Poetry from J.J. Campbell

Author J.J. Campbell White man with a large beard and a black tee shirt and eyeglasses stands in a bedroom with posters in the wall.
Author J.J. Campbell
sadness becomes loneliness
 

it's the

laugh,

 

the gentle

i love you

late at night,

 

the warm

embrace

 

and suddenly

remembering

how many years

it's actually been

 

how the touch

of a woman is

nearly foreign

to you now

 

hopeless should

never come up

when you think

about sex

 

sadness becomes

loneliness before

you even realize

 

the world has

left you behind
--------------------------------------------------------------
start the weekend
 

a

thunderstorm

before the

morning

coffee

 

not exactly

how i wanted

to start the

weekend

 

but you're

old enough

now to know

you don't get

to choose such

things

 

your place in

life doesn't

allow it
--------------------------------------------------------
two vapid souls
 

shuffling down

the boulevard

a skeleton of

a man

 

thinning goatee

and hollow eyes

 

holding hands

with his woman

 

a soul crushing

blonde light years

out of his league

 

most assume there

are two reasons

why she is with

him

 

girth and wealth

 

most assumptions

are true more than

we actually realize

 

two vapid souls

searching for a

better tomorrow

 

if such a thing

even still fucking

exists
---------------------------------------------------------
a zombie apocalypse
 

the muse believes

she can't trust me

during a zombie

apocalypse

 

that makes me

laugh

 

she apparently

doesn't understand

that i will be dead

before any of that

ever happens

 

zombies, an apocalypse,

or a glorious heel turn

 

more pressing matters

are at hand as usual

 

like rent, taxes, a check

engine light that always

seems to come on at the

least opportune times

 

not to even mention

where one might be

able to find some

non-toxic land to

grow food or

whatever else
---------------------------------------------------------------------
a soft rain in the sunshine
 

two loose shits

within five minutes

of waking up

 

jack daniels for

dinner strikes

again

 

a stray cat comes

to our backyard

looking for birds

or some food

 

luck never appears

in this damn town

 

a soft rain in the

sunshine

 

a lonely woman

wonders of a better

way to die

 

here comes a daydream

meant for a better soul

 

the cocaine always runs

out on a tuesday night

 

right as she starts to feel

ok with doing it for money

once again
--------------------------------------------------------------------------

J.J. Campbell (1976 - ?) is old enough to know better. He's been widely published over the years, most recently at Disturb the Universe Magazine, The Beatnik Cowboy, Lothlorien Poetry Journal, Black Coffee Review and The Asylum Floor. Rumor has it that he might have a joint chapbook coming out this summer with Casey Renee Kiser. You can find him most days on his mildly entertaining blog, evil delights. (https://evildelights.blogspot.com)

Poetry from Mark Young

America’s / culinary roots / & Caribbean flavors

Ignore the variable sample 
size, even when there are 
such influential outliers 
in the data as the Dearborn 
Truck Plant, an upscale 
specialty sandwich concept 
shop unmatched by any 
nearby drug store. I have 
been guilty of eating the 
odd haute/uberchic/upscale 
sandwich myself! The Kill-
deer & Canadian Geese 
that nest on its green 
roof can be dealt with 
by rule-directed searches 
through mutation sequence 
space that incorporate 
energy production as 
well as food producing 
facilities. It will be days 
before authorities can 
determine the cause of death.

 
Materialist hermeneutics

The oven is a
resonant space 
within which I 
can move easily.

I put an egg & 
some hotdogs in-
to it; what comes 
out is expanded 

& dynamically 
rearranged. Each 
time it is the 
event itself which 

operates against 
the ego in order 
to make room for 
deconstruction; & 

in doing so, opens 
a window in which 
to explicitly address 
the techno-sexuality

of the digital page.


 
Sousa phoned

Snare drum 
undone is hum-
drum until 
rimshot or 
paradiddle 
pokes noise into 
its silence. Such 
a puzzle, perhaps 
part riddle. Stick 
figures giving
flesh to frame-
work. Is con/
un/drum.



 
Cultural artifice

Gerbils are not for-
bidden, nor are the latest 
Broadway refrains, even 
when played on rubber 
violins. The conservative 
Ordnung that guides 
Swartzentruber practise 
is still moderate enough 
not to alienate swing 
voters. Attracted by it
he started back for 
Cedar City. Rarely is the 
Toreador's song more
successfully achieved.

