Aubade Longing for a Nocturne
Every single morning, as the day begins with flocks of birds waking and warbling along the full length of the sky’s horizon, all I can carol about is…
Brooms Taking Flight
Yes, it is October,
getting ready for one of her favorite times,
October 31st, Halloween.
Ride, my friend, ride.
Haunting
I want to open my eyes to see the sun but it’s so bright I have to keep them closed…
A Review of The Bride!: Does Violence Help Visibility?
I am a horror fan, be it book or movie. I’m not squeamish about film violence when it feels appropriate. So I’ve struggled with this caveat in The Bride!
Autumn Rain
It was raining leaves, and he was outside trying to catch each one with his rake, as if to catch every drop…
Quarterly & Special Issues
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May 25, 2026
Praise the
fallen soldiers
with poppies and roses,
diminutive flags fly in the
Graveyard.
May 23, 2026
you wanted to be my best friend
even before you knew my whole name
you spoke to this plain girl
out of every one of your pores
May 19, 2026
When I was little, my next-door friend and I
believed we could hide among the sunflowers.
Of course, our mothers saw us, but they never
let on, so we never knew.
May 16, 2026
Come play with the saiga, mustangs, and bobcats in the latest issue of the MockingOwl Roost: Wide, Wild World. Every story, every poem, every essay wanders the world with curiosity with wildlife encounters, stunning scenery, and invigorating delight...
May 14, 2026
Our homestead, as if risen from its grave, invites the newborn sun; its brightest beams perk up the nest-hugged birds with resounding trills…
May 12, 2026
May 10, 2026
Mothers are a precious gift
Sent to us from up above.
They nurture us, take care of us,
And give us all their love!
May 9, 2026
Threatened habitats resulting from burgeoning human population. What happens when trees are felled, and forest spaces are cleared?
May 6, 2026
Later, I ate leftover tacos in silence,
stared at the sombrero you left
like a joke we forgot to laugh at.
May 1, 2026
Wishing a happy May Day, all the while.
An old-time holiday we’re celebrating,
But it’s how we say, “Hello, Spring!”
April 27, 2026
You are my anchor,
my lighthouse,
my comforting blanket,
the earth that reminds me that my roots are stronger than I think
when I feel ungrounded…
April 25, 2026
This work soothes the heart as both a lullaby and an ode to the lonely, but its comfort also carries a clear warning: If we spend our lives living in the fantasies in our head, we will lose the lives we were meant to live.
April 24, 2026
When you plant a tree, you sow the thoughts of leafy morns and lovely afternoons. You plant the thoughts of beauty growing beneath the countless suns and moons...
April 24, 2026
Trees, trees, trees
everywhere we look
line the streets.
as though in a book.
April 24, 2026
I carved a heart you swallowed in bark
not out of hunger,
but ritual.
Every autumn you let go
more easily than I do.
Every spring,
you grew further from the boy who named you.
April 22, 2026
Plant, together, a sapling tree, beautifying our Earthly scene. It is important — we all agree, to keep the air we breathe clean.
April 20, 2026
April 18, 2026
The dragon is golden. The sun is the Golden Dragon, encircled by rays, burning spirits, cleaning heavens from shadows.
April 15, 2026
The power lines hum,
low and uncertain,
like a man trying to remember
the words to a song…
April 12, 2026
A sneeze hangs in the air like a threat,
while the oak tree chuckles in yellow confetti.
My car wears a coat of guilty dust,
proof of spring's indecent proposal.