Unrequited Love by Lynn Long

Unrequited Love

A most foolish path

I chose to pursue

For it leads, alas

To nowhere, but you

So, in snippet and rhyme

I reach out in word

Hoping you read me

I write to be heard

Still, you ignore

The words so dear

For their meaning

Resounds

All too clear

Lynn Long is an aspiring writer/novelist

Casey at the Bat (Sestina) by Michael Ceraolo

Casey at the Bat (Sestina)

It didn't look good for the nine from Mudville

as the game entered the bottom of the ninth inning;

four players were scheduled to bat

before the order came around to Casey

If two of the four got on he would win them the game,

because there was no chance he'd strike out

But the first two batters were rapidly put out,

and hope was dwindling here in Mudville;

it looked like a quick one-two-three inning

But the next two hitter who came to bat

got hits, and that brought the great Casey

to the plate with a chance to win the game

Yes, Casey would win them the game

if only he could clout one out,

and there would be great happiness in Mudville

over the come-from-behind win in the last inning,

especially if the game-winning blow was off the bat

of the soon-to-be-immortal Casey

Yes, it would be idolized Casey

who would now be the star of the game

From the on-deck circle he stepped out,

and there was a standing ovation in Mudville

with two on and two out in the ninth inning

Advancing to the plate, he discarded the extra bat

Yes, as our hero waved the remaining bat

"Casey   Casey   Casey   Casey

Win for us this blasted game

by blasting the ball out"

was the chant of the fans in Mudville

in that fateful last of the ninth inning

Yes, it would be long remembered, that inning

It would be long remembered, that at-bat

of their mighty hero Casey

The fans would long remember that game

after they had quietly file out

and returned to the regular life of Mudville

There would be no extra innings in Mudville;

the game ended with their last at-bat

Mighty Casey had struck out

Bio:  "Michael Ceraolo is a retired firefighter/paramedic and active poet who has had one full-length book (Euclid Creek, from Deep Cleveland Press) and a few chapbooks published (among the chapbooks is Cleveland Haiku, from Green Panda Press). He has a second full-length book, Euclid Creek Book Two, forthcoming from unbound content press, and is continually working on new and existing poetry projects."

Surreal Name by Daipayan Nair

Surreal Name 

you journey

through my name

through the rocky turns,

lost lanes, dark alleys, deep pits 

some no way outs 

of each letters

crossing rough ridges,

broken bridges between

generations,

all fatigued, now crossing 

through the desolation 

of my surname 

where strolling through 

the same ruins, you find 

much to your disappointment,

I may be no different

then you reach the end 

all worn out, devasted 

find me there, standing,

with open arms 

calling your name.

Bio:

Born on 1988 in a small town of Silchar, Assam, India. Daipayan Nair is a freelance writer/columnist, poet, fiction writer and essayist. His works have been published in a lot of printed anthologies and online poetry journals like The Poetry Breakfast, The Galway Review, Tuck Magazine, 1947 Literary Journal, Duane's PoeTree Blog etc. He was recently awarded The Reuel International Poetry Prize 2016. His works have been translated in quite a few languages. He has also got a book to his name. His first collection of poems is named 'The Frost' which was released in 2015. His recent publication is a co-authored anthology of poems titled ‘THE VIRTUAL REALITY’ which was released at the end of 2016. Currently he is working on his upcoming project, a detailed poetry book on the new poetry form ‘Tideling' titled ‘Parallelism’ to be published by the end of 2017.

Facebook link: https://www.facebook.com/daipayan.nair.9

Good Amateurs by Daipayan Nair

Good Amateurs

Eyes have remembered

Themselves

Time and again

As an opening 

Soon turning into a blot 

The reason 

I see a coagulated dawn 

On your forehead 

Two children 

Quite relaxed 

On your face 

Out of a mature fission

Returning all its pain, 

Love received 

Back to the maker 

Blinding my adult

As when a parent

Doesn't want to see further

Post-sleep,

He is quite proud 

Of his two kids 

Controlling a scenery

Confessing 

Like amateurs.