 
Pectoral

No content at the 
moment but later 
will be. It's possible 
the ultimate constituents 
of the planned structure
might consist wholly 
of senses or concepts
but it's more likely
to be hot muscle car 
babes with great curves 
that love muscle cars 
& the guys who own 
them. Surprising how
fish survive so well in 
what must be a harsh 
& hostile environment.

Poetry from Devika Mathur

Deprivation-

The touch was clear. It asked for something else. Something more pure and crystal.  Transparent as my sister's fingernail. 
I create muses in the air and talk to imaginary situations. Pets, people- furniture and sky. I bang utensils on the table and chew table cloth.  
With shapeless nights and foamy mouth, I  say my prayers and chant all the Buddhist sayings. Deprivation—-- a long pause.
 From the sky like a circular topology. From inch to inch, moving gently to nowhere.
Now, I see television and dance to sepia voices, lost sounds or perhaps to kettle whistle. 
I do not remain a body. Shifting towards a sanguine night sitting on a Jasmine.
I discard everything. 
All and everything. 

Devika Mathur resides in India and is a published poet, writer, and editor. Her works have been published in The Alipore Post, Madras Courier, Quail Bell, Modern Literature, Two Drops Of Ink, Dying Dahlia Review, Pif Magazine, Spillwords, Duane's Poetree, Piker Press, Mojave Heart Review, Whisper and the Roar amongst others. She is the founder of the surreal poetry website "Olive skins" and writes for https://myvaliantsoulsblog.wordpress.com/ She recently published her book "Crimson Skins" and her five poems were also published in the Sunday Mornings River anthology and has her works upcoming in two more fierce anthologies.

Poetry from Tuyet Van Do

black cavities
outside the hospital 
empty corpses


compliance ...
cries for help 
getting louder 


burning flames 
outside the embassy 
a soldier protesting 


blood-stained gown
behind the window
a gasping doctor


ceasefire ...
a man in the rubble 
collecting body parts 

Poetry from Dr. Maheshwar Das

Middle aged South Asian man with short hair and reading glasses and a green collared shirt in front of a yellow background.
Dr. Maheshwar Das
EVENING IN THE  MEADOWS

In this meadow full  of swampy land.
Adorned with mountains trees, grass, flowers and salubrious evening air.
The sky was looking so glorious  tinged with golden color 
It was a nice evening mesmerized with wild flowers. 

Meanwhile the moon appeared in  the sky with  million smiles.
The fringe sky looked glimmered with  moonshine.
Slowly the moonshine wrapped  the whole  ambiance. 
Every beings lighted and delighted with  the soft moonlight.

The tall trees of the meadows looked beautiful  and meditative. 
A rapt silence reigned in that realm of beauty. 
In the meantime the rustle of the leaves resonated the air. 
There  was whisper of enchanting fragrance  in the  air.

Then rose the crickets that remained hidden in the grass. 
They started  their  hymn in that  enchanting  glade.
Prevailed there a beauty and blissful  air.
Reverberated the meadows with the songs and whisper of night so fair.

Dr. Maheswar  Das
India


MORNING REVERIE OF THE WOODLAND 

Morning  descends with  million  smiles and blessings of eternity. 
The enormous all- pervading  sunshine sprinkles and makes the  entire ambiance colourful.  
The dew-sprawling-grass field looks glamourous and colorful.
The blade of grass dazzles carrying the dew drops in its breast.

The morning breeze enthralls all beings with  an amazing  touch of happiness. 
The chorus of bird-flocks in the  sky enlivens all beings with an infinite peace
The valley  looks  colorful  carrying the tall trees under the enchanting sky
The woodland whispers with glee carrying the enormous shades of  clouds.

The tall mountains of  the valley kiss the clouds with so much ecstasy in their eyes.
The buzzing of the bees and butterflies makes the land a paradisal look.
The narrow brook that flows in the valley carries  the songs of the cuckoo in an enchanting way.
The sky lark and other song birds spread their music spell unheard  of anything of the woods.

