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Poems submitted in 2023

Magic

by Adam D. Fisher, 2023

You say you want magic?

Well I’ll show you magic. 

All you need to do is stop,

pay attention, look carefully,

closely to sunflowers with their 

bright yellow petals and, looking

even closer (no magnifying glass

needed), see the tiny vein 

down the middle. 

When you pull out dandelions, 

notice their strong central root, 

the lovely yellow flower. 

How’s that for magic?

April 11th, 2023

Anonymous, 2023

I am just a child who wants to be held
I am just a child who wants to be held
I am just a child who wants to be held
But no one’s ever wanted to hold me
But no one’s ever wanted to hold me
But no one’s ever wanted to hold me
But no one’s ever wanted to hold me
But no one’s ever wanted to hold me

Untitled

by Alison Quinn, 2023

Never have the spider webs

sung to me this sweetly,

woven all the day and night

as cacophony surrounds them.

 

As if they perspire, toxic beads evaporate

and small silences are cleaned away,

then dry and quiet notes begin,

almost mistaken for a swish of breeze.

 

But the web spiders hear melodies,

tunes of their labors well woven,

strong when percussive beings pass,

laced beautiful in the feasting phrases.

 

Spider eggs are humming.

 

 

 

Painting

by Jenna Levine, 2023

I twist open the cap,

And tip the bottle over.

The colorful liquid pours out onto the pallet.

 

My soft brush

Pushes into the paint

Spreading it around the flat pallet.

 

The canvas, stretched,

Plain and white,

Ready to be defaced

 

The first stroke is always The scariest

Breaking the white of the canvas

Removing the silence of the blank surface

 

Once I start

I can’t stop.

 

I’m waving my paint brush back and forth,

The strokes come naturally,

Easily

 

I paint

And paint

 

Until the painting is finished

I step back

And

 

I hate it.

Visions of September 11

by Irene Cantor, 2023

Cloudless blue sky, day alive and bright .

Savagely altered into gray night.

A President calmly teaching his flock,

Innocence stolen before nine o’clock.

Towers almost touching the sky, Cruelly felled as we wondered “Why”.

Our people, though shattered by the vast devastation,

were strengthened by Rudy’s determination.

Seeing the President, bullhorn in hand

Inspired Americans to take a stand.

Old Glory waving proudly from cars East to West,

As our generation would be put to the test.

September Eleventh Two Thousand and One,
An ordinary day when it was begun,

But changed in an instant by that act of war,

When we were reminded, freedom’s worth fighting for.

My Deepest and Greatest Joy

by Benjamin Thomas Brehl, 2023

For most of this long and perilous trip,
Grandest feeling came following a lost grip.

The calm and balm felt after a frightful storm,
Cool breezes of tranquil aftermath, yet warm.

The fear, dread while in the mental tempest  –
Thought of Ultimate quit, peeks into the abyss.

In its stead, the journey has evolved into a Joy;
Vanquishing terrors fallen to a rejoicing ploy.

Paralyzing moments – doom, gloom gone, rid,
Welcomed jubilation, newfound rest to bid.

The Great Orchestrator has placed a grin
On this spirit  –  heartened, ready for new begin.

Cherry Blossoms

by Courtney Harrington, 2023

In April they bloom

full and bright

their pink petals decorating the once barren trees.

They are so beautiful

but beauty never lasts.

Almost as soon as they appear

they are falling back into the earth

disappearing

until next April

April 2023

Anonymous, 2023

I don’t mean anything to these people
These places
These things
I’ve always been a void filler
A moment passed
A time in their life
But never a solitary figure.
They look at me as disposable
Replaceable.
Compostable.
I try to plant roots
And they get mold
I try to plant roots
And they get cut
I just want stability
But no one seems to want me to stay
So I’ll go again
And again
And again
The hole inside getting bigger, larger, angrier.
I guess I’ll go.. you don’t need me
I guess I’ll go… you all don’t need me
I guess
I’ll
Go
I’m
Not
Needed.

Night-Day-Night

by Adam D. Fisher, 2023

Morning light peeks

through strands

of gray clouds

left over from 

black night. As the day 

goes on, bright light 

brings out the vibrant colors

of yellow tulips until

the earth turns

leaving our world in half-light

until the sun seems to

descend into the western sea

leaving us in dark night.

What Am I?

by Sara Pearl, 2023

I’m a caterpillar at first,

and I like to eat leaves.

When I grow up, I get to be free.

I get to go up in the sky,

where I can fly.

What am I?