View Issue vol. 13, no. 1
ISSN 2369-6516 (Print)
ISSN 2369-6524 (Online)
Scroll down to read all poems, or select the poem title to go directly to that poem. Select the author’s name to view a short biography (if supplied) and all poems by that author.
Georgia Atkin – ‘Til Night is Overtaken
Marilyn Challis – Light at End of Icebox Tunnel
Brian Harding – Today’s Thought
Scott Lynch – January twenty, two oh two two
Nathaniel S. Rounds – “fricot a la bazette”
Rod Stewart – The Cardinal Prince
Jasmin Stoffer – The work continues, with a chance of rain
Waste Not…
Poem by Cathy Hanrahan
I feel my youth gently slipping,
to a sea of endless white.
Cresting like an ocean’s wave
and blending into light.
Time seems so contentious,
both precious and a blight
this soul who took for granted
the endless perpetuation,
of life.
Go briskly now, marauder,
patience no longer is your friend.
Seize each ticking second
and breathe it to the end.
With eyes that open wider
to see and comprehend,
this life has been a blessing
and there’s much less of it to spend.
Light at End of Icebox Tunnel
Haiku by Marilyn Challis
Icicle tinged winds,
Damp seeps into achey bones,
Days getting longer.
January twenty, two oh two two
Poem by Scott Lynch
grey always grey
day after day
seldom a glimpse of sun
and then the phoenix cometh
a solitary one
clad in red
with striking head
black face and eyes
command the skies
(the January ones)
and all the days
‘Callooh! Callay!*
turn suddenly quite well
thanks to a covid visit
of a stunning
cardinal
*Jabberwocky Lewis Carroll
“fricot a la bazette”
Poem by Nathaniel S. Rounds
We agree to convene
After the plague’s abatement
On the sliver of rooftop
Remaining from the house
That slid into the sinkhole
Before the flood
Which obscured
All.
It shall be
A black tie affair
As mourning and revelry
Shall combine
In good measure.
Drinks
Shall be on the house.
‘Til Night is Overtaken
Poem by Georgia Atkin
Let’s tell each other stories,
spinning yarns one by one,
‘til the night is overtaken
by the soft-rising sun –
Let’s sing each other songs
that our dreams will keep,
‘til the notes take hold
and at last we can sleep –
Let’s write each other poems
in the middle of the night,
so we never let go
of how to turn on the light.
The Cardinal Prince
Poem by Rod Stewart
It happens to the best of us,
Falling wistfully in love
With not a word said,
With winter’s Prince Charming
Dressed dapper in red.
Has he stolen your heart
My dear Valentine,
With a flit of his wing?
Should my arms encircle you,
Could you be mine once again?
Does Royal Red summon you
From his snow clad throne?
And with a cock of his head
Claim you as his,
Fair damsel,
By rightly condone.
Does he sing far sweeter
Than my passion shall decry?
Would you choose caress
Over fond feather?
Whom would you deny?
Today’s Thought
Poem by Brian Harding
You know you are lonely
When the trees wave to you
And you wave back.
the Wordsmith
Poem by Don Logan
a black mare gives you a nightmarish stare
a homeless man puts a dollar in your pan
a child smiles n makes you mild
the word for you is a double edged sword
you know well how to work the word
take a vow n take it now
the junk controls me
a woman consoles me
lady like down
i’m sick of this dead end town
i don’t want to live anymore in an open grave
life is tragical n beautiful, be brave
when i fall i fall like a falling star
i play mournful hymns to the universe on steel stringed guitar
love for mankind burns in me
i live life w/a joker’s levity
i go through life w/a fool’s heart
the sage gave birth to the fool
she knew it from the start
don’t make yourself Emperor of France
don’t do it, don’t take the chance
i could go on like this forever
but i’ll find my true meaning never
or maybe i will
know that i am God n be still
Solemn Adieu
Poem by Mark Ryan
Steadfast, dear Stoic,
lest the kettle whistle New Orleans —
humdrum, humdrum.
Words tethered,
enthusiasm wilted —
as dried petals,
as rusted pedals.
Steadfast at the helm,
curtsy, dear marionette,
adorned in bronze garments and string,
pressed, worn, or pasted to your skin –
slightly tilted, or askew.
Opaque beneath the lantern’s folly,
having left the door ajar
to winter’s appetite for grief and perpetuity.
2022
Haiku by Harry Garrison
Twenty Twenty Two
is a jagged mountain range
of sharpened pencils.
Thirsty cat
Poem by Lorie Morris
Thirsty, when I met you, I was a little unsure.
Thirsty, when I got to know you, I really saw you.
Thirsty, I never knew you were so smart
and you pick up everything, fast.
Thirsty, I never knew you were a Russian Blue cat?!
Thirsty, I never knew how much our family needed you.
Thirsty, you are the cat’s meow.
Have Hope
Haiku by David Mac Eachern
Different from chance
Matters of virtue belong
Persistent in faith
The work continues, with a chance of rain
(PhD students’ ode to relaxation)
Poem by Jasmin Stoffer
It has been raining
For the past three days
72 hours of the sounds
Of falling water on my windows,
Motivating me to do anything
Except read and write
This is a time for cozy socks
And cups of tea
Not formulating research questions
And reading peer-reviewed journals
But my to-do list is calling
And these assignments won’t write themselves
But the rain keeps falling and so
I ignore its calls and I sit and I sip
And nap and relax
At least, for now
Placebo
Haiku by Richard S. Payne
I stir my coffee
counter clockwise, reversing
the aging process
Open Heart Forgery 