The morning  resonate with the  musing of nature seems meditative .
The rapt reverie of valley  is often broken by songs of  birds.

Dr. Maheswar Das
India



FROM DEATH TO IMMORTALITY

Like lightning, you are the spark in everything
The energy in all beings 
How futile is it to cling to matter always. 
How long we will remain as a slave of matter 
Not master
Never greedy to go up
Leaving the dense gross, ascending  to subtle 
How  much inert is our intellect 

Oh Lord  
Raise our consciousness
From darkness to enlightenment 
Make us free from the  bondage of gross matter
for a upward journey From mortality to immortality 
From darkness to light 
From matter to divine
For, immense resplendent 
light is beckoning from far beyond 

Dr.Maheswar  Das
India



Daffodils

Oh delightful golden daffodils
Oh messenger of spring
As I behold you for the first time in the garden green
I fell in love with your mesmerizing beauty
To me, you are a golden love flower of heaven
As l see you, my mind thinks of the spring season
I  look all  around to see the presence of spring
With your arrival, spring has already set in
With all its splendor and glee.

Under the radiant purple sunshine
I  see you in the meadows
You are dancing and swinging in the zephyr
Your fragrance lifted me to the realm of heavenly joy and cheer
Heaven's beauty has nestled in your soft gaze.

How beautifully almighty has wrought you.
How beautiful is your whisper
How enchanting is your serenity and beauty that cheers all
How beautiful is your fragrance that attracts all poets  and viewers
In vale and meadows, your fragrance stirs the air.
Your presence makes the ambiance colorful

Dr. Maheswar Das
India



Dr. Maheswar Das
-------------------------------
He is a bilingual poet, translator, editor, and story writer. He writes in English and the Odia language.

He has been pursuing his creative writing for the last twenty years and has authored more than one thousand English poems. All of his poetical exposition centers around Nature, God, love, and relationships. Some of his poems have been translated into international languages. He has co-authored three English anthologies of poems with his two friends.  Besides he is the co-author of more than fifty English anthologies of poems of many literary groups.

He holds the degree of M.A. in both Economics and History. He has accomplished a Ph.D.  degree in sociology from Utkal University. He also holds a law degree from M.S. Law College, Cuttack. He hails from Mallipur in the district of Cuttack, Odisha, India.

His English poems have been published in several national and international journals and Anthologies and have gained worldwide appreciation. He has received so many accolades from various national and international literary groups. He is a recipient of the Gold Medal award from the World Union of Poets, Rome.

Poetry from John Lloyd Casoy

LOW TIDE IN LAGUNA DE BAY

They embrace each other again, 

skin to skin, the islets of water spinach

and the surface of sticky mud 

after a week of dancing with the waves.  

The elusive seagull is close by,

roaming in the transient seashore

created by the low tide. 

The islands of water lilies aboard

in the breakwater, lonely 

for not receiving a warm welcome.

The sun is weaving, the twilight

says “Hello”, and in the distance

here comes the blinking of artificial stars

created by the city which deteriorated

that once deep Laguna de Bay.

I am there, standing on the pathway

that once part of the lake’s body,

jealous of the lake’s destruction.

I don’t know; perhaps it’s just me,

drowning in my deep thoughts

wanting to be visited

by low tide one day.

About the Author

John Lloyd C. Casoy is a public-school teacher in the Philippines. He has a bachelor’s degree in Bachelor of Secondary Education with a major in Filipino. Currently, he is writing his thesis for his master’s degree in Master of Arts in Filipino – Literature at the Polytechnic University of the Philippines.

Poetic collaboration between Dr. Prasana Kumar Dalai (India) and Kristy Raines (USA)

Older middle aged South Asian man with reading glasses and a white collared shirt and dark burgundy tie in a room with a red wall and a stack of books behind him. 

White middle aged woman with reading glasses and very blond straight hair resting her head on her hand.
Dr. Prasana Kumar Dalai and Kristy Raines
Epistolary Poem #155 by Dr. Prasana Kumar Dalai of India and Kristy Raines of the United States of America

MAKE ME REALIZE! (Dr. Dalai) 

My heart belongs to you
I must go where you may lead
If love is red I am colour blind
I may not see the things
That you might see
And I may do just what I should do
I am looking through the eyes of love
And can see so much
The other eyes don't find
Still the sparkle in your eyes
Makes me realize one and all..



