By Aja Rhianna

last pail of milk 

we say goodbye 

to our favorite cow 

—Aja Rhianna

gentle waves 

the calm 

before moonlight

—Aja Rhianna

By Kavita Ratna

threadbare blanket 

on the other side 

a new day

—Kavita Ratna

by Nicoletta Ignatti

moonspots... 

she keeps all her secrets

to herself 

—Nicoletta Ignatti

spring twilight- 

telling her 

we will no longer be friends

—Nicoletta Ignatti

By Sarah Mahina Calvello

the smell

of flowers in blushing

burnt sun

—Sarah Mahina Calvello

By Marylyn Burridge

unsteady

on my bruised ego

apache plume

—Marylyn Burridge

By Deborah Karl-Brandt

cat's eyes

the blackbird tunes into

fortissimo

—Deborah Karl-Brandt

worn-out socks

learning how to mend them

into a haiku

—Deborah Karl-Brandt

By Partha Sarkar

bird twitching 

its tail—waves

in the sun.

—Partha Sarkar

By John J. Dunphy

outdoor nativity scene

one of the Wise Men

facing the wrong way

—John J. Dunphy

his last road trip

my friend arrives

at the cemetery

—John J. Dunphy 

By Vickie Yiannoulou

old bedroom

a bassinet holds

one tiny sock

—Vickie Yiannoulou

By Anne Fox

woodpecker poem…

the clickety-clack

of his old typewriter

—Anne Fox

By Oscar Luparia

licking a stamp

the flavor

of nostalgia

—Oscar Luparia

homemade bread

a handful of sesame seeds

for the sparrows

—Oscar Luparia

By Miriam Sagan

thunderclap—

the ghost of my cat 

hits the bed

—Miriam Sagan

By Elliot Diamond

icecaps

with sprinkles

sweating

—Elliot Diamond

By László Aranyi

dirty spider's web

the creeping hourglass

etched in all of us

—László Aranyi

By Mishti Choudhury

keeping an eye

on me

this moon

—Mishti Choudhury

Shine on, a haibun by David Ngo

Shine on

Amid the rhythm of machines in the ICU, you ride the relentless tide of a stroke, each breath straining to fill your fading lungs—all for one thought: the uncertain future of those left behind. 

    twilight...

    the fading flicker

    of a spark 

(in memoriam, my late mother Ling Boey King, 1936-2025)

—David Ngo

Photography by Michael C. Roberts

—Michael C. Roberts

—Michael C. Roberts

—Michael C. Roberts

By M. R. Pelletier

 soap opera 

my neighbor sings 

in the shower

—M. R. Pelletier 

By Jackie Chou

winter sparrow 

the cashier declines 

my food stamp card 

—Jackie Chou

By Steve Van Allen

seven starlings 

on a wire 

melting in november rain 

—Steve Van Allen

By Jerome Berglund

tipsy snow 

whenever a car passes 

I flinch

—Jerome Berglund

By Joshua St. Claire

precession of the equinoxes 

my hands reach 

middle age

—Joshua St. Claire

By Joanna Ashwell

votives 

by the window 

early shadow

—Joanna Ashwell

night chrysalis 

lost in the snow 

forest stars

—Joanna Ashwell

By Tuyet Van Do

red tinsels 

on neighbor's fence 

wind chimes tinkling 

—Tuyet Van Do

By j rap

birthday song 

a balloon floats 

above the moon

—j rap

inside his silence an echo of dad’s

—j rap

descending the peak 

by full moon 

rock fall

—j rap

Editor's Note: forthcoming texts, editorial team

Dear contributors and readers of Cold Moon Journal,

I am delighted to be taking over from Robin and writing this first post, and to announce that from hereon, I'll be adding the texts chosen for publication in February (Robin may well continue adding some previously accepted texts due to them getting lost). 

I'm joined for my editorial duties by Oana Maria Cercel, who along with being co-editor, will also be responsible for social media promotion of your work. We'll choose two texts each month for the Touchstone Awards, leaving us 6 choices at the end of the year for a bit of wiggle room (we'll submit 30 each year). We'll announce these Touchstone Nominations at the end of each month on Instagram, and on the website at the end of the year. Follow the IG here and Facebook here. If you post your work, please tag the account! 

Here's Oana's bio: Oana Maria Cercel is simply a shrewd human being that fears what mankind is capable of, given our inability to accept our fundamental connection to the abundant quality that already exists.

Some of you may have noticed that after our first editorial screening of the texts, where I think a poem could be a better fit through a little tweaking, I will suggest this over e-mail. This means, please send only up to five texts in total, made up of haiku/senryu/tanka/mini-haibun/haiga/photos. 

Without further ado, let's read some poetry! 

Thank you,

Timothy and Oana

By Joshua Eric Williams

inkblot god

the rotting

leaves


Joshua Eric Williams

longer nights

the sleep in these

hooded eyes
 

Joshua Eric Williams

each word

after the first

river delta


Joshua Eric Williams

By Mark Hendrickson

thunder snow

confirmation of the news

I was afraid of

Mark Hendrickson

By Scott Wiggerman, j rap and Janet Ruth

Urban Harvest

a potpourri

of fallen leaves

each step

(sw)

strawflowers and dahlias

in the wedding bouquet

(j rap)

mulching the garden

with leftover hay 

sharp scent of rot

(jr)

soused cranberries

too much pumpkin spice

(sw)

kitchen step stool 

the fragrance of basil

dangling from twine

(j rap)

moving the parsley pot inside

before first freeze 

(jr)

Scott Wiggerman (sw), j rap and Janet Ruth (jr)

By Manoj Sharma

tranquil lake

a playful wind stirs

ripples in the mind


Manoj Sharma

early autumn

caught in a moment

my double shadow

Manoj Sharma

By Mohua Maulik

our watches

side by side on the dresser—

the widening gap

Mohua Maulik

trailing a finger

over the shimmering

still waters

unaware of the storms

that lurk below your façade

Mohua Maulik

planting

peace lilies in beds

overrun

with the same old

unresolved grudges

Mohua Maulik

By Chen-ou Liu

frog pond

the slow drifting

of my haiku-boat

Chen-ou Liu

she's gone ...

alone, I sleep

with the dark

Chen-ou Liu

the door

of a foreclosed house

blown open

by a winter gust ...

inside and out this emptiness

Chen-ou Liu

By Diane Webster

morning sunshine

a galaxy of stars

across the snow


Diane Webster

white scarf flung

over the dilapidated fence

surrender

Diane Webster

covered in ice

the statue prays

to the sun god

Diane Webster

By Neena Singh

old neighbor—

a hint of garlic

in her gossip

Neena Singh

By E. C. Traganas

under the bed

a hibernating dust bunny

waiting for spring

E. C. Traganas

winter sun

shimmering world

in a crystal snow globe

E. C. Traganas

By Barrie Levine

laundry day

the wicker basket full

of sleeping cat

Barrie Levine

trimming the grass

near his stone . . .

dad’s stubble

Barrie Levine

By Arvinder Kaur

just one more wish to go deepening twilight

Arvinder Kaur