September 2021
Selectors: Coral Carter, Hannah Durrant, Rose van Son, Gary De Piazzi and Barry Sanbrook
Contributors
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marriage counselling
cushions on one side
of the sofa
writer’s cabin
letting in
the sun
Debbi Antebi
London, UK
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weekender
blackberry vines
mend the picket fence
where the blue
begins and ends…
seagull wings
Gavin Austin
Sydney, Australia
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after work
explaining the lipstick
on my facemask
Taofeek Ayeyemi
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projectile
the morning paper
in the pond again
souvenir tea-towel
adding a gum leaf
to the billy
Ingrid Baluchi
North Macedonia
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monsoon breeze
the scent of pakoras
from ma’s kitchen
Dr Mona Bedi.
Delhi, India
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autumn wind –
still in the same place
dad’s old chair
Mirela Brăilean
România
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curfew
the sky wide open
for the birds
Pitt Büerken
Münster / Germany
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grass trees
a silent audience
in the amphitheatre
the popularity
of primary colours —
crimson rosellas
Rohan Buettel
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security question
my first pet Stinky
lives on
fish on my plate
I avoid eye contact
with the cat
Alanna C. Burke
Santa Fe, New Mexico
USA
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Reflection
in the window
a young bird begs
sign of the times
on the church gate
book sale this way
Coral Carter
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face down
on the haystack . . .
a scarecrow
summer noon . . .
the coconut vendor sleeps
under his cart
Kanchan Chatterjee
Jamshedpur. Jharkhand. India.
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new yams roasting—
the rising heat
of old opinions
headland
wrapped in mist
and whalesong
Lysa Collins
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hotel bible
sooner or later
time to check out
Alvin B. Cruz
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last hug—
the goodbye
before tears
marching
the weight of war medals
old legs remember
Gary Colombo De Piazzi
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Honeymoon
where the sins of the flesh
no longer apply
bleak house
the keyhole stuffed
against the wind
Mike Gallagher
(Ireland)
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longest day . . .
training my horse to walk
through the mud
Goran Gatalica
Croatia
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he makes me feel
like a child again
not young just small
Candy Gordon
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rabbits come and go
above the daisy fields
and bones
Cameron Haworth
__________________________________
Olympics
the wattle blossoms
brighter this year
lockdown yoga
my boat pose
sinking fast
Louise Hopewell
Melbourne, Australia
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sunday at the museum
cleaning lady washes
buddha’s eyes
Vladislav Hristov,
Plovdiv, Bulgaria
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dry creek bed
a dingo’s howl
unanswered
Marilyn Humbert
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Headstone
a spider abseils
across broken webs
Zina Ioannou
Sydney, NSW
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rosellas and wrens
wheel and chase
prayer flags
Earl Livings
__________________________________
on a thistle
the same bee
that pollinates my daises
2020
a masked ball
with no dancing
judging every move
of the gymnast
my cat
Wilda Morris
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buttered scones
the widow tempts
the mailman
well past
their best before date
my thought and prayers
Nika
Calgary, AB, Canada
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cancelled event—
my dress hangs
empty
Jaya Penelope
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a still winter night …
the clock and i
still working
Amrutha Prabhu
Bengaluru, India
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hard copy mag
with two fingers
I try to zoom in
Carol Reynolds
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gentle swell
the paddle-boarder’s
wetsuit still dry
pandemic
she polishes the leaves
of her fiddle-leaf fig
Cynthia Rowe
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bare branches
visiting the landmarks
that shaped you
Liv Saint James
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a heron wades
knee deep
a crocodile winks
Barry Sanbrook
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Broome airport –
a flock of red necked stints
head for the bay
Maureen Sexton
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August winds
the cat grass bends
his whiskers
Tom Staudt
Sydney, Australia
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hang gliding
the sequential take-off
of fledglings
Debbie Strange
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still water
the decorator crab
all dressed up
Richard Thomas
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closed for renovations
butterfly wings clip
the long grass
Rose van Son
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he brings some home
on his sleeping bag
forest scent
David Watts
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for the kitchen vase
a clutch of dandelions
in my toddler’s hand
spring thaw—
the dirt where dad
would have planted seeds
crackling fire—
a hint of eggnog
in her kiss
uptown bus—
the strangers in front of me
exhaust their conversation
Michael Dylan Welch
Sammamish, Washington, USA
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summer solstice
the lengthening list
of evening chores
Elaine Wilburt
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sultry night
the moon slips quietly
into the pool
Tony Williams
Scotland, UK
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