Poetry from Graciela Noemi Villaverde

Young light skinned middle aged woman with long reddish hair, reading glasses, and a pink shirt.
Graciela Noemi Villaverde
IMPATIENT THIRST
 
The heat rushes me towards the summer... 
There is an impious thirst in me for what is coming 
Life begins to be me 
a mix of fierce freedom 
and fierce mistrust
A late tangle of reflections
will convert all creatures 
in small transitory gods ..

And when we finally worship them fiction will begin, 
How did it happen to the Greeks? 
If there is pain, our hope is consumed 
and gives life to the homeless 
Happiness has nothing, 
It's just the song of a soul in love 
Where eternity is today 
And I will know nothing then from those days... 
when your laugh 
It echoed in the corners of my loneliness.

GRACIELA NOEMI VILLAVERDE is a poet from Concepción del Uruguay (Entre Rios) Argentina, based in Buenos Aires. She graduated in letters, author of seven books of poetry. that were awarded several times worldwide. She works as the World Manager of Educational and Social Projects of the Hispanic World Union of Writers and the UHE World Honorary President of the same Institution Activa de la Sade, Argentine Society of Writers. She is a Commissioner of Honor in the executive cabinet in the educational and social relations division of the UNACCC South America's Argentina Chapter. 

Poetry from Maja Milojkovic

Younger middle aged white woman with long blonde hair, glasses, and a green top and floral scarf and necklace.
Maja Milojkovic
YOU
 
You turn my mind around you 
as a rosary in prayer 
When you surrender your soul to God 
my step towards you is moving. 
You buy me without money 
You call me without invitation 
I'm coming unannounced. 
Pray, I am closest to you in prayer.


FIND ME 

YOU unknown man who prays to God 
I am sending you a message 
through my dreams, find me, my knight! 
I raised ramparts of self-protection from all people, 
so high that I could neither see the sun nor the moon.
I dance in a circle with silk threads 
and skillfully wrap myself and 
separate myself from everyone and 
I'm already suffocating from my own darkness, 
recognize me that I am a soul in need of deliverance 
find me, take me, and set me free me from slavery. 
I don't know what love is, I don't even know what marriage is,
all those aspirations of other people are foreign to me. 
Find me and take me I need you!


Maja Milojković was born in 1975 in Zaječar, Serbia.
She is a person to whom from an early age, Leonardo da Vinci's statement "Painting is poetry that can be seen, and poetry is painting that can be heard" is circulating through the blood.
That's why she started to use feathers and a brush and began to reveal the world and herself to them.

As a poet, she is represented in numerous domestic and foreign literary newspapers, anthologies and electronic media, and some of her poems can be found on YouTube.
Many of her poems have been translated into English, Hungarian, Bengali and Bulgarian due to the need of foreign readers.
She is the recipient of many international awards.
"Trees of Desire" is her second collection of poems in preparation, which is preceded by the book of poems "Moon Circle". 
She is a member of the International Society of Writers and Artists "Mountain Views" in Montenegro, and she also is a member of the Poetry club "Area Felix" in Serbia.

Poetry from Lilian Dipasupil Kunimasa

Light skinned Filipina woman with reddish hair, a green and yellow necklace, and a floral pink and yellow and green blouse.
Lilian Dipasupil Kunimasa

Friends Are Here

Never shall one say she is late
Her smiles and tears do not berate
There's no such thing as hopeless fate
Life's but a box of chocolate
Your lies cannot fool nor castrate
Friendship's love stronger than soulmate
No rats to take a cheesy bait
Hunger for heaven who can sate
Your craftiness don't overrate
Knowledge is not only for hate
Love can defeat any debate
Truth always come to those who wait
Let go of all your useless rage
Emotions are truly uncaged 
Hearts tied so tight wiser than sage
All are reading from just one page
Faithful friends whatever be the wage
To any war they shall engage
Not leaving one alone on stage
Golden cage's key they'll forage
True friends' frantic calls can she hear
That they will leave her never fear
Let not iron prods her skin sear
Heavy veils they will gladly tear



