By Jo Balistreri

gravesite service

a goldfinch tucks baby’s breath

into the nest

Jo Balistreri

flowering maples in autumn mist the orange bells barely

Jo Balistreri

By Partha Sarkar

smiling

sleeping Pegasus

a full moon

Partha Sarkar

By Anna Goluba

Bringing voices

From the other side

Autumn fog

Anna Goluba

By Hassane Zemmouri

this longtime longing ends with a sigh

Hassane Zemmouri

reSILiENCE

Hassane Zemmouri

By Audrey Quinn

all night rain

building a bouquet

of Lego roses

Audrey Quinn

half-life

still brimming

with ambition

Audrey Quinn

By j rap

election day —

above the gorge

a tightrope walker

j rap

By Matthew Cariello

blooming where the orchid stops that gap

Matthew Cariello

Queen Ann’s Lace –

the circumference

of a bee

Matthew Cariello

watching us argue

the blue jay

and his song

Matthew Cariello

By King Edward A. Eway

cold day

I try to plant the seed

from an eaten apple

King Edward A. Eway

falling leaves

our pretend wedding vows

face their trial

King Edward A. Eway

By Mark Forrester

forgetting to cancel

my father’s seed catalogues—

evening primrose

Mark Forrester

morning fog

in the hotel parking lot

more geese than cars


Mark Forrester

rain turning

into snow

into nothing


Mark Forrester

used car lot

the freezing rain

his best offer

Mark Forrester

By Marcellin Dallaire-Beaumont

forest fires

the dark beauty

of dead trees

Marcellin Dallaire-Beaumont

By Mirela Brailean

early winter

with new patches

the teddy bear

Mirela Brailean

By Mircea Moldovan

the moon fallen on thoughts after snow


Mircea Moldovan

fingers slipping

on the piano keys

long winter wind


Mircea Moldovan

 

 

By Monica Kakkar

left where it belongs

awash in the westerly . . .

a dragon wind chime

Monica Kakkar

By Melissa Laussmann

first snowfall—

traces of yesterday

slowly vanish

Melissa Laussmann

morning rush

a sparrow takes its time

in the bird bath

Melissa Laussmann

By Maya Daneva

unread travel guides filling up my life

Maya Daneva

late autumn sun

slicing warm apple pie

for breakfast

Maya Daneva

More Touchstone Award Nominations

Congratulations to these talented Cold Moon Journal poets for their 2024 Touchstone Award nominations:

Biswajit Mishra

Stacy Taylor

Bipasha Majumder (De)

Bryan Rickert

Sharon Ferrante

Mark Hendrickson

Jerome Berglund

j rap

Sharon Martina

Rita Melissano

Alvin B. Cruz

Scott F. Parker

Xiaoou Chen

Jay Friedenberg

Susan Burch

Alaka Y

Mohua Maulik

Wendy Cobourne

Adrian Bouter

By Wendy Cobourne

open window

a cat leaps

into my story

Wendy Cobourne

harbor dawn

a tug pulls pink

downriver

Wendy Cobourne

By Mohua Maulik

spring cleaning

we discover mom’s

insecurities

Mohua Maulik

By Adrian Bouter

away, away

carries the wind

her red balloon

Adrian Bouter

loss —

our moon as it is

as it was

Adrian Bouter

By Katie Montagna

open market

truth goes

for the highest price


Katie Montagna

under an old oak tree

the sky

is falling

Katie Montagna

By Rita R. Melissano

that story…

is already written

in the sand

the sky has heard

the water singing it

Rita R. Melissano

in the murmur

of a calm river

the ripples of your voice

Rita R. Melissano

a puzzle piece remembering where to go

Rita R. Melissano

dark circles

the void inside

many moons

Rita R. Melissano

black holes...

pulled into forever

on a bed of dead stars

Rita R. Melissano

By Robert Epstein

pre-autumn breeze

she brushes her hair

to take out the trash

Robert Epstein

By Robert Witmer

dad’s chair

the worn cushion

beneath the cat

Robert Witmer

white nights

the ghost by the fire

asleep

Robert Witmer

babushka

memories wrapped in cabbage

baba's twinkling eyes

Robert Witmer

By Ram Chandran

day moon —

today

with yesterday's dream

Ram Chandran

By Richard Bailly

climbing

to reach her soul

ivy

Richard Bailly

riding

a tricycle—

again

Richard Bailly

By Ron Scully

sand dollar

saved for a rainy day

week's vacation

Ron Scully

By Ravi Kiran

candied bacon

the ice cream flavours

she loved

Ravi Kiran

on a leaf

still holding on

first snow

Ravi Kiran

dry riverbed

it’s time to become

strangers again

Ravi Kiran

By Kelly Sargent

a new sprig

on the horizon

baby’s breath

Kelly Sargent

questioning why no more shooting stars

Kelly Sargent

double consonants recalling the little things

Kelly Sargent

pistachio shells

under the couch cushions

self-help workbook

Kelly Sargent

By Pippa Phillips

an S shape in the window of her content

Pippa Phillips

cold morning

the curl of a cat’s tail

around my wrist

Pippa Phillips

unable

to be myself

autumn leaf

Pippa Phillips

snail shell

the curl of a day

into itself

Pippa Phillips

By Federico C. Peralta

border check—

   monarch overtakes

      a long queue

Federico C. Peralta