Take 5ive Issue One -- Twenty Twenty Two
Mona Bedi
my father's drawer
full of memories
and unfulfilled wishes
the way a lifetime
isn’t enough
random doodling
on my notebook
I draw my father's face
from the memories i have
of my childhood
the peepal tree
grows through the concrete
the glass ceiling
we are all trying to
break
Chen-ou Liu
alone again
in the gathering dark
my father tries
to use his hammer of anger
to break walls of dementia
night fog
clinging to bare trees
along the riverbank ...
a man half covered
by an army blanket
prolonged lockdown ...
alone in her rented room
before the mirror
she plucks out gray hairs
strand by strand
Sherry Grant
daughter
slams her door
the storm
wouldn’t pass
for days on end
home again
past midnight
the scent
of betrayal
in his hair
when
in Rome
all the
merchandise
made in China
Nani Mariani
this afternoon
stepping on the river bank
jump frog
remember the master
Mr Matsuo Basho
silence of nature
cold on the face
in front of the temple
a pair of doves
touching heart
Giuliana Ravaglia
s'adagia lieve
il rumore del cielo
nell'alba bianca
dove nasce la neve
un silenzio d'attesa
it lays down lightly
the sound of the sky
in the white dawn
where the snow is born
a waiting silence
ombre al tramonto
a ridosso del cielo
la buia pineta
sull'acqua che riluce
un filo di speranza
shadows at sunset
close to the sky
the dark pine forest
on the water that shines
a thread of hope
George Schaefer
A beatnik at heart
words recklessly scribbled down
no thought to edit
too strong the belief in verse
captured purely in one take
old politicians
endlessly cling to power
never yield to truth
lie and deceive the public
continued failure to lead
My endeavor leads
to greater isolation
false icons of youth
they’re lined up in the gallows
executed one by one
Joy McCall
no train
rumbling in the night
just the wind
howling down
the railway tracks
he has a dream
of living in the wilds
of America
travelling the trains
like Boxcar Willie
grey and white gulls
soaring on the wind
across
the grey and white sky
I want to be there
I would
want a heart,
not of gold
but of rain, wind
and feathers
while I'm sleepless
cursing the pain, I hear
on the wind
a distant lullaby ...
'mockingbird hill'
Pippa Phillips
scattered cups, unwashed
an out-of-date calendar
stains you can’t scrub out
someday I’ll have a nice place
a balcony facing East
wishing for the forest
from a basement apartment
the light here
is not quite
real
through the kitchen window,
a Jacob's ladder
cracking the clouds
inside an eggshell--
sunshine
Richa Sharma
beneath the mighty
smoke cloud of blues
a fairy horse flies
out of the mud tower
of my mind
wearing stillness
a torn sky embalms
our story
in miles of the sea
reside my unharnessed moments
Minal Sarosh
this spring
has no secrets
I see through
the transparent wings
of a dragonfly
metro station …
sitting at the train window
I feel the breeze
ants travelling up and down
the tree trunk
goal…
the crowd applauding
fluttering away
the butterfly tattoos
on his waving arm
weather forecast
the lake is slowly freezing
numb fingers
I stir the coffee
more vigorously
vaccination room
yet in the air purifier
scent of roses
I slowly breathe in
the garden
Sharon Bird
Revival
to read words of spring
I hear joy
sure as daffodils
dancing in the breeze
for Wordsworth
which is to say he
Is smiling
all these years later
when buttercup sun
touches me
all hues of yellow
sing a song
that lifts from shadow
to golden newness
celebrate
Ram Chandran
when I kiss her
under the shadow of a moonlit tree
falling flowers
from swaying branches...
and stars inside my shut eyes
sitting alone
under a maple tree
I
talk with
the fallen leaves
ikebana-
however I arrange the flowers
I
always feel
a flower is missing
Denis Garrison
the pilgrims ask
how do I bear the wind
that howls without end …
I let it blow straight through me
it fills me and I become the gale
atop the seaside peak
I wake before dawn breaks
and take my stand,
eyes fixed on the lightening east,
and wait to see God smile
we who are made of dust
are, every one of us,
born broken-hearted
our earthly life of love and loss
savors of bittersweet
my woes prod me hard
demanding I bewail them
but God's will rules all
so I give Him thanks each day
dancing for joy on thin air
alone, we'll face Him
alone, we'll be judged … still we
tread that narrow path
our arms all locked together
all members of One Body
Roberta Beach Jacobson
my struggle
to finish each poem
before
it becomes irrelevant
if not the poet
rainy
pandemic evening
I revisit
poetry collections of years ago
to remind myself life is sacred
working
solo from home
I
sing with the lone bird
at my kitchen window
Carmela Marino
the empty shell
of a snail
between dew drops
looking for the center
of my self
an autumn leaf
beats and beats again
against the window
the painted shells
of another summer
Marilyn Humbert
I drop
pebbles in the lake
watching
the ripples roll outwards
… my angry words
this darkness
no stars or moon ..
