Sondra J. Byrnes

sunup—

birdsong breaks

into light

—Sondra J. Byrnes

summer storm

church bells remixed

by the wind

—Sondra J. Byrnes

Allyson Whipple

snow walk

stepping in the footprints

of those who came before

—Allyson Whipple

flowering garden

even the hummingbird finds

a moment of stillness

—Allyson Whipple

your argyle sweater

the cigarette smoke

I can’t wash out

—Allyson Whipple

foggy morning

the hidden contours

of the shore

—Allyson Whipple

Herb Tate

flakes peeling

off the old pine gate

collecting my thoughts

—Herb Tate

beginning

to grow on me

grave side grass

—Herb Tate

purple

until I google the field

lacy phacelia

—Herb Tate

Belinda Behne

night owl

asking the moon and stars

how to heal the world

—Belinda Behne

Jamie Wimberly

winter birthday

giving me a bouquet

of twigs

—Jamie Wimberly

outdoor shower

the salt air within

soap bubbles

—Jamie Wimberly

falling stars

the day before

naming her

—Jamie Wimberly

Amir Kapetanovic

as I roll out the dough

my hands tremble

just like mother’s

—Amir Kapetanovic

Hifsa Ashraf

raging heat

his words

against mine

—Hifsa Ashraf

moonlit trail

dad recalls

his first love

—Hifsa Ashraf

Marcellin Dallaire-Beaumont

looking at

a quartered apple

my other half gone

—Marcellin Dallaire-Beaumont

Pitt Büerken

parental leave

the young father is amazed

at all the work

—Pitt Büerken

Mark Forrester

evening rain

my father’s bookmarks

laid to rest

—Mark Forrester

hazy half-moon

geese flying north

geese flying south

—Mark Forrester

river ice

drifting downstream

the junco’s song

—Mark Forrester

smell of moss

close to the river

a heron’s cry

—Mark Forrester

Oliver Kleyer

every year

the walk over the graveyard

takes longer

—Oliver Kleyer

Louise Hopewell

tittering wrens

the skeleton of a ghost gum

catches clouds

—Louise Hopewell

Stephanie Zepherelli

spring magic

granddad’s potatoes sprout

butterflies

—Stephanie Zepherelli

Douglas J. Lanzo

moonlit hoarfrost…

grandad strokes 

his beard

—Douglas J. Lanzo

John H. Dromey

sleeping in

on frosty mornings

quilty pleasures

—John H. Dromey

Thomas Landgraf

the car

lathered in rainbow soap...

my granddaughter's giggles

—Thomas Landgraf

Susan Burch (from 2024)

doom scrolling what now

—Susan Burch

Françoise Maurice

morning light

Spring settles

on the forsythia

—Françoise Maurice

John Pappas

protest march

singing and dancing

in the reign

—John Pappas

boulevard blues

the breathy vocals

of a neon glow

—John Pappas

winter grape

a lullaby sung

to herself

—John Pappas

wintersweet

this wish to

bloom again

—John Pappas

Aleksandra Rybczyńska

summer breeze

a field full of poppies –

walking with Monet

—Aleksandra Rybczyńska

John J. Dunphy

his last road trip

my friend arrives

at the cemetery

—John J. Dunphy

outdoor nativity scene

one of the Wise Men

facing the wrong way

—John J. Dunphy

Mohua Maulik

first storm...

searching for the shirt

he is wearing

—Mohua Maulik

hostel gate—

a gust of wind scatters

the empty nest

—Mohua Maulik

north wind

the banyan tree grows

its own prosthesis

—Mohua Maulik

at the forsaken house

i step on a lizard

the tail

still squirming amidst the ruins

of our chapter

—Mohua Maulik

Janet Krauss

Birds' nests

drown

in swamps

no one sees

climate change

—Janet Krauss

Alaka Yeravadekar

urban garden

the robin sings

a metallic tune

—Alaka Yeravadekar

Devoshruti Mandal

as usual she plates a cake for the late son dark evening

—Devoshruti Mandal

Jiel Narvekar

dusking twilight

the wilted flowers

tracing years on me

—Jiel Narvekar

Olinda Ninolakis

shards of sunlight

the freshly fallen snow

melts into your hair

—Olinda Ninolakis

Mircea Moldovan

another lie

told to the wife

ice fishing

—Mircea Moldovan

horror movie

in the popcorn bag

a rat tail

—Mircea Moldovan

Elena Zouain

her departure -

every day

the changing sky

—Elena Zouain

Lev Hart (from 2024)

autumn

evening

live

feed

from

mars 

—Lev Hart

end of autumn

I doubt the movie

will get much better

—Lev Hart

skyful     of     stars      how       do     i      fill      my     emptiness

—Lev Hart

end of harvest 

the gods pack up 

and move on

—Lev Hart

Editor's Note: These texts are from the "lost poems" chosen by founding editor, Roberta Beach Jacobson. 

Hynek Koziol

deep winter

a neighbor sells

unused children's books

—Hynek Koziol

Xiaoou Chen

empty pharmacy

an echo of knocks

awakens the neighborhood

—Xiaoou Chen

Randy Brooks

rising bubbles

the off-course curves

of half-truths

—Randy Brooks

@cold_moon_journal is on Instagram!

 Dear readers and contributors of Cold Moon Journal,

We are delighted to inform you that as of this month, CMJ has an Instagram account.

We encourage you to comment with the story behind your published text, and generally support each other and build this lovely community through this platform.  

Consider using the hashtag #cmjhaiku to post your work and tag us!

We also have Facebook and BlueSky page that we'll be developing.

Timothy and Oana 

Chen-ou Liu

in my mind

you shouldn't get married

loud and louder ...

we're like two vacuum cleaners

sucking at each other

—Chen-ou Liu

Carmela Marino

first cold

my son walks

in my shoes

—Carmela Marino

sunset light

traces of loneliness

on the armchair

—Carmela Marino

a cup of coffee

the warmth left

by his hands

—Carmela Marino

Ana Drobot

first ball...

they all dance together

with their shadows

—Ana Drobot

foggy morning... 

from my old neighborhood

nothing more

—Ana Drobot