The Bamboo Hut September 2023 (Number 2 2023)
David He Zhuanglang
rising sun
I hold a tomato
to the light
I read
my wife's lips...
rose bud
cold moon --
a red leaf stuck
to the frozen pond
Tuyet Van Do
First Job
in uniform
behind
the counter
she starts
first training shift
shadowing team leader
she
smiles
at clients
on her first day
climbing steps of life
she
widens her circle
make new friends
at work
Tuyet Van Do and Trang Luong (in order)
jump from his slumber --
sound of cracking
biscuits
end of the day
in my room
a wagging tail
Tuyet Van Do, Emi Do, Eva Do
green velvet
swirling on the dance floor
midyear prom
glittering gem
on slender neck
dazzling as I
graceful she walks
enchanted she attracts
illuminating she is
Paired tanka, by Larry Kimmel & Joy McCall
and his mind
like dandelion fluff
blown away,
blown away
till no memories are left
I watch the seedheads
blowing in the wind
and out of sight
are those we loved and lost
flowering ... somewhere?
if we could only
miniaturize ourselves
say about
six inches tall
we’d have no climate crises
now I can't shake
the vision of all
those tiny people
racing about in the grass
and riding squirrels
I gaze
out the window
but don't really notice
the small doings
in the trees and grass
blackbirds
sitting on branches
looking my way
where is the joy
that used to bring me?
I'm still here
many I love are not
a two-sided coin
that gets thinner
year by year
Joshua St. Claire
the endless sea a cirrostratus sky
social media
dogs barking
at their imaginations
a wave no one else hears crashing insomnia
Tony Marcoff & Joy McCall
once I dreamed
of Miyajima
through the gateway to the sun
into a long ago
far away dawn
the sad mouse
swims through
the torii gate
seeking rest
in holy dreams
Jonathan Day & Joy McCall
the Thinker – he who navigates
the seas that lie 'twixt what? and why?
knows often, in those trackless straits
to pause and look up at the sky
the Dreamer - she who, careless, rides
the winds that blow from wilds above
watches for him to reach the shore
and looks into the face of love
Joy McCall
Sveyn Forkbeard's meadow, Norwich
I'd like to buy the meadow
and be a meadow mouse
and leave
my ailing bones behind
in the human house
I'd like to live with weeds
and eat grasses, berries,
seeds and leaves
and things that fall
from the friendly trees
I'd like to sleep
among the roots where dreams
come easy, slow
where a mouse feels safe and sheltered
where hawk and hound don't go
a mouse's life may not be long
the weeks and months
will speedy pass
until he lies still and dreamless
in the meadow grass
small bones
beneath the buttercups
small spirit running wild and free
a field mouse in a meadow -
a fine eternity
Geoffrey Winch
Feeling at home
around the house
photographs of grandparents
snapshots of lives
old cracked saucer
blending my curry spices
the CD plays old-time
your closed eyes wide awake
to dancing days
our blackbird’s evening song
we tune in
at each quarter turn
of the stairs
a thankful sigh
in our bed tonight
a presence
Tints of the day
on pink paper
the white space
around a poem
single flash
I recall the kingfisher
new patch of sunshine
our red rose puts out
a new shoot
wondering if it’s faded
flag on the moon
brushes, tins stored away
‘forget-me-knot’
the small patch I missed
brain sieving words
grey mist falls
Beatriu Delaveda
We’ll always have Swindon
The last time I saw
Swindon it looked nothing like
I remembered though
I can’t recall spending time
ever near Swindon at all
Houseman with Alzheimers haiku
Do you recall the
time you won your town the race?
Obviously not.
Trees falling
If a tree falls in the forest
and Elon Musk doesn’t hear it
does it make a sound?
