By Tony Williams

harvest moon

everything they say

is true

Tony Williams

*

 

summer shimmer

the wildflower I like

is poisonous

Tony Williams

By John Pappas

sun-burned grass all these useless words

John Pappas

*

 

empty mall

all the mannequins dressed

in darkness

John Pappas

By Jennifer Isham

first day of school

the teacher dons

her bulletproof vest

Jennifer Isham

By Saumya Bansal

first petrichor after learning the word petrichor

Saumya Bansal

*

morning drizzle

she pretends

to speed walk

Saumya Bansal

By Vipanjeet Kaur

downpour —

floating in rain

a lone leaf.

Vipanjeet Kaur

By Joshua St. Claire

plum wine

the dopplich flight

of the bumblebee

Joshua St. Claire

 

*

passionflower desiring to be clever

Joshua St. Claire

By Bisshie

imagine

strawberry fields

when the war is over

Bisshie

 

*

next to the tourist

the man in a gabardine suit

sweats on the B line

Bisshie

By Ruth Holzer

the day

I moved into

my starter house

little did I know

that would be it

Ruth Holzer

By Robert Epstein

sun-dried tomatoes —

she could have taken

more time with me

Robert Epstein

*

 

Alcatraz

what hard labor it is

to get over myself

Robert Epstein

Best of the Net Nominations

Cold Moon Journal has nominated the following poets for Best of the Net (for poems published between July 1, 2021 and June 30, 2022):

Chen-ou Liu

Janet Ruth

Agus Maulana Sunjaya

Alvin B. Cruz (2)

Tina Mowrey

Congratulations to all. Good luck!

By Pippa Phillips

shed skin—

I am everywhere

I’ve ever been

Pippa Phillips

*

 

a map 

on her bridal veil 

 

the flat earths 

that lay folded

in her trousseau

Pippa Phillips

*

 

new arms

for the venus de milo

she carves herself

back

into a slab of marble

Pippa Phillips

*

toasting clouds

on an open sun

we tell ghost stories

that end

happily ever after

Pippa Phillips

By Alvin B. Cruz

late night news

last slice of

left-over pizza
 

Alvin B. Cruz

*

 

Basho

the sound of frog

in his language

Alvin B. Cruz

*

window seat

a bus ride with grandma

way back when

my dreams

took the shape of clouds

Alvin B. Cruz

By C.X. Turner

a lone leaf

awaiting the inevitable

fall
 

C.X. Turner

*

clinging to the rain

everything we can be

wild roses
 

C.X. Turner

By Samo Kreutz

old sandpit

a time when the rain was still

a playful companion

Samo Kreutz

By Brad Bennett

mid-summer

a dream between

thunderstorms

Brad Bennett

* 

 

in out of the storm

milk billows

in my tea
 

Brad Bennett

By Steve Bahr

beach walking

weight of the ages

in rock-filled pockets


Steve Bahr

By Tuyet Van Do

post covid

he returns to work

coughing

Tuyet Van Do

By Bakhtiyar Amini

unexpected news

father leans against

the wall

Bakhtiyar Amini

By Daipayan Nair

funeral march—

incense

fills the street


Daipayan Nair

*

morning glory—

she smiles until

she doesn't

Daipayan Nair

By Linda Ludwig

old family album

I breathe deep —

the memories

Linda Ludwig

By Mircea Moldovan

summer dream a beast eats my thoughts

Mircea Moldovan

By David He

cool breeze

on this autumn night

I listen

to the warm whispers

of a love story

David He

*

the fresh smell

of newspaper...

my parents

sip their coffee

without any words

David He

By Joanna Ashwell

lingering

a trace of moon

in my glass

Joanna Ashwell

 

*

tranquillity

breath held

in forest stars

Joanna Ashwell

 

*

 

between seasons

words becoming

hoverflies
 

Joanna Ashwell

By Jerome Berglund

tell me how you see the world ink blot queries

Jerome Berglund

*

doodlebugging soldier of fortune
 

Jerome Berglund

By Stephen Jarrell Williams

sundown

bat flying zig-zags

eating mosquitoes

Stephen Jarrell Williams

 

*

desert nomad

night dancing under the moon

humming old songs

Stephen Jarrell Williams

By Keith Evetts

by Keith Evetts

By Rp Verlaine

hot cup of tea

has all the answers

in the moonlight

Rp Verlaine

By Roberta Beach Jacobson

silkworms

in mulberry tree . . .

threads for kimono

Roberta Beach Jacobson