Featuring the work of nine poets
"MORNING'S QUIET RETURN"
The night, a hand long folded in prayer,
loosens its fingers, lets go of the dark.
What remains is the hush before becoming,
the sky unfastening its veils of ink.
A bird, astonished, lifts its song -
not knowing if it mourns or welcomes.
Somewhere, light gathers in slow procession,
hesitating at the threshold of the earth.
You are not here, yet the air is filled with you,
your name written in the breath of the wind.
I place my hands upon the fading night,
feeling its weight, its quiet surrender.
Nothing leaves without a trace of longing -
even the stars have softened in farewell.
What is morning but the body of absence,
rising with the certainty of return?
Light unspools in threads of gold and dust,
weaving through the branches, the fields, my hands.
And I, still part of the vanishing dark,
stand within the dawn, listening for you.
© CONCETTA PIPIA
US
"HAUNTING NIGHT OF A DREAMY DAWN"
Graceful and delicate rays
from fainting shade
touched my dainty emotion
with a soft kiss on my smile!
Impassioned moments came!
Day illuminated due to your hug,
candle of your presence shining bright
Wax will shed its tears down,
sorrowfully, until we light next week!
Even the glow became invisible.
Desperately robbing each other's hearts
With lots of expectations and dreams!
Let's not dissolve the precious hours
by our past grievances and mistakes
Only our feelings will lustre the day.
Luminosity for each other's emotions
isn't satisfied as gloomy air is entering!
Darkness has come with a sharp edge
to cut our meet into pieces, cruelly!
Heart bleeds painfully as you walk away!
© SONAL RAO
India
"SANDUNES"
Sand dunes blown by the wind
Time passes through the eye of the thread
Scorching heat keeps burning on my head
Heaps of wounded scores of the undead
Sand dunes, sand dunes kisses the dawn
In the middleland where I have grown
Early prayer echoes every morn
Until it's dusk, it's always shown
Sand dunes, sand dunes painted with red
Tons of bombs rained over my head
Sand dunes, sand dunes hurry up
There's a tempest brewing in my teacup
Drenched by the blood of those who care
Giving up is the last thing I can't dare
Sand dunes, sand dunes where is your song
Buried in desert sands all day long
Is death where should I belong?
Oh, sand dunes funneled in the bong.
FLOYD GALE CABUS
Philippines
"THE SULKING EMBERS OF LOVE"
The jealous sun is at its game again
Stealing the night, and leaving the lovebirds
Exposed to the vagaries of the dawn,
Winking with vicarious pleasure in the eastern sky.
The riverbank is slowly flooded with people
The waters, which sparkled like silver flakes under the moon,
Has taken on a golden hue
And the moist sand, held onto the feet of the young lovers.
Fear made her feet unsteady, and she nearly dragged herself
On the dew drenched grass, wetting her dyed-red feet.
She didn't have time to bid a proper goodbye to her beau,
And looked back, furtively, at his receding silhouette in the morning haze.
The spell has splintered, she covers her face, and speeds up her stride
The anklet bells jingle in sympathy, as if empathizing with her fate.
The curious gaze of people, she ignores in haste.
The night has melted, but the embers in her heart are still sulking.
© KALUCHARAN SAHU
India
**
"HEALING SLEEP"
I'm sailing, floating in delta waves
Drifting off to a surreal place
The midnight hours seduce and paves
The way to where my memory plays
Games with my illusions while awake
My weary soul bathes in a healing sleep
Wallowing in a restorative cruise
Tightly holding on to night's embrace
Venus glowers as aurora sneaks
Bering an orchestra of jazzy beats
My snug niche delightfully shatters
Under the birds' cheerful chatters
Whirlpools create a chasm on my cheeks
Hearing the rustling leaves' merry gossips
A fire ignites deep within my heart
My recharged spirit it kicks start
It's now easy to say goodbye
To restful night, and hail the sunrise
As blossoms of hope colour the skies.
© MYRTLE REYES EVE TEJADA
Philippines
My wanderlust mind explores dark skies
On a vesper walk gazing up high
Feeling the zephyr of earth's dew
My nocturnal being widely aware
To enjoy the serenity to compare
Whilst still in its quiet slumber
Bemused the late nights wonder
Soon dawn arrives near the hills
A light glow peeps behind a mill
Not yet seeking the warmth of daylight
Its beauty outshines only during twilight
I bade adieu to the dawn at night
As the universe welcomes morning light
Pigeons cooing loudly as the sun rise
Birds, fowl and creatures awaken with cries.
© GLORIA MAGALLANES-LOEB
US
"AUBADE TO MONA LISA"
The dawn, A fracture on the wall
The canvas, cracked and old,
Portray a chipped Mona Lisa
Of weathered faith, and beauty's slow decline.
Her gaze, once bright,
Now softly seems to shine,
A fading light that mirrors in
My heart
The gentle sorrow,
Of the impending part
Of slumber's peace.
The colors softly shift,
From shadowed grey to gold,
A sunbeam's gift
That spills across the canvas,
The painted face, a hint of afterglow
And as the light climbs higher, I arise,
To greet the day, reflected in her eyes.
© SHEILA ANN PACKIRNATHAN
Malaysia
"I'LL BE BACK SOON!"
The night gave us so much adrenaline
And then, it sneaked out of the sight
Like a thief that gets out quickly from a house
Being afraid to be caught in the act.
The dawn came, like a cold shower that wakes up
Shaking up all the loving agony of our bodies.
Duty calls, a phone call is echoing in the bedroom
A message text for a taxi, at such a rush hour
I'll be back soon, keep our love between the sheets!
© BOGDANA GAGEANU
Romania
"SUNRISE"
Every day, without fail, the sun rises
It shines its intangible rays, like fingers
Caressing your skin, body and limbs.
Everyone of them ends in special memories,
As each day brings in new events.
Sometimes, those are sad and lonely,
Others are depressing and gravely
Affect your humor and oddities.
They can take you into a dark abyss
Of despair, and return with cheers,
Inspire you to believe in one more sunrise,
That lifts you above the murky fogs,
Into clouds, of such pristine whites
That their glare overpowers,
While your fogged windows, from your breaths
Show your anticipation forwards
To one more unbelievable sunrise,
That becomes your muse for life's
Unending wonder, transience and colors.
Rainbows of which come out after the rains,
Reminding those bogged down to rise
Rise to the challenge of beauty and lived lives.
© MALAK KALMONI CHEHAB
Canada
Comments