By: Jim Bates Beneath the tree topsA lush carpet of soft fernsBeckons one to rest. Sunlight sparklingOn water droplets fallingBirds frolic beneath. Snow-On-the-MountainSoft green and white groundcoverSoothing to the soul. After hot yard workResting under shady treesCool breeze refreshes. Cascading…
By: Jim Bates After the snowstormWinter’s soft gentle beautySnow on evergreens. Glorious bright moonShining on snow reflectingBrilliant winter light. At the skating rinkHappy folks spin and swirlA winter ballet. Sunlit snow fallingTiny flakes frosting the groundSparkling and gleaming. Bleak gray…
By: James Hippie Intake The intake psychiatrist asked meif I was hearing voices,experiencing hallucinations,or believed I possessedany superpowers. Then he asked meto remember three words: AppleBroadwayPencil Twenty-seven yearslater I canstill recall them,like a mantraor form ofsympathetic magic. As long as…
By: Ryan Quinn Flanagan Forest Dwelling Thing No druid-hung tree for you,no forest dwelling thing,no bloodletters or caregivers –please pass the silent leech tongsof dinner table etiquette. For what ails, there is no cure.No principality of common refuge. That dangling…
Mayumi reflects on the absence of a loved one during a past birthday, with her pet Tenten still alive then. Now, as another birthday approaches without Tenten, the loved one has returned. Amidst tragedies in the world, Mayumi’s perspective on her small world shifts, desiring the loved one’s presence until her life’s end.
By: R.T. Castleberry THE WORLD IS NOT RENEWED Sleeping beneathGoodwill blanket and sheets,the first rattle of winteragainst the windows,I take tension intoevery breathing day.Feral, almost criminal,I drive back threats, toss backtavern shots and beers.No matter where I strike,any lie or…
By: Dr. Charles Gibson O peace, where art thou? Seek me out as a prize, inthe midst of a plate, observedby one who hungers for fulfillment.Take hold of me, like a memorizedlover, infatuated with my very presence.Grip me, O peace,…
By: Vanaja Malathy What is love? Love is love! Does love happen among the equals? not always…remember the Vendetta between two families of Romeo and Juliet Does love happen between two youngsters? not always… recall Vladimir Nabokov’s Lolita Does love…
By: James Aitchison The world does not wait.I will.Hear my voice in thestillness. In the calmnessthat defies distractions.Know the passages oflives and fates,know of the death thatfollows each death,know of love beyond love.The world and its opinionsare not important.I will…
By: Bruce Levine Spring Erases Winter The season of snow Comes to an end As all things must Winter melts with The residue of ice Making way for the spring As the budding of trees And crocuses sprouting Forecast the…