By Abdullah Bin Imran But when it happened they were asleep-mortal men made of mortal bone.Oh cruel sky, must you weep!The night grows tight, silence creepsinto thunder rumbling on the stone.But when it happened, they were asleep.The sea is vast, the river deepwith ribs and blood that is our own.Oh cruel sky, must you weep!Since … Continue reading O Cruel Sky (Villanelle)
Tribute 貢
By Peter Chengming Zhang Yé Ye爷爷Nǎi Nai 奶奶Your portraits printed on filmStanding on a shelfDining together in the living roomA melon, a cake, sometimes champagneUntil your untouched plate becomes my dinnerA séance, a shrine, a meal eaten twiceI peek through the fireInto the smell of incenseThe gateway between worldsThinking you could hear my gratefulnessPraying you … Continue reading Tribute 貢
Lift
By Allison Grayhurst If I stay under icein a house as vast as the sea,cut off from the sun,I will bloat up on anxiety’s quickening,gaining nothing but a heaviness uncurableand inevitable as iron-core gravity, heating.So I will lift myself up onto the sides ofthe cracked ridges, gaze at the clouds overheadand write my new name … Continue reading Lift
Miracle of Kindness in a Kindred Land
By Douglas J. Lanzo Dropped off at a cavernous terminal — Terminal 1 of Charles de Gaulle —I stepped inside to head to my flight,with my steps slowing to a crawl,as I saw no check-in areasor even a customer service stall.Approaching a gentleman attiredin a jacket with hand luggage in tow,I deemed him the perfect … Continue reading Miracle of Kindness in a Kindred Land
Neverminding
By Ken Gosse There once was a thought on my mind,but I soon found that I couldn’t findwhere it went when I pausedfor a moment, which causedme brief grief till my mind could unwind. Ken Gosse usually writes short, rhymed verse using whimsy and humor with traditional meters. First published in First Literary Review–East in … Continue reading Neverminding
Dead Leaf
By Md. Rakib Hossain Falling leaves and flown sands, I’m here to catch with unopened hands. You only asked for a hairclip, But I bought a dead emerald leaf. Your love’s stare is so intense, As far I can recall my name in sense.Why don’t you look at my eye’Until I die.Smile heals like a … Continue reading Dead Leaf
Abandon me, abandon you
By Nazia Kamar Abandoned the ship,Left the crew.I decked the halls,Burned my walls.yet I chose this cyclone with you.But who's gonna know you like me?And who's gonna love you,if not me?I broke the glass,lit the fuse.You watched the wreckage,said it’s no use.I wondered through the smoke,just to find you.I carved our fate in the tide … Continue reading Abandon me, abandon you
Dawn
By Katie Barnett Before sparrows singStillness settles in the evesTime lapses if stalled andHumans slumber in tranquilityBut I, I rejoiceIn the night sky’s resilience whereSilence curves around the edgesSlipping into my snug fitting robeWhere solace blanketsPeace lingers, ever present, abidingMy mind, devoid of clutterRevels in the intoxication of solitudeSacred hours melt into dawnAnd I, I … Continue reading Dawn
Washed Transparent
By Brenda Mox As rain beat bruisingly outsidethe earth’s dirty, beastly, unsavorydepths parted and rolled asunder.Rain blackened the round and vital earth.A soul washed transparent sat,motionless in physical abstraction,barely distinguishable from non-entity,where every parting means a meeting –elsewhere.Inevitable as the course of time,the serpent swallows itself with a sudden snort of astonished laughterand imbecile obstinacy. … Continue reading Washed Transparent
Capacious Capacity
By Alex Andy Phuong The ownership of a room of one’s ownInvolves so much moreThan just anything within a bedroom,Especially since there is true valueWith maintaining personal values,And since life itselfIs valuable as well,Then let the magic of being aliveCast an enchanting spell,For time will tellWhat the future shall bring,So be prepared for anything,And being … Continue reading Capacious Capacity
Academy of the Heart And Mind 