Bio:

Born on 1988 in a small town of Silchar, Assam, India. Daipayan Nair is a freelance writer/columnist, poet, fiction writer and essayist. His works have been published in a lot of printed anthologies and online poetry journals like The Poetry Breakfast, The Galway Review, Tuck Magazine, 1947 Literary Journal, Duane's PoeTree Blog etc. He was recently awarded The Reuel International Poetry Prize 2016. His works have been translated in quite a few languages. He has also got a book to his name. His first collection of poems is named 'The Frost' which was released in 2015. His recent publication is a co-authored anthology of poems titled ‘THE VIRTUAL REALITY’ which was released at the end of 2016. Currently he is working on his upcoming project, a detailed poetry book on the new poetry form ‘Tideling' titled ‘Parallelism’ to be published by the end of 2017.

Facebook link: https://www.facebook.com/daipayan.nair.9

Red Closeted Dream by Blanca Alicia Garza

Red Closeted Dream

Cold and empty walls

Silence that tears the soul 

Memories moistening the eyes

Promises the wind took away 

An unworn red dress

left forgotten in a closet 

A white rose symbolizing

eternal love stored in the

dusty drawer of oblivion.

Bio: Blanca Alicia Garza is a Poet from Las Vegas, Nevada. She is a nature and animal lover, and enjoys spending time writing. Her poems are published in the Poetry Anthologies, "Moonlight Dreamers of Yellow Haze", and "Dandelions in a Vase of Roses" now available at Amazon.com. Blanca's work can be found in  The Poet Community, Whispers, The Winamop Journal, Indiana Voice Journal, Tuck Magazine, Raven's Cage Ezine, Scarlet Leaf Review as well as Birdsong Anthology 2016, Vol 1.

Free Speech Canto XLII by Michael Ceraolo

Free Speech Canto XLII

They billed themselves as

The Worldwide Leader in Sports,

and that meant a lot of hours

when they had no live events to show

had to be filled somehow,

                                      mostly

with reruns of some of those events

or reruns of their highlights shows

But they also had talk programs,

where those who had made it

to the summit of mediocrity

gave their opinions on happenings

both on and off the field

(mostly on)

So far, so so-so

But when some of those hired

to give their opinions,

                                opinions

by no means secret to the hirers,

gave certain opinions they were

either suspended or fired

for doing what they were hired for

A new slogan for the Mousey company:

The Worldwide Leader in Censorship

Hyperbole yes, but

more accurate than the current slogan

Bio:  "Michael Ceraolo is a retired firefighter/paramedic and active poet who has had one full-length book (Euclid Creek, from Deep Cleveland Press) and a few chapbooks published (among the chapbooks is Cleveland Haiku, from Green Panda Press). He has a second full-length book, Euclid Creek Book Two, forthcoming from unbound content press, and is continually working on new and existing poetry projects."

Stills by Daipayan Nair

Stills

When I revive you by 

from a past of being torn, 

being plucked with force, being made 

a lover's bouquet without choice

How could I ignore the silent breeze,

its own share of pollens

swaying your mind for a while

Now, there are two roses left:

Which blooms after death 

The other that blooms before it 

To the flower, I can say, 'it's full of beauty'

even when the garden isn't full of it

Your petals around it 

is just your photograph.

Bio:

Born on 1988 in a small town of Silchar, Assam, India. Daipayan Nair is a freelance writer/columnist, poet, fiction writer and essayist. His works have been published in a lot of printed anthologies and online poetry journals like The Poetry Breakfast, The Galway Review, Tuck Magazine, 1947 Literary Journal, Duane's PoeTree Blog etc. He was recently awarded The Reuel International Poetry Prize 2016. His works have been translated in quite a few languages. He has also got a book to his name. His first collection of poems is named 'The Frost' which was released in 2015. His recent publication is a co-authored anthology of poems titled ‘THE VIRTUAL REALITY’ which was released at the end of 2016. Currently he is working on his upcoming project, a detailed poetry book on the new poetry form ‘Tideling' titled ‘Parallelism’ to be published by the end of 2017.

Facebook link: https://www.facebook.com/daipayan.nair.9

HAWAIIAN MARKET PLACE by John Grey

HAWAIIAN MARKET PLACE

Green onions, fried rice,

soy sauce, star fruit –

I nibble on smells

as I roam the marketplace.

One stall offers natural medicines

from the rain forest –

lavender and indigo.