my mobile’s
buzzing disturbs
the silence
hailstones fall
the size of golf balls
my garden
littered in piles of ice
stripped of foliage
Steve Wilkinson
Babylon a tanka set.
writing out
these words
a therapy
of sorts
wrapped in solace
confusion
arises from a babel of thoughts
and sounds
too many voices
opposing each other
pros and cons
how do you gather
all the flowers
into one arrangement
of beauty?
casting out
the dark and despairing
squatters
of the inner soul
trying to smooth the steps
not here not there
but a quiet place
between the two
where storms blow overhead
and all that falls is rain
in the morning light
only steps away from darkness
the veil dissolves
revealing the reflection
of what has come to be
Douglas J Lanzo
Sakura Snowmelt
sakura snow
scent of cherry blossoms
melts into the wind
leaving fluttered beauty
strewn across its wake
Moonlight Gently Veiled
moonlit walk
through silver-tinseled moss
hung from Southern oaks
renewing wedding vows
under treetops gently veiled
Soaring the City
city falcon
rides vents of thermal heat
soaring skyscrapers
as lofty as the heights
of my uplifted soul
The Silver Lining
searching for
the silver lining
in pale moonlight
I spot a pair of mayflies
enraptured in true bliss
Sunset Radiance
still sunset
stretches the silhouettes
of silent herons
as the light of your soul
radiates warmth within
Xenia Tran
driftwood trees
after the storm
men gather
with bent backs and rusty saws
we help pick up the pieces
rain -
all day long
these rivers
we need to build an ark
the priest suggests in passing
Geethanjali Rajan
an errant sea breeze
tousles the frangipani
with what new moonbeams
will you now light
this night of gauzy dreams
a hushed evening
with a champagne gold moon
at the bay window
why would I wish
for a night of million stars
too late to return
from the slumber
in the mind
grandma mutters prayers
with a vacant stare
Maria Concetta Conti
I look for myself
under the moon shadow
i feel realy lonely
will I find the sky of your eyes
at dawn again?
my father's drawer
full of memories
and unfulfilled wishes
the way a lifetime
isn’t enough
random doodling
on my notebook
I draw my father's face
from the memories i have
of my childhood
the peepal tree
grows through the concrete
the glass ceiling
we are all trying to
break
Chen-ou Liu
alone again
in the gathering dark
my father tries
to use his hammer of anger
to break walls of dementia
night fog
clinging to bare trees
along the riverbank ...
a man half covered
by an army blanket
prolonged lockdown ...
alone in her rented room
before the mirror
she plucks out gray hairs
strand by strand
Sherry Grant
daughter
slams her door
the storm
wouldn’t pass
for days on end
home again
past midnight
the scent
of betrayal
in his hair
when
in Rome
all the
merchandise
made in China
Nani Mariani
this afternoon
stepping on the river bank
jump frog
remember the master
Mr Matsuo Basho
silence of nature
cold on the face
in front of the temple
a pair of doves
touching heart
Giuliana Ravaglia
s'adagia lieve
il rumore del cielo
nell'alba bianca
dove nasce la neve
un silenzio d'attesa
it lays down lightly
the sound of the sky
in the white dawn
where the snow is born
a waiting silence
ombre al tramonto
a ridosso del cielo
la buia pineta
sull'acqua che riluce
un filo di speranza
shadows at sunset
close to the sky
the dark pine forest
on the water that shines
a thread of hope
George Schaefer
A beatnik at heart
words recklessly scribbled down
no thought to edit
too strong the belief in verse
captured purely in one take
old politicians
endlessly cling to power
never yield to truth
lie and deceive the public
continued failure to lead
My endeavor leads
to greater isolation
false icons of youth
they’re lined up in the gallows
executed one by one
Joy McCall
no train
rumbling in the night
just the wind
howling down
the railway tracks
he has a dream
of living in the wilds
of America
travelling the trains
like Boxcar Willie
grey and white gulls
soaring on the wind
across
the grey and white sky
I want to be there
I would
want a heart,
not of gold
but of rain, wind
and feathers
while I'm sleepless
cursing the pain, I hear
on the wind
a distant lullaby ...