Oscar Luparia
ALL YOU CAN SEE
morning walk
despite the thick fog
I clean my glasses
without my glasses
it's an impressionist painting
the garden downstairs
flying through the universe
the star map and a magnifying glass
for my presbyopia
new glasses
not yet a good reason
to watch TV news
fashion glasses
the crucial function
of the nose
Randy Brooks
old farm truck
only starts
for grandpa
shadow puppet
grandpa’s fingers transform
a hawk into a rabbit
Kentucky Derby consolation
the shade beneath
an extravagant hat
Jerome Berglund
air
raid
siren
beneath
the
skyscrapers
ji and mon
the origins
of love
wind shifts the snake’s maraca
Roberta Beach Jacobson
heatwave I miss the sound of snow
putting all our crypto in one imaginary basket
butterfly net
almost catching the magic
of stars
Erin Jones
beauty passes
her perfume lingers
in the summer air
wearing of the green
history and heritage
and a pint of Guinness
sadness in your eyes
how cold this summer night
dreams drifting away
C.X. Turner
looking in
from the outside
I trap time . . . bones
in the hourglass
falling
into solitude
walking into dusk,
the way leaves move
when nothing but light rain lightly touches
tears puddle my eyes closed
I pick up the pieces of lost days
and go home
in rocky coves
I hide, sheltering
love’s innocence
Nitu Yumnam
the tranquil lake
a silver strand of hair
in between
how slow the water lapping
and how fast I'm ageing!
a clang of dishes
amid kitchen mess
my child asks: “You okay?”
I learn
what love really is
teaching lessons
on highs and lows…
on the still lake
the mirror image
of the trees
James Penha
the faith of a cult
in demagogues and liars--
AI
season without masks--
vaccinated and boosted
surely positive
Adrian Bouter
the butterfly
resembling a leaf
indian summer
high on the cliff
a white bird rules the waves
local politics
food for thought
in the light of Christmas
an ivory madonna
Bryan Rickert
sudden rain
I share an awning
with sparrows
ebb tide the urchin’s shrinking universe
persimmon ridge
all the deer gone
by morning
Chen-ou Liu
Life as a Chinese Temp
restructuring...
my cubicle shrinks
my salary, too
look of this cashier
I set aside chips, eggs, milk...
even the rice
finding new gigs ...
in my mind's eye these faces
of landlord after landlord
you're let go ...
this twist to the boss's mouth
in my midnight dream
One Day at a Time
test results
this carrousel
of thoughts
early leaffall
the silence between me
and the cancer doctor
hospital garden
the evening breeze carries
my prayer
a leatherback surfaces
with its head through a hole
in driftwood ...
I gaze beyond moonlit ripples
to the homeland I left behind
Note: The leatherback turtle can travel 16,000 km (10,000 miles) or more each year, crossing the entire Pacific Ocean in search of jellyfish.
Dennis Owen Frohlich
At the meadow's edge,
a broken birdcage sits on
a picnic table
The fog could hide
anything--a river, a forest,
a mountain, an ocean
Quiet, still evening--
ripples on a placid lake--
from what?
Mark Gilbert
stone memorial
to the Great War
sixty-one names
austerity
my favourite tie
the blackest
tidy bungalow
he asks if his wife
is upstairs
Anthony Lusardi
power outage--
between raindrops
a firefly’s glow
perfect temperature:
a bottle of jägermeister
submerged in snow
picture a cow
lying in the tree’s shade.
do you feel a yawn?
Tony Williams
late
flowering
our autistic son
after midnight
raindrops skiffling
on a tilted pane
writer’s block…
the poppy pod
not rattling
Robert Witmer
woodsmoke
the wind turns
speckled leaves
a spring wind
fluffs the willows
raindrops
her final ballet
pinned to the wall
forgotten wings
Lysa Collins
acacia shade--
the fastidious preen
of a ponderous cat
great blue heron--
how carefully it steps
into the setting sun
picking their way
through the tangled scrub--
raindrops
Samo Kreutz
blooming daisies ...
she flips through a book
about puberty
gull's screech ...
