Ear Full
by John Berry
As with any novice
I hear what the ocean speaks out loud
Today she speaks in her inside voice
After a loud and lengthy discourse with the wind
What she might be saying under her breath
As she smooths her wrinkled green silk dress
I ask the passing gulls instead
Who seem delighted to be spreading gossip
For as little as
a crust of bread
Bio:John Berry’s work has been published in several journals and anthologies including; Vox Poetica, The Yellow Chair Review, Peeking Cat Poetry, Algebra for Owls, and Birdsong: A Celebration of Birds. Most recently, his poem The Day Before It’s Official appeared in Trumped: A Poet’s Speak Anthology, edited by John Roche and Jules Nyquist. His first book of poems, Wobbly Man (Red Dashboard Press, 2016) brought him out of a long drought of misunderstanding what it truly means to be an adult, having reconnected with his poetry in the latter part of his forties. His second book, Medicine, was released in June of 2017. A self-taught woodworker and promotor of all things poetry, John writes from his home in Winchester Virginia with his beloved spouse, Brenda, and their two yorkies, Molly and Lily. When he is not plying his trade as a carpenter, John hosts a monthly poetry open-mic and also presents a weekly internet tv show at www.winlifetv.com called The Sock Drawer Poetry Series, but can more likely be found, notebook in hand, writing. Currently, in his second year of study with the Whitewinds/Featherstone Institute of Integrative Energy Medicine, and with master level training in Reiki, John looks forward to begin practicing energy medicine alongside his wife in her healing center, Sacred Celebrations, at their home in Winchester.
11:11
by Olivia Parker Sergent
A dreamer am I
A wish artisan by trade
With obstinate hope
Leaving joy and dismay
I have too great a number
And inadequate words
For desperation and passion
Under a veil of reserve
I know not if I should,
Or can, or will
And I struggle with
Youthful desire even still
But wishes have wings
And I send these with care
To God, or the Universe
Or whoever is there
Bio: Olivia Parker Sergent has been writing poetry for as long as she has been wearing big-girl underwear. When not writing she enjoys reading, anime, and musical theatre, and even though she doesn't enjoy it she often finds herself tripping, hiccuping loudly, and brooding over impermanence. Over the years, she has come across countless inspiring creatives, and hopes someday her words may reach someone who needs them.
Dawn of Love
by Sanjeev Sethi
Lips sport
insignia of
happiness. Eyes
showcase its
intensity.
In those arms
in that palm,
breath:
Nature gifting me
her cookies.
Word-Stock
by Sanjeev Sethi
Propensity towards punctuality
urges me to inquire by phone:
what’s on your timer?
Watch is synchronized before
acquiescing to an appointment.
Ditto with dictionaries:
semantics in harmony away
from hazards of polysemy.
Bio: Sanjeev Sethi is the author of three books of poetry. His most recent collection is This Summer and That Summer (Bloomsbury, 2015). A Best of the Net 2017 nominee, his poems are in venues around the world: The Stray Branch, Ann Arbor Review, Empty Mirror, First Literary Review-East, Right Hand Pointing, Mad Swirl, Grey Sparrow Journal, The Synesthesia Anthology: 2013-2017, Scarlet Leaf Review, London Grip, Peeking Cat Anthology 2017, Communicators League, and elsewhere. He lives in Mumbai, India.
