By Joana Figueiredo

we wear crowns

made solely of garden weeds

brave backyard champions

Joana Figueiredo

wincing glance

the beginning

of a cruel winter

Joana Figueiredo

By Olinda Ninolakis

mackerel sky

falling falling falling

hard landing

hard landing

blood-red sunset

waxing gibbous moon

waxing gibbous moon

total eclipse of the heart

mackerel sky

Olinda Ninolakis

By Suraja Menon Roychowdhury

a snarl

the sinuous wrap

of his purr

repose

on the doorstep, the warrior

—and a dead bird

Suraja Menon Roychowdhury

By Kelly Sargent

foster care bedroom

on the walls

cherry blossoms

Kelly Sargent

my origin story

in mother’s eyes . . .

ancient starlight

Kelly Sargent

By Anthony Lusardi

 

morning rain

with thunder . . .

breathing techniques

to nurse the hangover

and the heartache


Anthony Lusardi

determined to live

from her window

and in bed

the chemo patient

watching leaves fall

Anthony Lusardi

By Mark Hendrickson

I remember

they were her favorites

forget-me-nots

Mark Hendrickson

trumpets raised

for fallen soldiers

peace lilies


Mark Hendrickson

By Douglas J. Lanzo

grandma’s final blessing

a shooting star sparkles

then fades


Douglas J. Lanzo

dust bowl

a mother partridge

lathering sand

Douglas J. Lanzo

runaway train

an EF5 tornado

catches the caboose


Douglas J. Lanzo

By Diane Funston

Athena’s tags

mosaicked onto headstone

her collar

never returned by vet

unless it’s in the ashes

Diane Funston

after our long vacation

away from poetry groups

I return

but still entranced

by Mexico’s colors

Diane Funston

By Shawn Blair

cold moon

her silhouette

in the window

Shawn Blair

going gray

a fish crow disappears

into sea fog

Shawn Blair

 

 

lace curtains . . .

snowflakes blackening

the road

Shawn Blair

mourning doves

in the park

a pair

of Civil War cannons

blazing in the sun

Shawn Blair

 

 

bone broth

smoke rising

over the quarry

Shawn Blair

spring night

a ladder not quite reaching

the cat

Shawn Blair

By Joanna Ashwell

if only

these golden flowers

were sunrise

Joanna Ashwell

holding a part

of our dream

dandelion meadow

Joanna Ashwell

By Laurie Kuntz

A mother's voice:

the stillness of trees

before a burst of blossom.

Laurie Kuntz

From my view

the ocean offers little relief

still I look.

Laurie Kuntz

By Jonathan English

Mockingbird song

the empty cherry tree

overflowing

Jonathan English

circle of full moon

shining through mist and pine

even in this city

Jonathan English

moist spring earth

the wings of the butterfly

lifting

Jonathan English

 

 

spring serenade—

under the green holly tree

the bumblebee and I

Jonathan English

By Susan Lee Roberts

campfire embers

a flute sweetens

the darkness

Susan Lee Roberts

summer picnic—

shimmering leaves

shower me in song


Susan Lee Roberts

By Elena Zouain

hammock –

evening falls before

the afterword

Elena Zouain

summer rain –

in my garden the blue hydrangea

even bluer

Elena Zouain

summer solstice –

I listen to the whispers

of scented shadows

Elena Zouain

white roses –

the moon keeps

the secret


Elena Zouain

By Stephanie Zepherelli

silhouettes

on the café wall

telling stories

Stephanie Zepherelli

By Lakshman Bulusu

a summer ginkgo walk –

Isha, Basho, and Issa

in every verse I write

Lakshman Bulusu

By S.Eta Grubešić

Robin chirping

brought to life in my mind

your touch –

one more kiss

and I would join you.

S.Eta Grubešić

twigs

S.Eta Grubešić

By Poh Jes

 

at the orange slides

the spotted pigeon and I

day off

image and words Poh Jes

By Eugeniusz Zacharski

low tide

life comes out of the sea

again

Eugeniusz Zacharski

killer heat

at the watering hole

a pack of wolves

Eugeniusz Zacharski

By Rita Melissano

tangoing as one    forgotten step

Rita Melissano

 

 

she's still here

for some strange reason

clocks run backwards                                           

the storm after the quiet                        

a phoenix's return to ashes   

Rita Melissano

countless years

when our life was a rainbow

in the night

tête-à-tête, cheek to cheek,

holding a thousand candles      

Rita Melissano

listening

to the voice within

the mirror...

its whispers a breath

left in the fog

Rita Melissano

 

 

what is left                          

of the Japanese garden                     

the lantern

a lighthouse sitting on a bluff                         

above the blue, smooth pebbles


Rita Melissano       

By Scott F. Parker

pasture gate latched

on either side

no fence

Scott F. Parker

after the rain

all the happy grass

waving in the wind

Scott F. Parker

turtles on the shore

keeping busy

maintaining stillness


Scott F. Parker

By Katharine Angelina Love

my heart is beach glass

 translucent, delicate, mauve

 softened by the sand

Katharine Angelina Love

By Surya Nes

yellow rice─

settling farmer's

fortune in a plate

Surya Nes

By Lorraine A Padden

pajamas…

another superhero dream

takes flight

Lorraine A Padden

trouting

the arc of a midsummer

rainbow

Lorraine A Padden

asking her grandmother about love fresh daisies

Lorraine A Padden

incoming…

baby formula airdropped

over a war zone

Lorraine A Padden

By Audrey Quinn

night fog

across the Sound

a horn solo

Audrey Quinn

from adjoining terraces

the sounds of summer

sunscreen mist

Audrey Quinn

night walk

two dogs

square off

Audrey Quinn

By Govind Joshi

summer fair

children chasing

soap bubbles

Govind Joshi

story

within a story

this life

Govind Joshi

By Todd Matson

my sweet baby girls –

they are no longer babies

and not always sweet

Todd Matson

 

 

his philanthropy –

the gifts he kept on giving

for his vanity

Todd Matson

unconditional –

the love of a little dog

is God spelled backward

Todd Matson

By Ravi Kiran

rush hour

the manoeuvrability

of an ambulance

Ravi Kiran

between a beard

and the grey moustache

a few missing teeth

Ravi Kiran

Alzheimer’s

her favourite dress

for the first time

Ravi Kiran

what are the odds

of meeting you again

shooting star

Ravi Kiran

By j rap

escaping

through fence pickets

wildflower seeds

j rap

 


you pick out things

from my hair

lovebug


j rap



By Alvin B. Cruz

words we said too late lilacs

Alvin B. Cruz

insomnia

yesterday’s rain

still falling

Alvin B. Cruz

rain after a long drought mother’s remission

Alvin B. Cruz