that restless sea
in our kiss
waterless –
the scent of her
last kiss
M. R. Pelletier
Climate change--
using our umbrellas
for shade
Brittle summer--
the pine we planted
drops ten thousand needles
Excessive heat warning--
more dead flies
on the windowsill
Jennifer Gurney
when I hold
your hand in mine
I touch eternity
Note: dedicated to my 104-year-old grandma, who passed last year.
awake, this new day
glimmers of hope peaking through
with the rising sun
tonight's first star ...
the one I've chosen to hold
my wishes
Diane Webster
Fog reflects off
invisible lake...
faith
Fireweed –
stone’s throw away
ripples on the lake
Popcorn kernel
abandoned on kitchen floor
a cat pounces
Ben Gaa
cafe table
the scent of
everyone’s coffee
from my hand to hers
the morning warmth
of coffee
falling out
of her frequency
radio static
Tomislav Sjekloća
grandma's bedtime stories
overdose
of happy endings
first sun rays
the spider no longer climbing
the invisible thread
night storm
thinking about
the garden sparrow
Govind Joshi
fast food counter
the clikety clack
of the chopping board
first rain
releasing
the scent of earth
setting sun
on the lake front
an empty nest
Giuliana Ravaglia
nessuna nube oscurerà i tuoi occhi
vele feconde di vagabonde follie
eternamente espresse
morderai le piene dell'autunno
baciando controvento rivoli chiari
e sarai l'estate
no cloud will darken your eyes
fruitful sails of vagabond follies
eternally expressed
you will bite the floods of autumn
kissing upwind clear streams
you will be the summer
s'incammina il silenzio
nella penombra della sera
quell'impensato attimo
mare senz'acqua del mio errare
silence sets in
in the twilight of the evening
that unexpected moment
waterless sea of my wandering
quando l'anima trema
e il buio cigola nel profondo
riaffilo antichi artigli
in un gomitolo di sole
when the soul trembles
and the darkness creaks in the depths
I sharpen ancient claws
in a ball of sunshine
Xenia Tran
building a nest -
house martins remember
the rules of sand
summer heads south
earlier and earlier
on the swallow's tail
across the sandflats
from invisible clouds ...
light rain
Suzanne Leaf-Brock
deep in thought
a pause from the crickets
when i hear them
barn owl back
in its roost
greenlighting the sunrise
the oak grove shade
elongated late afternoon
my peacefulness
John Grey
last night
said our goodbyes
tonight
the soughing wind
repeats then
soft pull of oars
slow glide of boat
I am a lake
water ripples over
sunlight skims across
I go to the door
and it’s
another salesman:
the last to know
that I have all I need
Ron Scully
part time waiter
full time philosophy student
our orders mixed up
the ocean slurs ashore
at sunrise
smells of the other woman
Medieval ocean's
dungeon breath
time to confess
Eva Joan
thunderstorm -
no word falls
between us
the moon floats slowly
from east to west -
night of father’s death
without you -
like breathing
in a vacuum
Jackie Chou, Kathabela Wilson & Sigrid Saradunn
Overtones
circular patterns
on the mahjong tiles
new age spot JC
'round and 'round the sound
of the singing bowl KW
labyrinth
finding meaning
in sacred stones SS
crystal geode
used as a paperweight JC
sandalwood incense
she opens the window
to the moon KW
mingling molecules
we grow old together SS
Kathabela Wilson & Jackie Chou
Perfect Match
mom and dad
sectioning the grapefruit
two different ways KW
spoon imprint in the butter
my fear of holes JC
Alice in Wonderland
she dreams
she is a rabbit KW
chomping away
the hare makes the carrot
look so sumptuous JC
mother's orange lipstick
a kiss on the napkin KW
watching the pumpkin
turn into a carriage
wrong fairytale JC
Jackie Chou, Kathabela Wilson & Sigrid Saradunn
Good Luck
i follow
his furry footprints
in my slippers KW
rabbit rabbit
looking for good luck SS
the path ahead
led by a trail
of white feathers JC
her secret wish
on a dandelion clock KW
falling stars
the night collecting
fireflies SS
blinking cursor
i drift into another life JC
Maryam Mermey
delphinium buds
baby fists
into the future
a cradle of music
Marsalis sways
the musicians
cat spirals into the air
paw reaching
and misses
Simon De Courcey
water boatmen
at the wellspring -
calm crossings
arctic terns
shrinking sandbar -
September days
marram braids
the last campfire -
northerly gust
Gerard Sarnat
I have arrived. I am home
In the here, in the now
I am solid, I am free
In the ultimate I dwell.
