Afternoon of July 13, 2024

first senryu

a flea lands between

fragment & phrase

~Cezar Ciobica

I wanted my legs

to take me somewhere else.

But the cat sat on them.

That has to be good enough.

~Noah Berlatsky

Nepal Idol—

a tailorbird’s monsoon wail

subdues him

~Tejendra Sherchan

polluting our planet assigned gender balloons

~Roberta Beach Jacobson

a bob-weave

for the camera

Nessie

~Roberta Beach Jacobson

safety pins

and stardust

Ziggy, Iggy

Hoagy and Bix

~dan smith

Routine

At birth, when the doctor slapped me,

I yawned, I haven't caught up since

I work night shift. I'm so tired I take a nap

before I go to bed.

When I wake up, the bags under my eyes have bags, have bags...

~Keith Snow

foster care child

her third home

this year

~John J. Dunphy

Echoes of You

Your singing has become my alarm,

karaoke, blasting songs in the shower as I desperately cover my ears.

I would wave hi to your friends, me an old grandma,

trying to be cool.

Your 3 shades of lip gloss, never-matching pairs of socks,

and pink backpack covered in grass can always be spotted around our house,

Leaving a trail like Hansel and Gretel back to your room.

But now I wake up to silence, a spotless room

where nothing covers the carpet, and a dry, empty shower.

Maybe I miss those loud mornings.

~Karen Lee

bamboo thicket

behind the high school

scattered bones

~David C. Kopaska-Merkel

Blockhead

Pinocchio fell victim

to the wood beetles' lust;

dust spurting from a myriad adits,

he collapsed at his father's door,

but that is not dead, etc; automaton,

wayward robot carved from wood,

he rose again, riddled with scars,

but a real boy at last.

~David C. Kopaska-Merkel

cautiously a lizard

crosses the road...

run over frog beside

~Tejendra Sherchan

Overseas

Is there no one who truly cares for me?

I can see the stars all the way from here

Shining just the way I like

I have faith in what I see

I feel your whisper across the sea

Another moment passing by

It’s okay, we’re the best of friends

~Olivia Park

Grass Routes to Victory

tennis match psychic

predicts Wimbledon winner

net prophet

~John H. Dromey

along train route

hidden messages

in spray-painted curves

~Patricia Carragon

AGING WOUNDS

familial

laughter—

elbow

pressure

applied

to aging wounds

~Andrew Buckner

flagpole without a flag

a national anthem without singers

~Fhen M.

a rose is a rose

a house is a house

logic is an interesting subject

~Fhen M.

helpless

an ugly feeling

comfort but no answers

a powerful hug

but brittle future

~Rae Greenwood

This Is Where

This is where an innocent man visited,

stuck with thoughts, considerations, and feelings

This is where many face edges and nails through their skins

Screaming in excruciating pain

This is where one’s item disappears from their car in a minute

This is where one can lose oneself after touching a dollar on the street

This is where red is the color that is seen the most everywhere

This is where many want homes

This is where street food is common

This is where cheering is scarce

~Sean Kim

My superpower

is getting

out of bed

~Nolcha Fox

My Night

Fog patches

Occasional drizzle

Occasional pain

Very poor at times

0330 now rising

Showers

Becoming very rough

or high later

~Ann Smith

a flea crushed at the end of dad's death poem

~Cezar Ciobica

 

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