Touchstone Award Nominations (January through April 2024)

Announcing the Touchstone Award nominations from CMJ:

traffic slows

I move the dead rabbit

to safety

Tom Clausen

if peace

were a sound

snow angels

C.X. Turner

my inner bear

begins to hibernate

cold moon

Alfred Booth

a leafless tree

raises arms to the sky

praying for peace

Neena Singh

grunting

I try not to be an animal

but I am

Tony Williams

it could be winter or it could be worse

Robert Epstein

periodic table

the stars that flow

through us

Eugeniusz Zacharski

power outage

learning the shapes

of familiar things

Helen Ogden

his first recital

a round of applause

for all the pink

Barrie Levine

claiming the American dream an American gun

Susan Yavaniski

windstorm

reading a letter

not meant for me

Ruth Holzer

By Nicola Schaum

the deaf cat sees, I listen

summer rain

Nicola Schaum

cloud spotting my troubles shifting shape

Nicola Schaum

 

termite tango

drifting wings

glisten at dusk

Nicola Schaum

By Mallika Chari

overcast sky

nothing to do, she watches

the cawing crow

Mallika Chari

continuous drizzle

the street vendor’s restlessness

all day long

Mallika Chari

prayer

we repeat it

in our mother tongue

 

Mallika Chari

By Helen Ogden

biding its time

a poppy bud

about to bloom

Helen Ogden

folding laundry

the odd sock

set aside

Helen Ogden

condolences

the heavy weight

of empty space

Helen Ogden

leap day

keeping pace

with the planets

 

Helen Ogden

By Matthew Markworth

working

for peanuts

songbird

Matthew Markworth

By Anne Morrigan

distracted

by the sunlight dancing

off my phone


Anne Morrigan

By John Zheng

 

delta life so flat i often look up at the sky

John Zheng

By Anthony Lusardi

waiting

for the storm to pass . . .

counting seconds

between the flash

and the boom

Anthony Lusardi

By Oana Maria Cercel

 

Venice 1

Oana Maria Cercel

By Timothy Daly

spring rainbow

the colours

of our toothbrushes


Timothy Daly

By M. R. Pelletier

Three hours

before the alarm—patterns

                              in the ceiling

M. R. Pelletier

Sunday in the park—

   a sermon

   of barks


M. R. Pelletier

By Susan Elizabeth Schipper

Pink umbrella

Shades path

Welcomes Spring

Susan Elizabeth Schipper

By Shawn Blair

breaking news

from Tokyo

cherry blossoms

Shawn Blair

old headstones

the preacher

leans on his wife

Shawn Blair

Fired up Haiku

 

By Ishan Anagh

grey morning

along an eagle’s flight

the passing sky

Ishan Anagh

 

a bookmark…

carried from book to book

endings

Ishan Anagh

 

late afternoon –

my father’s voice

growing old in the wind

Ishan Anagh

By Melissa Laussmann

first buds

heed its call

spring moon

Melissa Laussmann

cherry blossoms–

this ephemeral life

whispers in the dark

Melissa Laussmann

 

twilight breeze–

the scent of jasmine

lingers on her robe

Melissa Laussmann

By Susan Yavaniski

pollinator patch

Mother Earth

on life support

Susan Yavaniski

dark sky sanctuary

the Dipper catches

another satellite

Susan Yavaniski

mud season

up to my ears

in travel brochures

Susan Yavaniski

melting glacier

a loophole

in the law

Susan Yavaniski

By Joanna Ashwell

day moon

just a fable

in darkness

Joanna Ashwell

 

night lantern

the wishing star

of a dream

Joanna Ashwell

 

snow dark

the inner silence

of a wish

Joanna Ashwell

By Wanda Amos

head banging

to a backbeat

the mosh pit mayhem

Wanda Amos

common sense calls…

breaking the glass ceiling

with self-belief

she cuts through

the bullshit

Wanda Amos

 

 

 date night where to now

Wanda Amos

 

pressing snooze

...again

the cat and i

Wanda Amos

By Sharon Ferrante

waning moon

the point he tries to make

fading

Sharon Ferrante

he can’t sleep

so he writes me a poem

about the cricket

in the corner

that never sleeps

Sharon Ferrante

afternoon tea

strong stories

brewing

Sharon Ferrante

a long day

I shake the regrets

from my wings


Sharon Ferrante

By Richard Bailly

primeval atom

expanding infinitely

time and space

Richard Bailly

heading

toward the coast

night rain

Richard Bailly

By Maya Daneva

spring deepens   the colour of this tree


Maya Daneva

marshy lake

on either side

mating frogs

Maya Daneva

By Govind Joshi

valley of flowers

entering the twilight

mountain trail
 

Govind Joshi

early departure

the silence

of the chicks

Govind Joshi

By Ruth Holzer

 

reaching

through the chain-link fence

one white iris

Ruth Holzer

at the end

of the familiar journey

this time

I won't find mom or dad

or anyone I know

Ruth Holzer

By Alvin B. Cruz

in the woods

a loneliness silenced

by birdsong

Alvin B. Cruz

hospice window

moonlight enters

without permission

Alvin B. Cruz

By Ann Sullivan

the next day

      alone

with a wishbone

Ann Sullivan

                                     butterflies

   the wind catches up

Ann Sullivan

By Adrian Bouter

rain all night you were there

Adrian Bouter

cat's purr nothing can hurt us now

Adrian Bouter

By petro c.k.

what's mine is yours

what's yours is mine

                     windstorm

petro c.k.

the vulnerability

of being seen

soaring hawk

petro c.k.

By Kelly Sargent

sea foam

combing the knots

from the wind

Kelly Sargent

spring sky sparrows discovering my vocal c(h)ords

Kelly Sargent

By Bryan Rickert

seasonal sadness settling into raven song

Bryan Rickert

eclipse

the time it takes

poppies to close

Bryan Rickert

By Mike Gallagher

gnomes

frost-blanched

boots

Mike Gallagher

a butterfly

its shadow disappearing

into shade


Mike Gallagher

the lioness

a mother sensing

danger


Mike Gallagher

By Deborah P Kolodji

barking

at the sea wind

wolf moon


Deborah P Kolodji

constant bird chatter

silently I sit

with butterflies


Deborah P Kolodji

synchronized swimming

long-beaked dolphins

jump the waves

Deborah P Kolodji

ring cluster

through the telescope

our distance


Deborah P Kolodji

By Louise Hopewell

wishing well

the orange question mark

of a koi

Louise Hopewell

droning cicadas

a fairy wren flits

shadow to shadow


Louise Hopewell

By cp howes

on a pond

steps to the sun

water lilies

cp howes

 

cryptic postcards

From interstellar lasers

crop circles

cp howes

By Nalini Shetty

morning coffee

the bitter taste

of yesterday’s news

Nalini Shetty

dinner for one

the candle burns

at both ends

Nalini Shetty

unfollow button

friendship reduced

to a click

Nalini Shetty