--RIP Thich Nhat Hanh, 1926-2022
gerontocracy's
veil of suffering -- glue yourself
to love, compassion
Diane Funston
Love’s “Baby Soft”
cologne In a pink bottle
innocence
is sexy—a different message
in todays troubled world
velvet trumpet petunias
sweet nectar
between childhood lips
I wait on the stairs
listening to adults
childhood shame
Noel King
for the last time
Turtle Doves
watch me
lock my front door
her clogs
on the stairs
wood on wood
stumbles
Early Start
I shower at six
but find other things to do
in my space to write.
Steve Wilkinson
REMINISCENCE
Whispers of history on ancient walls,
Echoes of triumphs and haunting calls.
Time's tapestry
Laughter shared with family so dear,
Moments cherished, year by year.
In bonds of love
Moonlight's touch on tranquil seas,
Dreams of hope carried on the breeze.
A night embrace
We reminisce of days gone by
at times with tears in our eyes
and grateful hearts
Two Quadrums
smooth white pebbles
beneath my feet,
the ocean’s song;
restorative
the slow movement
of the clock’s hands-
for a moment
I find myself
petro c. k.
red light district
empty wallet
on the sidewalk
cold moon
in the kitchen
open fridge
calling
a long-lost friend
apple blossoms
rising sun
I hold a tomato
to the light
I read
my wife's lips...
rose bud
cold moon --
a red leaf stuck
to the frozen pond
Tuyet Van Do
First Job
in uniform
behind
the counter
she starts
first training shift
shadowing team leader
she
smiles
at clients
on her first day
climbing steps of life
she
widens her circle
make new friends
at work
Tuyet Van Do and Trang Luong (in order)
jump from his slumber --
sound of cracking
biscuits
end of the day
in my room
a wagging tail
Tuyet Van Do, Emi Do, Eva Do
green velvet
swirling on the dance floor
midyear prom
glittering gem
on slender neck
dazzling as I
graceful she walks
enchanted she attracts
illuminating she is
Paired tanka, by Larry Kimmel & Joy McCall
and his mind
like dandelion fluff
blown away,
blown away
till no memories are left
I watch the seedheads
blowing in the wind
and out of sight
are those we loved and lost
flowering ... somewhere?
if we could only
miniaturize ourselves
say about
six inches tall
we’d have no climate crises
now I can't shake
the vision of all
those tiny people
racing about in the grass
and riding squirrels
I gaze
out the window
but don't really notice
the small doings
in the trees and grass
blackbirds
sitting on branches
looking my way
where is the joy
that used to bring me?
I'm still here
many I love are not
a two-sided coin
that gets thinner
year by year
Joshua St. Claire
the endless sea a cirrostratus sky
social media
dogs barking
at their imaginations
a wave no one else hears crashing insomnia
Tony Marcoff & Joy McCall
once I dreamed
of Miyajima
through the gateway to the sun
into a long ago
far away dawn
the sad mouse
swims through
the torii gate
seeking rest
in holy dreams
Jonathan Day & Joy McCall
the Thinker – he who navigates
the seas that lie 'twixt what? and why?