She sees the changes and speaks...

THROUGH EYES OF LOVE! (Kristy Raines) 

My heart will always belong to you
Wherever you walk, let me walk beside you
You could never see through my eyes .. But
I now see changes in you that weren't there before
I will always let you do things your way
But now I see more compassion and more empathy
You are seeing so much more through eyes of love 
They now sparkle when I catch you smiling 
And if I have helped you see some of these things
know that I was sent to you for that very purpose

You have shown me many things too.... <3



***
Epistolary poem #196 by Dr. Prasana Kumar Dalai of India and 
Kristy Raines of The United States of America


I BELONG TO YOU! (Kristy Raines) 

The pain and anguish won't be lost
But I 'll be yours all the days ahead 
I 've scattered myself around you
Love has bloomed in your fragrance 
I accept it whatever be consequences 
I belong to you and I do live in yours
I care not if the world stands against 
Call me faithless and I won't mind ever
I see my heaven burnt ere even built
Now where 'll this affliction of love reside
I crave for you no matter what you're .



She will always take her chances with him...


YOU BELONG TO ME! (Dr. Dalai) 

Though painful moments still remain
I will always be yours until time stops
You have made a nest in every part of my life
and unshakable love for you grew stronger 
I'll stand strong beside you regardless
of whatever comes against us in this world
You belong to me, and I to you no matter the cost
Faithless is something we will never be
for our heaven abides in the love that we share
I may not be the one you would have chosen in the past
but I am the one who denies you nothing 
and the one who loves you in every circumstance. 
Never will I ever crave anyone else's touch but yours
as your heart fits perfectly, like a glove, in mine



***
Kristy Raines is a poet, writer, and author, born in Oakland California, in the USA. Kristy is retired, married, and has two children and three granddaughters.

Kristy has five books waiting to be published. One anthology with  prominent poet from India, Dr. Prasana Kumar Dalai, will launch sometime in 2024 called, "I Cross my Heart from East to West", along with two fantasy books of her own called, "Rings, Things and Butterfly Wings" and "Princess and The Lion", an anthology of her poems in called, "The Passion Within Me, and her autobiography called,  "My Very Anomalous Life".  Kristy has received many literary awards for her unique style of writing. 

She is also an administrator for Chaucer's Square and Motivational Strips Literary Groups on Facebook.

Kristy enjoys music, making pottery, painting and raising awareness for the Rohingya people and friends who live in the refugee camps of Cox's Bazar and also raises awareness on human trafficking internationally.
****

Dr. Prasana Kumar Dalai (DOB 07/06/1973) is a passionate Indian Author-cum-poet while a tremendous lecturer of English by profession in the Ganjam district of Odisha. He is an accomplished source of inspiration for young generation of India. His free verse on Romantic and melancholic  poems is appreciated by everyone. He belongs to a small typical village, Nandiagada of Ganjam District, in the state of Odisha.

After schooling he studied intermediate and graduated In Kabisurjya Baladev vigyan Mahavidyalaya then earned a MA in English from Berhampur University PhD in language and literature and a D.litt from Colombian Poetic House in South America.

He promotes his specific writings around the world literature and trades with multiple stems that are related to current issues based on his observation and experiences that need urgent attention. He is an award winning writer who has achieved various laurels from the circle of writers worldwide. His free verse poems not only inspire young readers but also the ready of current time. His poetic goal right now is inspiring others, some of which are appreciated by laurels of India and across the world. Many of his poems have been translated in different Indian languages and earned global appreciation and lots of well wishes for his upcoming writings and success in the future.

He is an award winning poet and author of many best seller books. Recently he was awarded Rabindra nath Tagore and Gujarat Sahitya Academy for the year 2022 from Motivational Strips and a gold medal from the World Union of Poets, France & the Winner Of Rahim Karim's world literary prize in 2023.The government of Odisha's Higher Education Department appointed him as a president to the governing body of Padmashree Dr Ghanashyam Mishra Sanskrit Degree College and he is the Kabisurjyanagar.Winner of HYPERPOEM GUINNESS WORLD RECORD 2023. Recently he was awarded at the SABDA literary Festival at Assam.