in
some other life
we are happy together
destiny was
kind
entwined like ancient great oaks
but here we are lost
in woods
Peter Devonald
we wonder with sighs
if rains will ever stop tears
if floods
will forget
will old weary ways remain
or will we just
build fresh hell
Peter Devonald
When we die do our
eyes open or close I must
know
dad just because
Jeremy Nathan Marks
waiting for snowfall
Nevermore the next day
a
raven’s cry
Thomas Smith
sunrise and sunset
autumn migrations
pass
me by
Thomas Smith
gravesite service
a
goldfinch tucks baby’s breath
into the nest
Jo Balistreri
flowering
maples in autumn mist the orange bells barely
Jo Balistreri
this
longtime longing ends with a sigh
Hassane Zemmouri
reSILiENCE
Hassane
Zemmouri
all night rain
building a bouquet
of
Lego roses
Audrey Quinn
half-life
still brimming
with
ambition
Audrey Quinn
blooming
where the orchid stops that gap
Matthew Cariello
Queen Ann’s Lace –
the circumference
of
a bee
Matthew Cariello
watching us argue
the blue jay
and
his song
Matthew Cariello
cold day
I try to plant the seed
from
an eaten apple
King Edward A. Eway
falling leaves
our pretend wedding vows
face
their trial
King Edward A. Eway
forgetting
to cancel
my father’s seed catalogues—
evening
primrose
Mark Forrester
morning
fog
in the hotel parking lot
more geese than cars
Mark
Forrester
rain
turning
into snow
into nothing
Mark Forrester
used
car lot
the freezing rain
his best offer
Mark Forrester
forest fires
the dark beauty
of
dead trees
Marcellin Dallaire-Beaumont
the
moon fallen on thoughts after snow
Mircea Moldovan
fingers
slipping
on the piano keys
long winter wind
Mircea
Moldovan
left where it belongs
awash in the westerly . . .
a
dragon wind chime
Monica Kakkar
first snowfall—
traces of yesterday
slowly
vanish
Melissa Laussmann
morning rush
a sparrow takes its time
in
the bird bath
Melissa Laussmann
unread
travel guides filling up my life
Maya Daneva
late autumn sun
slicing warm apple pie
for
breakfast
Maya Daneva
Congratulations to these talented Cold Moon Journal poets for their 2024 Touchstone Award nominations:
Biswajit Mishra
Stacy Taylor
Bipasha Majumder (De)
Bryan Rickert
Sharon Ferrante
Mark Hendrickson
Jerome Berglund
j
rap
Sharon Martina
Rita Melissano
Alvin B. Cruz
Scott F. Parker
Xiaoou Chen
Jay Friedenberg
Susan Burch
Alaka Y
Mohua Maulik
Wendy
Cobourne
Adrian Bouter
open window
a cat leaps
into
my story
Wendy Cobourne
harbor dawn
a tug pulls pink
downriver
Wendy Cobourne
away, away
carries the wind
her
red balloon
Adrian Bouter
loss —
our moon as it is
as
it was
Adrian Bouter
open
market
truth goes
for the highest price
Katie
Montagna
under an old oak tree
the sky
is
falling
Katie Montagna
that story…
is already written
in the sand
the sky has heard
the
water singing it
Rita R. Melissano
in the murmur
of a calm river
the
ripples of your voice
Rita R. Melissano
a
puzzle piece remembering where to go
Rita R. Melissano
dark circles
the void inside
many
moons
Rita R. Melissano
black holes...
pulled into forever
on
a bed of dead stars
Rita R. Melissano
dad’s chair
the worn cushion
beneath
the cat
Robert Witmer
white nights
the ghost by the fire
asleep
Robert Witmer
babushka
memories wrapped in cabbage
baba's
twinkling eyes
Robert Witmer
climbing
to reach her soul
ivy
Richard Bailly
riding
a tricycle—
again
Richard Bailly