By Alan Zhong

when you left

planes joining the sky

drifting through our broken dreams.

you're the brightest star

Alan Zhong

By Anne Morrigan

quick strokes

through lightning strikes

lost oars

Anne Morrigan

By Alison Rogers

consider the koi

drifting through its reflection

rust of the maple

Alison Rogers

By Arvinder Kaur

music class

my grandson catches

the cricket’s tune

Arvinder Kaur

By Ashoka Weerakkody

fireflies

if only they could learn

Morse


Ashoka Weerakkody

By Barrie Levine

coming-of-age

my Barbie and I

grandmothers

Barrie Levine

*

 

diner special

     sliding down the counter

to the regulars

Barrie Levine

By Brad Bennett

crowded feeder

one seed escapes

with its chickadee

Brad Bennett

By Joseph P. Wechselberger

second-hand store

a wedding dress tagged

as never worn

Joseph P. Wechselberger

By Jay Friedenberg

goldenrod

the hypnotic lull

of bees at work

Jay Friedenberg

*

scattered bread

under the park bench

nature's pecking order

Jay Friedenberg

By Jovana Dragojlovic

mom's cherry pie

the last bites

of homesickness

Jovana Dragojlovic

By John Pappas

buzz cut

we get it before

chemo does

John Pappas

By Jennifer Gurney

waking to bird song

you purring on my lap

light dancing

Jennifer Gurney

By JL Huffman

a white feather

dances on the wind

farewell words

JL Huffman

By M. R. Pelletier

Talking to myself—

   the volume of

   a cardinal’s feathers

M. R. Pelletier

By Mike Fainzilber

a cloud

on a string

kite dreaming

Mike Fainzilber

By Randy Brooks

red glitter shoes

one of her wishes

came true

Randy Brooks

By Bryan Rickert

texting her I reiterate crows

Bryan Rickert

*

synchronizing our autumns long distance love

Bryan Rickert

By Robert Witmer

angry words

on a crumbling wall —

tiny flowers in the cracks

Robert Witmer

By Robert Epstein

creekside walk —

I hear a new generation

learning to curse

Robert Epstein

By Jerome Berglund

moths

on a lampshade

this blemished moon


Jerome Berglund

*

liminal highway

all the lights

come on at once

Jerome Berglund

By Mark Gilbert

tai chi reaching for the moon

Mark Gilbert

By Mirela Brailean

rich harvest

with the same shabby clothes

the scarecrow

Mirela Brailean

By Mona Bedi

overthinking my need to over clarify

Mona Bedi

By Mircea Moldovan

chemo, leafless trees

Mircea Moldovan

By Tony Williams

downsizing…

my aunt looks smaller

in the care home

Tony Williams

By Mark Forrester

beer garden—

the butterfly’s unsteady

path

Mark Forrester

By John J. Dunphy

class reunion invitation

on the RSVP card

he checks 'won't attend'

with the pen he borrowed from

a prison guard

John J. Dunphy

By Monica Kakkar

daily dilemma—

comfort of the ceiling fan

or hot cup of tea

Monica Kakkar

By Chen-ou Liu

first AA meeting

a whiff of whiskey

or all in my mind?

Chen-ou Liu

*

after the farewell

she doesn't wave back --

moonlight

even colder on my face

than October's snowflakes

Chen-ou Liu

By Timothy Daly

can’t

breathe. panic

attack

Timothy Daly