Joanna Ashwell

votives 

by the window 

early shadow

—Joanna Ashwell

night chrysalis 

lost in the snow 

forest stars

—Joanna Ashwell

Tuyet Van Do

red tinsels 

on neighbor's fence 

wind chimes tinkling 

—Tuyet Van Do

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

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

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)