I sniff myself a cure or two.

Someone unzips a banana.

Another cuts into passionfruit skin.

Seeds ride sweet yellow juice

into the salty warm.

And everywhere there’s pineapples,

ripe and sun-burst on opening.

Later there’ll be fireworks.

But, for now,

I’m checking out a lilikoi,

its bright yellow skin, tart pulp.

It tastes of Oahu, Maui, Kauai

and the big Island.

It makes me feel

sea-air brushed,

water lapped,

and miles from any neighbor.

John Grey is an Australian poet, US resident. Recently published in the Tau, Studio One and Columbia Review with work upcoming in Naugatuck River Review, Examined Life Journal and Midwest Quarterly.  

Nightshade Oblivion by Colleen Keller Breuning

Nightshade Oblivion

Sundown falls in shades of purple

its shadows dancing across the wall

the sound of silence speaks in muted whispers

flickering like a candle in the wind…

Lost in the confines of my mind

in between the hollow spaces

of yesterday and tomorrow

moments where unspoken dreams wallow…

Our spirits once fused in a blaze of glory

its raging fire burned, white hot rapture

now cold embers buried in the snow

for nothing seems to lasts forever...

Wounded hearts bleed like crushed grapes

time in a bottle, boxed vintage wine

your essence lingers on my tastebuds

indelibly branded deep within my soul….

But bent and broken wings will mend

as defiant moon repents its mortal sins

and angry zephyr howls its proclamations

stirring up the nightshade of this empty room…

where I shall wait for you.

Colleen Keller Breuning © 2017

BIOGRAPHY:

Colleen Keller Breuning is a poet and photographer who was born and raised in Maryland. She currently resides in Purcellville, Virginia with her husband and cats, Tommy and Jordan. Her poetry, short stories and photography have been published in a variety of print and online magazines during the past decade. Her first poetry book, Shadows of My Father, was a tribute to her father and published in 2011. She is currently working on her second book of poetry, along with assorted photography projects. She participates in several online writing groups. In addition to poetry and photography, she loves nature, music, cats and wine (not necessarily in that order).

Trees of Heaven by Joan McNerney

Photo by Joanne Olivieri

Trees of Heaven

Those are tough trees

growing in slums.

With no need of rich soil

or pruning, they rise

in abandoned lots.

These are trees that

survive rubbish, rodents

noxious chemicals.

Not  easily cut down, 

they stand against

gaunt tenements.

Climbing skyward,

delicate palm leaves

flourish flowering pods.

Trees of Heaven give

children glimpses of bright

emerald each morning.

Stars play peek-a-boo

between their branches

through long nights.

Who has said a taste of

paradise is only for the rich?

BIO: Joan McNerney’s poetry has been included in numerous literary magazines such as Seven Circle Press, Dinner with the Muse, Moonlight Dreamers of Yellow Haze, Blueline, and Halcyon Days.  Three Bright Hills Press Anthologies, several Poppy Road Review Journals, and numerous Kind of A Hurricane Press Publications have accepted her work.  Her latest title is Having Lunch with the Sky and she has four Best of the Net nominations. 

Dimming the Lights by Blanca Alicia Garza

Dimming the Lights 

Cowboy boots 

Flannel shirts 

Blue jeans 

Country music 

Singing along 

To their favorite songs 

Having a good time 

Until the sound of evil 

interrupted the night 

Confusion and fear

Reflected in their faces 

People on the floor 

Protecting their precious lives

Tears and prayers in silence 

Angel feathers spreading 

Across the pavement 

Shattering the dreams of

So many young innocent souls 

Only love and compassion 

can chase darkness 

back into the abyss 

Only love, peace and hope

Can restore this broken humanity.

Bio: Blanca Alicia Garza is a Poet from Las Vegas, Nevada. She is a nature and animal lover, and enjoys spending time writing. Her poems are published in the Poetry Anthologies, "Moonlight Dreamers of Yellow Haze", and "Dandelions in a Vase of Roses" now available at Amazon.com. Blanca's work can be found in  The Poet Community, Whispers, The Winamop Journal, Indiana Voice Journal, Tuck Magazine, Raven's Cage Ezine, Scarlet Leaf Review as well as Birdsong Anthology 2016, Vol 1.