by Naoko Fujimoto
Inspired by the ninth waka from Ogura Hyakunin Issuhu
Cold rain falls onto blossoms;
fading their color just like her body—
pieces of dried skin and bone,
her long gray hair covers the lineless back. Continue reading
Category Archives: Poetry
The Passing Spring
Filed under Poetry
Crow
Winner of the 2015 James Vaughan Poetry Contest
by Nicholas Becher
I found the sketching of my youth
Pieced into the confines of a dilapidated tree house
In the nook of a St. Louis suburb.
Through the scope of a pellet gun
I had fired death into the heart of a crow
That dangled upside down from a parallel branch
For a few brief lingering moments. Continue reading
Travel
Honorable Mention in the 2015 James Vaughan Poetry Contest
by Brian Cronwall
Under shooting stars, the quick commas of night,
a train rolls on. The next depot is in sight.
When will we get there? It’s cold in North Platte;
if you get off at the station at midnight,
you’ll freeze your nose hairs for sure. And if you step out
in Gila Bend, you’ll break into an instant sweat.
The same stars watch over both. We’re not
in either place yet, but we soon could be. Continue reading
Filed under Poetry
To Maui
by Julia Wieting
about to boat the stars, then see
ocean lit back and under all comes
swell lap sail luff fish slap
forget land so dive in digging
anemone polyp he‘e stingray eel
display midnight diorama on deck marks
spot in salty footprint map Continue reading
Filed under Poetry
High Priestess Beatriz
by Amalia Bueno
Through the kitchen window’s faded
yellow lace curtains, a casual line ambles
down the sidewalk, all clad in black.
The women come, solemn, purposeful.
Some clutch closed umbrellas
this drizzly night, others bring food,
and each is armed with her own rosary. Continue reading
Filed under Poetry
Hawaii Pacific Review 