knows often, in those trackless straits
to pause and look up at the sky
the Dreamer - she who, careless, rides
the winds that blow from wilds above
watches for him to reach the shore
and looks into the face of love
Joy McCall
Sveyn Forkbeard's meadow, Norwich
I'd like to buy the meadow
and be a meadow mouse
and leave
my ailing bones behind
in the human house
I'd like to live with weeds
and eat grasses, berries,
seeds and leaves
and things that fall
from the friendly trees
I'd like to sleep
among the roots where dreams
come easy, slow
where a mouse feels safe and sheltered
where hawk and hound don't go
a mouse's life may not be long
the weeks and months
will speedy pass
until he lies still and dreamless
in the meadow grass
small bones
beneath the buttercups
small spirit running wild and free
a field mouse in a meadow -
a fine eternity
Geoffrey Winch
Feeling at home
around the house
photographs of grandparents
snapshots of lives
old cracked saucer
blending my curry spices
the CD plays old-time
your closed eyes wide awake
to dancing days
our blackbird’s evening song
we tune in
at each quarter turn
of the stairs
a thankful sigh
in our bed tonight
a presence
Tints of the day
on pink paper
the white space
around a poem
single flash
I recall the kingfisher
new patch of sunshine
our red rose puts out
a new shoot
wondering if it’s faded
flag on the moon
brushes, tins stored away
‘forget-me-knot’
the small patch I missed
brain sieving words
grey mist falls
Beatriu Delaveda
We’ll always have Swindon
The last time I saw
Swindon it looked nothing like
I remembered though
I can’t recall spending time
ever near Swindon at all
Houseman with Alzheimers haiku
Do you recall the
time you won your town the race?
Obviously not.
Trees falling
If a tree falls in the forest
and Elon Musk doesn’t hear it
does it make a sound?
Oscar Luparia
ALL YOU CAN SEE
morning walk
despite the thick fog
I clean my glasses
without my glasses
it's an impressionist painting
the garden downstairs
flying through the universe
the star map and a magnifying glass
for my presbyopia
new glasses
not yet a good reason
to watch TV news
fashion glasses
the crucial function
of the nose
Randy Brooks
old farm truck
only starts
for grandpa
shadow puppet
grandpa’s fingers transform
a hawk into a rabbit
Kentucky Derby consolation
the shade beneath
an extravagant hat
Jerome Berglund
air
raid
siren
beneath
the
skyscrapers
ji and mon
the origins
of love
wind shifts the snake’s maraca
Roberta Beach Jacobson
heatwave I miss the sound of snow
putting all our crypto in one imaginary basket
butterfly net
almost catching the magic
of stars
Erin Jones
beauty passes
her perfume lingers
in the summer air
wearing of the green
history and heritage
and a pint of Guinness
sadness in your eyes
how cold this summer night
dreams drifting away
C.X. Turner
looking in
from the outside
I trap time . . . bones
in the hourglass
falling
into solitude
walking into dusk,
the way leaves move
when nothing but light rain lightly touches
tears puddle my eyes closed
I pick up the pieces of lost days
and go home
in rocky coves
I hide, sheltering
love’s innocence
Nitu Yumnam
the tranquil lake
a silver strand of hair
in between
how slow the water lapping
and how fast I'm ageing!
a clang of dishes
amid kitchen mess
my child asks: “You okay?”
I learn
what love really is
teaching lessons
on highs and lows…
on the still lake
the mirror image
of the trees
James Penha
the faith of a cult
in demagogues and liars--
AI
season without masks--
vaccinated and boosted
surely positive
Adrian Bouter
the butterfly
resembling a leaf
indian summer
high on the cliff
a white bird rules the waves
local politics
food for thought
in the light of Christmas
an ivory madonna
Bryan Rickert
sudden rain
I share an awning
with sparrows
ebb tide the urchin’s shrinking universe
persimmon ridge
all the deer gone
by morning
Chen-ou Liu
Life as a Chinese Temp
restructuring...
my cubicle shrinks
my salary, too
look of this cashier
I set aside chips, eggs, milk...
even the rice
finding new gigs ...
in my mind's eye these faces
of landlord after landlord
you're let go ...
this twist to the boss's mouth
in my midnight dream
One Day at a Time
test results
this carrousel
of thoughts
early leaffall
the silence between me
and the cancer doctor
hospital garden
the evening breeze carries
my prayer
a leatherback surfaces
with its head through a hole
in driftwood ...
