September 2020
Selectors: Coral Carter, Rose van Son, Barry Sanbrook and Gary De Piazzi
Submissions Manager: Telisha Reid
Contributors:
old wares store
a thousand tales
told in dust
moonlight climbs
the valley slopes …
homecoming
shaping
the autumn light
maple leaves
daphne
in her favourite vase
she fills the room
the scent
of rain-washed gumleaves
those faded hills
Gavin Austin
autumn winds
an old road hides
among the trees
still air
globe thistles sway
with bumblebees
Michael Baeyens. Geraardsbergen, Belgium
art district graffiti
city council votes
for gray paint
Ingrid Bruck, Pennsylvania Amish country
going viral
their shadows reach out
to one another
Pitt Büerken. Münster, Germany
half-moon —
Bell’s Palsy droop
or bashful grin?
Peter Burges
spin cycle
the press secretary
cleans up the news
sequestered
his straw hat
hangs from the olive branch
shadow puppets
on our bedroom wall
the neighbor’s floodlights
stay-at-home order
only the washing machine
takes a stroll
cookbooks and lockdown
even the prickly pear
plumps up
Alanna C. Burke. Santa Fe, New Mexico, USA
autumn—
a sheet of paper
drops between buildings
billboard
over the bedding shop
on all night
Grant Caldwell. Melbourne
sunlit path
a trail of ants disappears
into a black hole
sand in the rain gauge
ringed moon
promises rain
bare earth
where I planted seeds
the tracks of birds
Coral Carter
bird watching—
I crane my neck
for a better view
overcast sky
the wailing siren
of an ambulance
childhood home—
I close the door
to endless summers
Hemapriya Chellappan. Chennai, India
newborn lamb—
up in a fluster
of buttercups
Lysa Collins
amid green leaves
a cassowary stalks—
rainforest punk
Natalie Cooke. Kambah, ACT
past midnight
the sandman late
again
fossil—
between dust
to dust
Gary Colombo De Piazzi
Egyptian Ibis
lands on artificial grass
no supper tonight
Derek Fenton
buried
in her bowling shoes
mother’s ashes
rolling thunder
flashes
of childhood fears
Nika (aka Jim Force). Calgary, Alberta, Canada
blue blue island sky
frames yellow Kapok flowers—
and burnt orange gum leaves
Richard Gabb
mid-April …
the church’s bell tower
belongs to the sparrows
online learning—
the brick elementary school
covered with dust
Goran Gatalica, Croatia
hail on my yoga morning
double-socked
I salute the sun
Candy Gordon
lockdown 2.0
the last leaf tumbles
from the elm
deserted playground
the long shadows
of ghost gums
backyard barbie
the excited chatter
of lorikeets
working from home
the yellowing leaves
of my desk plant
Louise Hopewell. Melbourne, Australia
playful wind—
the banksia leaves show
their silvery side
granddaughter’s visit—
our views on the world
updated
window view—
watching the world go by
without me
Janet Howie
neap tide
the balance between
sun and moon
towards sunset …
the pleats and folds
of a sparrow flock
yellow waves
of a hillside sea
canola field
Marilyn Humbert. Australia
cold front
my jumper
inside-out
sea sounds
the dishwasher
surges on
Pearl Kline
slow time—
baking bread
and listening
Earl Livings
morning papers—
his early stroll
into the light
John Low, Portland NSW
out on a limb
the man up high
with a chainsaw
home learning
buds on jonquils
about to open
pandemic
I wear out another pair
of pyjamas
leaves
on leaves
as I leave
Mother’s Day
I start a conversation
with the hens
Myron Lysenko
wash-day
wings of a swallowtail
dry on the Hills Hoist
Marietta McGregor. Stirling ACT
alpine lake
a crack in the ice
letting in stars
Ron C. Moss. Tasmania, Australia
lengthening days …
a blue iris
pauses my steps
suburban road
a pondering pigeon
takes his time
Madhuri Pillai. Melbourne
missing my daughter
before the next postcode
i do a u-turn
in my house
without furniture
cloudless sky
home alone
i double dip
in dip
Jade Pisani
dark feather
why can’t you
fly
Zaidee Pisani-Lysenko
snagged cloth—
I cut
new memories
Rose (Shilpa Bharti). Delhi, India.
post-vernacular
we exchange
emojis
parched lawn
our toddler collects
dead leaves
Cynthia Rowe
ancient rock
home of stony
sea creatures
Barry Sanbrook
city pavement—
ten thousand discarded
face masks
a walk
to the end of the pier—
fish swim free
a crab makes
an empty shell its own—
my little room
Alice Stanford
the pigeon
imitates a kite
shadow play
Tom Staudt. Darlinghurst, NSW
idle trains
the hustle and bustle
of pigeons
day’s end
a swan folds the sun
under her wing
Debbie Strange. Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
six stories up
outside the hospital window
a treetop nest
abandoned
a lone garden chair
the coldest day
Maggie Van Putten
dangling puppet—
on the edge of the string
his livelihood
shivering
next to the mannequin
homeless man
Rashmi VeSa
in my head
the songs he liked to sing
my brother’s grave
the ant runs this way
and that, this way—
make up your mind
how nervous it looks
shimmering—
the aspen
David Watts
a postcard home—
my smile at the thought
that I’ll get there first
blind date—
just before dessert
the ice settles in her glass
mayflies
at the swimming hole—
teenagers slip their skins
Michael Dylan Welch. Sammamish, Washington, USA
willow shade—
dozing and reading
Shakespeare
flashes of lightning—
voices from
the boys’ room
Elaine Wilburt. Maryland, USA
fattening paddock
a steer and I stare
at each other
condolence flowers
watching them
die
nurse’s watch
every second
counts
Quendryth Young. Alstonville. NSW. Australia
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