Issue 54

Bill Melton

a leaf pirouettes across the placid water the soft breath of wind

Stephen Curro

the silence of snowfall midmorning

Jon Simmons

Stuck together Alone together Safe together

Mickey Kulp

A living shadow Old man crow stands on cut grass Pondering a worm

Steve Dodson

the backyard birds here in Biloxi sing all night long

Prisha Singh

raindrops hitting glass, dark clouds conceal the pale moon. lighting strikes downtown.

Zizheng Liu

His lifeless eyes stared straight at me My father is gone Uncertain futures lay ahead

Tim Suermondt

Today you would have been sixty, the starting block of old age. Your beautiful walking cane will never exist.

Maya Lewis

Gasping for air, I reach out a hand-- to drown my friend.

Mary McCormack

a day filled to the brim with pages like a cup of tea, as yet untouched

Mary McCormack

sunlight spills its gold onto memory's hoard of summer days

John Kneal

Bare trees reveal nests hidden when brimming with life, leaves flown near and far.

Mike Turner

Silky violet petals wilt Falling silently from dry husks Bouquets, cut, condemned to die

Rebecca Batley

I would sell you all my sins And swap every truth If you would just tell me a lie.

Sharon Ruetenik

Levittown Housewife. Starched Apron. Stiff Martini.

Simon Clarke

Perfect silence flows through my twilight life, I miss the imperfect bustle of you.

Jody Larson

Cottontail bunnies, oblivious, graze my weedy-lawn salad bar unconsciously social-distancing.

Sandy Ferrell

Snow, cold, gloom and doom Winter is so depressing Time to hibernate

Maya Levine

House paved over, windows gone Lone sneaker worn through at sole Out front, lip splayed and stupid.

Elizabeth Spragins

a hint of fragrance lingers on the garden air- lily petals fall

Chris Wood

Mushrooms pop at night Signs of a cracked septic tank Careful where you tread

Chris Wood

Barbecue dinner Smoke veils my view of the lake where I was fishing

Emily Woods

I like my flowers delivered dead, pressed between the pages of centuries-old canon.

Bre Davis

Cry freely Rain washes away the pain Strengthening the stem

Jazmine Opdycke

The morning, Like the heart, Is full of wars and songs.

Mark Fisher

We watch the sky my dog and I as all the painted ladies drift by.

Rachel Zempel

unmistakable noisy call, a blue jay takes flight from the oak tree

Joseph Helminski

to live alone twice companion to self social paradise

Jordan Wilson-Dalzell

Cold flame has worn my skin since I was little Depression laces my lungs with winter

John Heath

Swallows circling, leaves tossed, the updraught loads- rumor of hot rain.

Melissa Frentsos

trees are laughing at jokes being told by inclement weather

Madeline Lee-Mabe

glass shards scatter shinning diamonds of death swept into a dustpan

JR Vork

bourbon autumn rain la petite mort

Maria DePaul

Belated birthday Another chance to celebrate Light candles again

Maria DePaul

Sleeping tabby dreams Mice scurry and dance by Fantasy come true

Didimay Dimacali

No matter how thorny Life is It is still beautiful

Didimay Dimacali

Kind words Always uplift A weary heart

Mir-Yashar Seyedbagheri

Mother in lavender kisses child through the shadows leaves a note and tears

Melissa Laussmann

autumn dawn an ocean of stars and clouds of moonflowers

Melissa Laussmann

silence at dawn as the moon takes a bow

Rose Heflin

Never forgotten But never quite remembered, Your words hang somewhere in the ether.

Sharvari Dhile

At night, the crickets chirp, The fireflies twinkle, And the dead roam around.

Reinalyn Velasco

Conversing anything to keep our late-night talks Your voice, my love, brings beat in my heart energizing even at midnight

Mary R. P. Schutter

fall foliage on fire Burgundy. Orange. Rust. Yellow. Red. green has become vividly Not Green

Angela Sargent

Scenes from badly reviewed movies Flash while listening to you Different actor. Same storyline.

Robert Hunt

birds flee my stormy sanctuary- the ambivalence of snow

Emory Jones

Yellow butterflies Flitting across green meadow Like dancing sunshine

Hema Srikar Kruthiventi

Like dusk meeting a twinkling star, like raindrops meeting sunshine, like words meeting a poet, I met her.

Judy Phelps

Freedom's Promises Yesterday's truth, today's lies Illusions at best

Judy Phelps

Pendulum of time Incessant ticking tocking History repeats