I gaze beyond moonlit ripples
to the homeland I left behind
Note: The leatherback turtle can travel 16,000 km (10,000 miles) or more each year, crossing the entire Pacific Ocean in search of jellyfish.
Dennis Owen Frohlich
At the meadow's edge,
a broken birdcage sits on
a picnic table
The fog could hide
anything--a river, a forest,
a mountain, an ocean
Quiet, still evening--
ripples on a placid lake--
from what?
Mark Gilbert
stone memorial
to the Great War
sixty-one names
austerity
my favourite tie
the blackest
tidy bungalow
he asks if his wife
is upstairs
Anthony Lusardi
power outage--
between raindrops
a firefly’s glow
perfect temperature:
a bottle of jägermeister
submerged in snow
picture a cow
lying in the tree’s shade.
do you feel a yawn?
Tony Williams
late
flowering
our autistic son
after midnight
raindrops skiffling
on a tilted pane
writer’s block…
the poppy pod
not rattling
Robert Witmer
woodsmoke
the wind turns
speckled leaves
a spring wind
fluffs the willows
raindrops
her final ballet
pinned to the wall
forgotten wings
Lysa Collins
acacia shade--
the fastidious preen
of a ponderous cat
great blue heron--
how carefully it steps
into the setting sun
picking their way
through the tangled scrub--
raindrops
Samo Kreutz
blooming daisies ...
she flips through a book
about puberty
gull's screech ...
that restless sea
in our kiss
waterless –
the scent of her
last kiss
M. R. Pelletier
Climate change--
using our umbrellas
for shade
Brittle summer--
the pine we planted
drops ten thousand needles
Excessive heat warning--
more dead flies
on the windowsill
Jennifer Gurney
when I hold
your hand in mine
I touch eternity
Note: dedicated to my 104-year-old grandma, who passed last year.
awake, this new day
glimmers of hope peaking through
with the rising sun
tonight's first star ...
the one I've chosen to hold
my wishes
Diane Webster
Fog reflects off
invisible lake...
faith
Fireweed –
stone’s throw away
ripples on the lake
Popcorn kernel
abandoned on kitchen floor
a cat pounces
Ben Gaa
cafe table
the scent of
everyone’s coffee
from my hand to hers
the morning warmth
of coffee
falling out
of her frequency
radio static
Tomislav Sjekloća
grandma's bedtime stories
overdose
of happy endings
first sun rays
the spider no longer climbing
the invisible thread
night storm
thinking about
the garden sparrow
Govind Joshi
fast food counter
the clikety clack
of the chopping board
first rain
releasing
the scent of earth
setting sun
on the lake front
an empty nest
Giuliana Ravaglia
nessuna nube oscurerà i tuoi occhi
vele feconde di vagabonde follie
eternamente espresse
morderai le piene dell'autunno
baciando controvento rivoli chiari
e sarai l'estate
no cloud will darken your eyes
fruitful sails of vagabond follies
eternally expressed
you will bite the floods of autumn
kissing upwind clear streams
you will be the summer
s'incammina il silenzio
nella penombra della sera
quell'impensato attimo
mare senz'acqua del mio errare
silence sets in
in the twilight of the evening
that unexpected moment
waterless sea of my wandering
quando l'anima trema
e il buio cigola nel profondo
riaffilo antichi artigli
in un gomitolo di sole
when the soul trembles
and the darkness creaks in the depths
I sharpen ancient claws
in a ball of sunshine
Xenia Tran
building a nest -
house martins remember
the rules of sand
summer heads south
earlier and earlier
on the swallow's tail
across the sandflats
from invisible clouds ...
