By James Croal Jackson The Wedding Poem I was asked to write a poem to read at your wedding. I have been writing for weeks. I don’t know what I’m trying to do but I know it’s something new. Mostly the poem has become my life. Mostly it’s a poem of longing for what the … Continue reading The Wedding Poem and Other Poems
Ripples and Other Poems
By Sam Barbee Ripples I bait a hook, dunk it like a kiss. Plunk disperses a concentric splash. Each surge of the lake reminds any visitor the loch measures each splay or lap. What creature will break its water next? Frog hop or ducks’ paddle? Mallards glide confident, and rebuke the clouded origin of turtles … Continue reading Ripples and Other Poems
The alphabet of nature And Other Poems
By Domina Petric The alphabet of nature Agate caught the rainbow in its memory. Beryl hid its heart at the bottom of a lake. Carnelian is as sweet as honey. Citrine is the sun that illuminates Earth at noon. Charoite is a picture of a stormy sky and a setting sun. The winter landscape is … Continue reading The alphabet of nature And Other Poems
Patterns
By S.F. Wright Wednesday evening Almost over; Then Thursday, And Friday. The weekend’s Booze Seems like A faraway Oasis; Yet it will Come, go, Disappoint. Then Tired Sunday, Monday; And the oasis Appears Again. S.F. Wright lives and teaches in New Jersey. His work has appeared in Hobart, X-R-A-Y Literary Magazine, and Elm Leaves Journal, … Continue reading Patterns
Wasted Cut Out Flowers and Other Poems
By Richard LeDue Wasted Cut Out Flowers Lucky to have a blank page again, staring at me with more affection than the lovers who don't know they're lovers, who only wake up naked in their dreams, who usually let the silence buy their drinks, who reminisce about paper airplanes crash landing, only to give flight … Continue reading Wasted Cut Out Flowers and Other Poems
They Don’t Talk Much Anymore
By Ed Ahern Their intimacy speaks in the unsaid. opposition unraised, disagreement stilled, stifled correction or contradiction, permission for those close to rest in the wrong while choke-chaining the harsher truths. Little silent helping things saying that courtesy is an inadequate term to explain the need to hold one another in loving stasis. Ed Ahern … Continue reading They Don’t Talk Much Anymore
The Time Was Right and Other Poems
By Ken Gosse The Time Was Right a pastiche on Dylan Thomas’ poem, “Do Not Go Gentle into That Good Night” He’ll rage against the dying of my light but old age took its toll along the way. He doesn’t know I think the time is right. Much wiser than he knows, I welcome night. … Continue reading The Time Was Right and Other Poems
Clothes Pole
By Jim Bates Set firmly in the ground It had its own spot in the backyard A heavy-duty metal post with wooden arms attached Held together with clothesline rope A lever controlled it going up and down A thing of mechanical beauty Simple utility and grace His mother hung sheets from it every week White … Continue reading Clothes Pole
Speak
By Sandy Rochelle Every once in a while you open your mouth as if to speak. To abandon the silence that has been your companion. Your unspoken words are wrapped in gold. Your conjured verbs bathed in silk. Speak and abandon your silence to an Egyptian tomb. Hieroglyphics to be deciphered by some future species … Continue reading Speak
Irregardless
By Mike Turner Does’t thou wield thy blade? Slashing at mine liberty? Stabbing my heart? Thrusting to the very centre of my soul? Should I not yield to your blandishments? And implore you to bind up my wounds? For is not true ardor Surrendering all to the struggle? Facing the furies in consequence of losing … Continue reading Irregardless
Academy of the Heart And Mind 