Perhaps His Final Parade by Yohan Bang
"He could have stayed in his seat
When the Old Guard was called up for a March Past by the reviewing stands,
Because he was very frail and walking was hard work for him,
But he wanted to be in the parade one last time, maybe.”  

Clandestine Verse by Jennifer Loren Wholey
"I've been sitting next to you
For ten months now,
And your muteness is more
Obvious than ever." 

Fernandina Beach, FL by Paula M. Antunes
"Washed ashore,
the innocent jesters
play within expected eyes.
Forced awareness
on the unsurprised.”
 

Northern Exposure by Kate Miotto
"Neptune rose above the ocean resting his delicate tail flukes upon her gentle waves. He let her swells caress him, kissing the soles of his vestigial feet.”
 

Darkest Night by Trish W.
"your bones are a burden
what you wouldn’t give to leave them behind and
drift away with the fingers of smoke." 

Untitled by Jessica A. Lusk
“I cannot hide this anymore.
I cannot pretend I’m not sore.
My heart hurts with each breath.”  

View by Michelle Schoofs
"Trudging through the dirty grime
Filled streets of life you
Take a sneering aversion
At the homogenized world." 

Ailing Beliefs by Michelle Schoofs
"I wanted to believe in the dream
The one where hatred does not exist
And race is nothing more than a competition.

The Power of Words by Jessica A. Lusk
“From within the depths of my soul,
there is a need, a hunger that eats
me from within.”

Betrayal by Devin
“His existence is measured
By the time he spends alone
In the darkness of his mind.”

Inspiration Lost by Michelle Schoofs
“Oh muse
My muse
Where have you flown”

In the Gloaming by Julie Van Wagner
“Water diamonds sink beneath smoothing waves
Leaves cease their merry whispers
Still
As the air settles.”

Nightmare by Kate Miotto
“And so the nightmare stills
Her eyes glittering with knowing
That now I live my life.”

Soul Mate by Tina M. Gurner
“I'll pray to the Moon,
An offering set adrift on the sea.
With the turning of the tide
She'll whisper words to start your search.”

Miracle by Sharon Martin
“You were just a dream
Just a glimmer in my eye
Another desire
Only fulfilled in my sleep.”

Fade by Devin
“Is there still hope
Dwelling in your withered soul
For all you had imagined
Life would be?”

Half Past Forever by Lillian Lee
“Inky blackness.
Blinding light.
Slipping, slipping, slipping.”

Fallen by Rian
“A grey mist
covers the skies,
enshrouding the hills
that were once green and lush.”

Standing by Laura Schweizer
“Amber of the long thought dead cinder sparks
Chest tightens, hands tremble, eyes burn.
Desire to look into the shadows for my dream.”

Bad Day by Jennifer Loren Wholey
“I can feel my spirit clench and coil inside of me
Like that lock of hair that has recently, frequently
Found itself entwined around my index finger.”

That Nameless Thing by Jessica A. Lusk
“Cold fingers touch her,
Startling her into action.
She plunges into the blackness;
Which is oblivion, screaming.”

The Exit by Jennifer Loren Wholey
“The white-knuckled hand gripping the
Arm rest between them was foreign.
It did not want to be touched.”

Separation by Michelle Schoofs
“Deprived of their love,
Separation proposes protection
From unknown forces
With evil intent.”

Distant Thoughts of You by Liv Uhrig
“Soothing presences have been denied
and from the walls emerge
guards of great hostility.”

True Devotion by Jennifer Loren Wholey
“I could feel you groan,
could touch your throat,
sense your lips form a
Slurred 'Hello?'”

Invisible by Stefanie Weisheit
“I'm locked up in a world full of people
Separated by thick walls of indifference
Locked up in a body my mind wishes to leave”

The Veil by Jaimie L. Robertson
“His existence is measured
by the time he spends alone
in the darkness of his mind.”

Never Again by Jaimie L. Robertson
“My skin is cold.
My body curls
into itself
as wings unfurl”

Im Moment (At the Moment – incl. translation)  by Stefanie Weisheit
“In einer warmen Sommernacht
liegen wir
Seite an Seite
Schulter an Schulter
Haut an Haut.'”