first
petrichor after learning the word petrichor
Saumya Bansal
*
morning drizzle
she pretends
to
speed walk
Saumya Bansal
first
petrichor after learning the word petrichor
Saumya Bansal
*
morning drizzle
she pretends
to
speed walk
Saumya Bansal
plum wine
the dopplich flight
of
the bumblebee
Joshua St. Claire
*
passionflower desiring to be clever
Joshua St. Claire
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
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
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!
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
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
a
lone leaf
awaiting
the inevitable
fall
C.X. Turner
*
clinging to the rain
everything we can be
wild
roses
C.X. Turner
mid-summer
a dream between
thunderstorms
Brad
Bennett
*
in out of the storm
milk billows
in
my tea
Brad Bennett
funeral march—
incense
fills
the street
Daipayan
Nair
*
morning glory—
she smiles until
she
doesn't
Daipayan Nair
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
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
tell
me how you see the world ink blot queries
Jerome Berglund
*
doodlebugging
soldier of fortune
Jerome Berglund
sundown
bat flying zig-zags
eating
mosquitoes
Stephen Jarrell Williams
*
desert nomad
night dancing under the moon
humming old songs
Stephen Jarrell Williams
silkworms
in mulberry tree .
. .
threads
for kimono
Roberta Beach Jacobson
Split like a dagger.
Nature and clouds draw our eyes.
From
past to present.
Susanna Gilbert
Photo c. Susanna Gilbert