By Tohm Bakelas

10/21/2009

steve richmond, sober,

dying alone in hospice —

no more gagaku

Tohm Bakelas

By Hassane Zemmouri

my nephew with his baby bottle

midnight cartoons

Hassane Zemmouri

By Cecil Morris

After Her Death

My new lover grief

eats chips naked in my bed

and will not leave me

even when I offer her

a summer house at the beach.

Cecil Morris

By Jovana Dragojlovic

local winds blow —

fanning the fire

through my veins

Jovana Dragojlovic

By C.X. Turner

rainbow dawn

just when the horizon

looks bleak

C.X. Turner

By Maya Daneva

sharing the silence

while praying for mom’s soul

this warm breeze

Maya Daneva

By Mark Forrester

one busker’s nod

to another

moonless night

Mark Forrester

By Michelle V. Alkerton

double vision

increasing

my worldview

Michelle V. Alkerton

By Monica Kakkar

heartbeats in first bloom—

her polka dot bikini

scarlet ladybird

Monica Kakkar

By Mike Fainzilber

at the end of the earth

where the sun goes to die

a souvenir stand…

Mike Fainzilber

By Melissa Laussmann

in pale moonlight

a firefly becomes

the star

Melissa Laussmann

By Mike Turner

Oh, what greater love

Than fulfilling hopes and dreams

Can we give others

Mike Turner

By John J. Dunphy

wedding anniversary

husband selects a bouquet

at the cemetery

John J. Dunphy

*

weightlifter

trembling as he picks up

his newborn son

John J. Dunphy

By Vandana Parashar

wanderlust

a little cloud

drifts away

Vandana Parashar

*

shooting

everything in sight

wedding photographer

Vandana Parashar

By Christa Pandey

heat dome

even a cactus

keels over

Christa Pandey

 

*

 

sunset

the old pond

glows pink

Christa Pandey

By Mike Freedman

thoughts twirling

in the spin-dryer

of ego

Mike Freedman

*

 

priest lights up

leaving cathedral

no sin to smoke

Mike Freedman

By evan coram

only a few

fireflies dream

of becoming a star

evan coram

*

 

wet snowflakes

together

sharing silence

evan coram

By Ron Scully

scrabble party

he interrupts her words

she finishes his sentences

Ron Scully

By B. L. Bruce

morning sky

pale as corn silk

heatwave

B. L. Bruce

By Ram Chandran

cherry blossoms —

even after

all of us have gone

Ram Chandran

By Timothy Daly

parents’ home

looking back on my past

I see a light

Timothy Daly

By Pris Campbell

breaking waves

too old and sick now

for sandcastle dreams

Pris Campbell

By Kerry J Heckman

hare moon

from every direction

coyote songs

Kerry J Heckman

*

tornado

hitching a ride

to oz

Kerry J Heckman

By Alvin B. Cruz

my blind date

a no show —

total eclipse

Alvin B. Cruz

*

summer love unfolding my umbrella

Alvin B. Cruz

By James Penha

arranging ourselves

across music of the spheres

the maestro awaits
 

James Penha

*

 

railway steps

waiting for those who seek

their station

James Penha

By John Zheng

supermoon

birds in trees

louder and louder

John Zheng

*

 

yowling night

moon on a pine branch

wide-eyed

John Zheng

By Mike Gallagher

eyelashes

butterfly wings

aflutter

Mike Gallagher

*

rustling

in september breeze

drier leaves

Mike Gallagher

By Chen-ou Liu

CN Tower

hidden in fog and rain ...

what remains

of my immigrant past

now a blur to me

Chen-ou Liu

By Jerome Berglund

hummingbird

calling for

an encore

Jerome Berglund

By Ellen Kom

family lawsuit

lawyer and therapist

on standby


Ellen Kom