By Federico C. Peralta

border check—

   monarch overtakes

      a long queue

Federico C. Peralta

Nominations for the 2025 Pushcart Prize (Poetry)

 

 

Mar 26:

periodic table

the stars that flow

through us

Eugeniusz Zacharski

Apr 5:

closed clinic

another choice

terminated

Scott Wiggerman

Apr 9:

gentle dawn ...

the haiku remains

unfinished

Samo Kreutz

Apr 22:

losing the path

deep in the forest

I find myself

deep in the forest

losing myself

I find the path

losing the path

I find myself

deep in the forest

Belinda Behne

Oct 6:

long weekend

the news comes

on a friday

Jerome Berglund

Oct 12:

fake profile —

why would anyone

want to be me

Susan Burch

 

Big congratulations to our six Pushcart nominees!

Nominations for the Touchstone Awards are underway, so please remain patient. Uploading the data for 30 poems is taking considerable time and effort. It's a lengthy process, but the Touchstone announcement will be posted at the journal once everything is finished.

By Robert Kania

from where

the wind is blowing

an election flyer

Robert Kania

By Joshua St. Claire

two racks of antlers collapsing stars


Joshua St. Claire

By Michael Minassian

Because it has 3 lines

and you mention spring

doesn’t make it a haiku.

Michael Minassian

By Joseph Howse

silence

as shrill

as a shriek

Joseph Howse

By Herb Kitson

shattered dreams—

I stay behind

to pick up the pieces

Herb Kitson

By Robert Epstein

pre-autumn breeze

she brushes her hair

to take out the trash

Robert Epstein

By Mike Gallagher

six crocodiles

a thousand years

among the reeds


Mike Gallagher

struggling

up the hill

stragglers

Mike Gallagher

By Alexis Rotella

To become a butterfly

I spill out

my guts

Alexis Rotella

 

 

tree frog a pendant I'll never wear around my neck


Alexis Rotella

 

 

a note to myself reminding me to eat

Alexis Rotella

By RJ Humbl’

Tired old gent

Up the Apple and Pears

And done

RJ Humbl’

Cup of Rosie

With each warm embrace

Steam leaves

RJ Humbl’

By Pitt Büerken

skyscraper

the window cleaner comes

from above


Pitt Büerken

joyride

the engine oil level

warning light flashes


Pitt Büerken

winter approaches

a summer love ends

for good

Pitt Büerken

By Cecil Morris

Haunted


all night long the ghosts

creak through the house on mouse feet

whispering regrets


Cecil Morris

By Ravi Kiran

robed in starlight

ghost of the dream

we strangled

Ravi Kiran

By Barrie Levine

city afternoon . . .

a cool breeze spiced

with pumpkin latte

Barrie Levine

By Nancy Brady

apple cider and donut holes

on the refreshment table

—fall festival

Nancy Brady

By Stephen Jarrell Williams

running

out of words

tired poet

Stephen Jarrell Williams

eating the last piece

of bread in the world

nuclear toast

Stephen Jarrell Williams

By Isabella Mori

love song ...

through the soles

of my old sneakers

listening for the whisperings

of the street

Isabella Mori

across the lawn

the lawless reach

of blackberries

Isabella Mori

By Marcellin Dallaire-Beaumont

airplane in flight

above the clouds

it's so easy

to cross borders

when you have papers

Marcellin Dallaire-Beaumont

By Mohua Maulik

quicksand…

extending a hand

from across the seas


Mohua Maulik

amongst the folds

a cache

should I unpack

the emotions

or tighten the straps

Mohua Maulik

By Xiaoou Chen

fitful sea-breeze

snatches of sailors’ song

waft to my ears

Xiaoou Chen

By Belinda Behne

a monarch kisses my brow

mistaking me for a flower


Belinda Behne

 

at the laundromat

I share my change

with a stranger

Belinda Behne

By Monica Kakkar

a wisp of ecru

hovers over the cradle . . .

the moon at midday

Monica Kakkar

By Sam Calhoun

last leaf of the maple

cups the last star in the sky—

is this love

Sam Calhoun

By Elena Zouain

autumn solitude —

the moon at my window


Elena Zouain

silence of the forest —

the stag's bellow reaches the stars

Elena Zouain

By Rita R. Melissano

meeting again the old pain disappears

Rita R. Melissano

welcoming

the precious beauty

of ordinary days

this morning begins

with pearls of dew

Rita R. Melissano

By Richard Bailly

heaven on earth

grandmother's blueberry pie--

a la mode

Richard Bailly

viewing

all my memories...

online

Richard Bailly

By Roy N. Mason

Your AARP Membership Has Arrived

Waiting On The Day

I Look Back At All This

And Laugh

Roy N. Mason

By Joanna Ashwell

already too far

from the nightglow

a tidal wishing star

Joanna Ashwell

what we said

to the snow

an igloo’s hush

Joanna Ashwell

willow river

the bend within

a dreamer’s forest

Joanna Ashwell

pressing daisies

back into my memory

summer’s end

Joanna Ashwell

a morning chill

that old cardigan

wrapped around me again

Joanna Ashwell

By Scott Wiggerman

ten sentences

as the narrative

rambles on . . .

all I wanted was

a simple yes or no

Scott Wiggerman

the failure

of espresso love

I no longer

remember

his name

Scott Wiggerman

sunflower

steeped too long

in loneliness

Scott Wiggerman

windchill

the bitter icicles

of absence

Scott Wiggerman