Robert Witmer

churchyard

an ancient yew

bent with snow

—Robert Witmer

a marked page

in a library book

dating app

—Robert Witmer

Oliver Kleyer

every year

the walk over the graveyard

takes longer

—Oliver Kleyer

John Zheng

Fox News

the parrot falls quiet

on my shoulder

—John Zheng

Alvin B. Cruz

table for two

the melting candle

between us

—Alvin B. Cruz

cherry blossoms

in late spring

the tree i planted

though i will not sit

in its shade

—Alvin B. Cruz

another home

in ruins

winter deepens

—Alvin B. Cruz

the letter

that never reached you

wisteria blossoms

—Alvin B. Cruz

Steve Black (from 2024)

back in town 

going by a different name

too late to run

too late to be forgiven

hurricane season

—Steve Black

painkiller

she washes the day

from my back

anoints oil to the scars

that never go away

—Steve Black

the back door

into the night

i left open

i thought 

she would close

—Steve Black

Editor's Note: These are from the "lost poems" chosen by founding editor, Roberta Beach Jacobson. 

Aja Rhianna

last pail of milk 

we say goodbye 

to our favorite cow 

—Aja Rhianna

gentle waves 

the calm 

before moonlight

—Aja Rhianna

Kavita Ratna

threadbare blanket 

on the other side 

a new day

—Kavita Ratna

Nicoletta Ignatti

moonspots... 

she keeps all her secrets

to herself 

—Nicoletta Ignatti

spring twilight- 

telling her 

we will no longer be friends

—Nicoletta Ignatti

Sarah Mahina Calvello

the smell

of flowers in blushing

burnt sun

—Sarah Mahina Calvello

Marylyn Burridge

unsteady

on my bruised ego

apache plume

—Marylyn Burridge

Deborah Karl-Brandt

cat's eyes

the blackbird tunes into

fortissimo

—Deborah Karl-Brandt

worn-out socks

learning how to mend them

into a haiku

—Deborah Karl-Brandt

Partha Sarkar

bird twitching 

its tail—waves

in the sun.

—Partha Sarkar

John J. Dunphy

outdoor nativity scene

one of the Wise Men

facing the wrong way

—John J. Dunphy

his last road trip

my friend arrives

at the cemetery

—John J. Dunphy 

Vickie Yiannoulou

old bedroom

a bassinet holds

one tiny sock

—Vickie Yiannoulou

Anne Fox

woodpecker poem…

the clickety-clack

of his old typewriter

—Anne Fox

Oscar Luparia

licking a stamp

the flavor

of nostalgia

—Oscar Luparia

homemade bread

a handful of sesame seeds

for the sparrows

—Oscar Luparia

By Miriam Sagan

thunderclap—

the ghost of my cat 

hits the bed

—Miriam Sagan

Elliot Diamond

icecaps

with sprinkles

sweating

—Elliot Diamond

László Aranyi

dirty spider's web

the creeping hourglass

etched in all of us

—László Aranyi

Mishti Choudhury

keeping an eye

on me

this moon

—Mishti Choudhury

Shine on, a haibun by David Ngo

Shine on

Amid the rhythm of machines in the ICU, you ride the relentless tide of a stroke, each breath straining to fill your fading lungs—all for one thought: the uncertain future of those left behind. 

    twilight...

    the fading flicker

    of a spark 

(in memoriam, my late mother Ling Boey King, 1936-2025)

—David Ngo

Michael C. Roberts

—Michael C. Roberts

—Michael C. Roberts

—Michael C. Roberts

M. R. Pelletier

 soap opera 

my neighbor sings 

in the shower

—M. R. Pelletier 

Jackie Chou

winter sparrow 

the cashier declines 

my food stamp card 

—Jackie Chou

Steve Van Allen

seven starlings 

on a wire 

melting in november rain 

—Steve Van Allen

Jerome Berglund

tipsy snow 

whenever a car passes 

I flinch

—Jerome Berglund

Joshua St. Claire

precession of the equinoxes 

my hands reach 

middle age

—Joshua St. Claire

Joanna Ashwell

votives 

by the window 

early shadow

—Joanna Ashwell

night chrysalis 

lost in the snow 

forest stars

—Joanna Ashwell