the airplane window

as my lower lip trembles

—Chen-ou Liu

Kanchan Chatterjee

sensei orders

more colors from E-bay —

autumn begins

—Kanchan Chatterjee

deep summer . . .

in my tenth-floor apartment

no scent of jasmine

—Kanchan Chatterjee

Jennifer Gurney

the branches

of my family tree

together

—Jennifer Gurney

Gareth Nurden

splatters of rain

folding a leaf

lotus flower

—Gareth Nurden

Oscar Luparia

the same sky...

a rainbow crosses

the border post

—Oscar Luparia

clear night

from star to star

with our fingers

—Oscar Luparia

Doug Sylver

life after death

still asking questions

one sock turned inside out

—Doug Sylver

Joanna Ashwell

bare ankles

flecked with blossom

early sunrise

—Joanna Ashwell

cornflower lane

the easy drift

of conversation

—Joanna Ashwell

Monica Kakkar

ceasefire... 

the border brimming 

with summer stars

—Monica Kakkar

Lakshman Bulusu

after party

the Milky Way 

in her eyes

—Lakshman Bulusu 

Hynek Koziol

spring evening

bird calling app

not sure

—Hynek Koziol

Nancy Brady

morning dew...

slug trails

on the fairway

— Nancy Brady

Flag Day...

irises waving

in the wind

— Nancy Brady

Douglas J. Lanzo

warmth of her smile

an albatross

rising from sunned cliffs

—Douglas J. Lanzo

Lys Browne

between two clocks

he keeps a float of an hour

his double life

—Lys Browne

Katie Montagna

station garden

these four o'clocks

keep to time

—Katie Montagna

Sharon Ferrante

witch’s magick 

a handful of peanuts 

quiets the crow 

—Sharon Ferrante 

Kelly Sargent

strawberry shampoo suds

circling the drain

at long last

learning to care

for myself

—Kelly Sargent