'mockingbird hill'
Pippa Phillips
scattered cups, unwashed
an out-of-date calendar
stains you can’t scrub out
someday I’ll have a nice place
a balcony facing East
wishing for the forest
from a basement apartment
the light here
is not quite
real
through the kitchen window,
a Jacob's ladder
cracking the clouds
inside an eggshell--
sunshine
Richa Sharma
beneath the mighty
smoke cloud of blues
a fairy horse flies
out of the mud tower
of my mind
wearing stillness
a torn sky embalms
our story
in miles of the sea
reside my unharnessed moments
Minal Sarosh
this spring
has no secrets
I see through
the transparent wings
of a dragonfly
metro station …
sitting at the train window
I feel the breeze
ants travelling up and down
the tree trunk
goal…
the crowd applauding
fluttering away
the butterfly tattoos
on his waving arm
weather forecast
the lake is slowly freezing
numb fingers
I stir the coffee
more vigorously
vaccination room
yet in the air purifier
scent of roses
I slowly breathe in
the garden
Sharon Bird
Revival
to read words of spring
I hear joy
sure as daffodils
dancing in the breeze
for Wordsworth
which is to say he
Is smiling
all these years later
when buttercup sun
touches me
all hues of yellow
sing a song
that lifts from shadow
to golden newness
celebrate
Ram Chandran
when I kiss her
under the shadow of a moonlit tree
falling flowers
from swaying branches...
and stars inside my shut eyes
sitting alone
under a maple tree
I
talk with
the fallen leaves
ikebana-
however I arrange the flowers
I
always feel
a flower is missing
Denis Garrison
the pilgrims ask
how do I bear the wind
that howls without end …
I let it blow straight through me
it fills me and I become the gale
atop the seaside peak
I wake before dawn breaks
and take my stand,
eyes fixed on the lightening east,
and wait to see God smile
we who are made of dust
are, every one of us,
born broken-hearted
our earthly life of love and loss
savors of bittersweet
my woes prod me hard
demanding I bewail them
but God's will rules all
so I give Him thanks each day
dancing for joy on thin air
alone, we'll face Him
alone, we'll be judged … still we
tread that narrow path
our arms all locked together
all members of One Body
Roberta Beach Jacobson
my struggle
to finish each poem
before
it becomes irrelevant
if not the poet
rainy
pandemic evening
I revisit
poetry collections of years ago
to remind myself life is sacred
working
solo from home
I
sing with the lone bird
at my kitchen window
Carmela Marino
the empty shell
of a snail
between dew drops
looking for the center
of my self
an autumn leaf
beats and beats again
against the window
the painted shells
of another summer
Marilyn Humbert
I drop
pebbles in the lake
watching
the ripples roll outwards
… my angry words
this darkness
no stars or moon ..
my mobile’s
buzzing disturbs
the silence
hailstones fall
the size of golf balls
my garden
littered in piles of ice
stripped of foliage
Steve Wilkinson
Babylon a tanka set.
writing out
these words
a therapy
of sorts
wrapped in solace
confusion
arises from a babel of thoughts
and sounds
too many voices
opposing each other
pros and cons
how do you gather
all the flowers
into one arrangement
of beauty?
casting out
the dark and despairing
squatters
of the inner soul
trying to smooth the steps
not here not there
but a quiet place
between the two
where storms blow overhead
and all that falls is rain
in the morning light
only steps away from darkness
the veil dissolves
revealing the reflection
of what has come to be
Douglas J Lanzo
Sakura Snowmelt
sakura snow
scent of cherry blossoms
melts into the wind
leaving fluttered beauty
strewn across its wake
Moonlight Gently Veiled
moonlit walk
through silver-tinseled moss
hung from Southern oaks
renewing wedding vows
under treetops gently veiled
Soaring the City
city falcon
rides vents of thermal heat
soaring skyscrapers
as lofty as the heights
of my uplifted soul
The Silver Lining
searching for
the silver lining
in pale moonlight
I spot a pair of mayflies
enraptured in true bliss
Sunset Radiance
still sunset
stretches the silhouettes
of silent herons
as the light of your soul
radiates warmth within
Xenia Tran
driftwood trees
after the storm
men gather
with bent backs and rusty saws
we help pick up the pieces
rain -
all day long
these rivers
we need to build an ark
the priest suggests in passing
Geethanjali Rajan
an errant sea breeze
tousles the frangipani
with what new moonbeams
will you now light
this night of gauzy dreams
a hushed evening
with a champagne gold moon
at the bay window
why would I wish
for a night of million stars
too late to return
from the slumber
in the mind
grandma mutters prayers
with a vacant stare
Maria Concetta Conti
I look for myself
under the moon shadow
i feel realy lonely
will I find the sky of your eyes
at dawn again?