light rain
Suzanne Leaf-Brock
deep in thought
a pause from the crickets
when i hear them
barn owl back
in its roost
greenlighting the sunrise
the oak grove shade
elongated late afternoon
my peacefulness
John Grey
last night
said our goodbyes
tonight
the soughing wind
repeats then
soft pull of oars
slow glide of boat
I am a lake
water ripples over
sunlight skims across
I go to the door
and it’s
another salesman:
the last to know
that I have all I need
Ron Scully
part time waiter
full time philosophy student
our orders mixed up
the ocean slurs ashore
at sunrise
smells of the other woman
Medieval ocean's
dungeon breath
time to confess
Eva Joan
thunderstorm -
no word falls
between us
the moon floats slowly
from east to west -
night of father’s death
without you -
like breathing
in a vacuum
Jackie Chou, Kathabela Wilson & Sigrid Saradunn
Overtones
circular patterns
on the mahjong tiles
new age spot JC
'round and 'round the sound
of the singing bowl KW
labyrinth
finding meaning
in sacred stones SS
crystal geode
used as a paperweight JC
sandalwood incense
she opens the window
to the moon KW
mingling molecules
we grow old together SS
Kathabela Wilson & Jackie Chou
Perfect Match
mom and dad
sectioning the grapefruit
two different ways KW
spoon imprint in the butter
my fear of holes JC
Alice in Wonderland
she dreams
she is a rabbit KW
chomping away
the hare makes the carrot
look so sumptuous JC
mother's orange lipstick
a kiss on the napkin KW
watching the pumpkin
turn into a carriage
wrong fairytale JC
Jackie Chou, Kathabela Wilson & Sigrid Saradunn
Good Luck
i follow
his furry footprints
in my slippers KW
rabbit rabbit
looking for good luck SS
the path ahead
led by a trail
of white feathers JC
her secret wish
on a dandelion clock KW
falling stars
the night collecting
fireflies SS
blinking cursor
i drift into another life JC
Maryam Mermey
delphinium buds
baby fists
into the future
a cradle of music
Marsalis sways
the musicians
cat spirals into the air
paw reaching
and misses
Simon De Courcey
water boatmen
at the wellspring -
calm crossings
arctic terns
shrinking sandbar -
September days
marram braids
the last campfire -
northerly gust
Gerard Sarnat
I have arrived. I am home
In the here, in the now
I am solid, I am free
In the ultimate I dwell.
--RIP Thich Nhat Hanh, 1926-2022
gerontocracy's
veil of suffering -- glue yourself
to love, compassion
Diane Funston
Love’s “Baby Soft”
cologne In a pink bottle
innocence
is sexy—a different message
in todays troubled world
velvet trumpet petunias
sweet nectar
between childhood lips
I wait on the stairs
listening to adults
childhood shame
Noel King
for the last time
Turtle Doves
watch me
lock my front door
her clogs
on the stairs
wood on wood
stumbles
Early Start
I shower at six
but find other things to do
in my space to write.
Steve Wilkinson
REMINISCENCE
Whispers of history on ancient walls,
Echoes of triumphs and haunting calls.
Time's tapestry
Laughter shared with family so dear,
Moments cherished, year by year.
In bonds of love
Moonlight's touch on tranquil seas,
Dreams of hope carried on the breeze.
A night embrace
We reminisce of days gone by
at times with tears in our eyes
and grateful hearts
Two Quadrums
smooth white pebbles
beneath my feet,
the ocean’s song;
restorative
the slow movement
of the clock’s hands-
for a moment
I find myself
petro c. k.
red light district
empty wallet
on the sidewalk
cold moon
in the kitchen
open fridge
calling
a long-lost friend
apple blossoms
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