By Cloris Shi

high school

scrubbing insults off

bathroom stalls

Cloris Shi

By Mona Bedi

summer sunset

I catch my breath

in the lake’s reflection

Mona Bedi

 

*

 

deep winter—

mom’s lullaby sneaks

into my dream

Mona Bedi

By Nani Mariani

rainy moon

mourning flowers around the world

for Queen Elizabeth II


Nani Mariani

By Herbert Shippey

power lines

hum in the wind

all day

an old hymn

stuck in my head

Herbert Shippey

By Gabriel Rosenstock

all i know is this

the cello has fallen still

and all is quiet:

       the music of what is not

       ah, what strange music that is

Gabriel Rosenstock

*

alone with his thoughts

one thought flowering among weeds

quickly vanishes

              a thought that may yet return

              on the day his hair turns grey

Gabriel Rosenstock

By Adrian Bouter

day of leaving

I put our moon

in my backpack

Adrian Bouter

*

rock bottom love is a river

Adrian Bouter

By Patrick Sweeney

the autographed page torn out

Patrick Sweeney

*

 

again today ignoring the lump

Patrick Sweeney

 

*

I only like the idea of strawberries

Patrick Sweeney

*

in a room alone rooting for the underdog

Patrick Sweeney

By Uchechukwu Onyedikam and Christina Chin

lone light

candle flame

in the dark

Uchechukwu Onyedikam

insects and birds

die by it

Christina Chin

By Christopher Peys

the flutter by

of the butterfly

i too am changed

Christopher Peys

 

 

*

 

 

under the sycamore

with a sandwich

and summer

Christopher Peys

By Maria Cristina Pulvirenti

Autumn star

I always travel

the same road

Maria Cristina Pulvirenti

By Mike Gallagher

down platform

doors bang open and shut

on our silence

Mike Gallagher

*

 

 

frogspawn

the future of the planet

somehow surer

Mike Gallagher

*

 

 

no space

to be different

rowdy playground

Mike Gallagher

By Mariel Herbert

ginkgo

the dog stops to mark

my words


Mariel Herbert

By Ray Spitzenberger

toad plops

in cat’s water bowl

a hiss, a slap

Ray Spitzenberger

*

 

 

a walker

corrects my wobble

at eighty-eight

Ray Spitzenberger

By Joseph P. Wechselberger

childless

and the only child of an only child …

the brief lives of mayflies

Joseph P. Wechselberger

By Susan Bonk Plumridge

63 . . .

few words 

left to share

Susan Bonk Plumridge

 

*

 

63 . . .

deep stretch

in my knees

Susan Bonk Plumridge

 

 

*

 

63 . . .

summer heat

late in August
 

Susan Bonk Plumridge

By Kelly Moyer

golden anniversary

his affinity for her

heirloom tomatoes

Kelly Moyer

By Rupa Anand

not a soul in sight—

my footsteps follow me

on this wooded path

Rupa Anand

 

*

neighbourhood park—

on discarded idols

moss drapes herself

Rupa Anand

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