Bells of Life

How lonely are the words that your lips loved to sing 
How those bones in solitude cry out in mourning
I'll close my eyes until the bells of life shall ring
Of season's change be it summer winter or spring
No matter how it tries no love can a grave bring
I'll close my eyes until the bells of life shall ring 
Come see how those clean barren canvas are crying
Come see just how colorless is such a painting
I'll close my eyes until the bells of life shall ring
Let in those tiny robins that keep on singing 
Truly life before the grave is fascinating
I'll close my eyes until the bells of life shall ring 
Know that in world of cold grave there is nothing
Even if green grass from the grave begin sprouting
I'll close my eyes until the bells of life shall ring 
Bury those gray ivory bones and let them rest
Let the various colours of Life live in your nest
I'll close my eyes until the bells of life shall ring 
Life is for those who walk the uncharted paths daring
For those who listens and future drums are hearing
I'll close my eyes until the bells of life shall ring.

Lilian Dipasupil Kunimasa was born January 14, 1965, in Manila Philippines. She has worked as a retired Language Instructor, interpreter, caregiver, secretary, product promotion employee, and private therapeutic masseur. Her works have been published as poems and short story anthologies in several language translations for e-magazines, monthly magazines, and books; poems for cause anthologies in a Zimbabwean newspaper; a feature article in a Philippine newspaper; and had her works posted on different poetry web and blog sites. She has been writing poems since childhood but started on Facebook only in 2014. For her, Poetry is life and life is poetry. 

Lilian Kunimasa considers herself a student/teacher with the duty to learn, inspire, guide, and motivate others to contribute to changing what is seen as normal into a better world than when she steps into it. She has always considered life as an endless journey, searching for new goals, and challenges and how she can in small ways make a difference in every path she takes. She sees humanity as one family where each one must support the other and considers poets as a voice for Truth in pursuit of Equality and proper Stewardship of nature despite the hindrances of distorted information and traditions.

Poetry from Annie Johnson

Light skinned woman with curly white hair and a floral top.
Annie Johnson
Birth of a Dream
 
The birth of a dream 
Is when sleep passes through 
The veil of reality 
Into the ether of time 
Tethered by a cord 
Connecting the brain 
To the depth of the soul 
To advance into the realm 
Of timelessness. 

Nightfall and Shadows 

Nightfall and shadows gather around me 
Like a warm cocoon of memories 
Suspended in the exhalations of my breath. 
All the beloved voices my soul remembers 
Whisper in the soft radiance of twilight 
And stroll through the open door of my soul. 
All the people I love, hand-picked by time 
On a schedule marked by infinity’s choosing, 
Crossing the bar of forgetfulness and life, 
Await me on the golden shores of dreams. 
Never lost, the radiant smiles of love, 
Tucked into the tender folds of my heart. 
Memories are stealthy bits of longing 
That come tiptoeing down the corridors 
When the doors of love are left ajar. 
The paths of the heart are washed with tears 
That sparkle like dew in morning sunlight 
And vanish in the shimmer of the here and now. 
Concentrate on the absence of one beloved face 
And all the lonely corners of life, fill 
And dispel the shadows with waves of light.


Love’s Old Sweet Song 

I love the fragrant garden in your eyes; 
The exotic trade winds of your breath; 
The hidden lagoon of your devotion. 
I love the silence broken by your tread 
When with purpose you come to me; 
The hesitation when our eyes meet 
At the moment your desire showers me. 
You are master of the elements 
Swirling within my simple form 
Anticipating the moment our lips meet 
Igniting a fire of unquenchable desire. 
I hear through your touch 
I feel through your voice - 
Your every cell sings to my body 
A melody as old as time 
And I remember the song. 
Oh, my dearest, I remember the song. 

Annie Johnson is 84 years old. She is Shawnee Native American. She has published two, six hundred-page novels and six books of poetry. Annie has won several poetry awards from world poetry organizations including; World Union of Poets; she is a member of World Nations Writers Union; has received the World Institute for Peace award; the World Laureate of Literature from World Nations Writers Union and The William Shakespeare Poetry Award. She received a Certificate and Medal in recognition of the highest literature from International Literary Union for the year 2020, from Ayad Al Baldawi, President of the International Literary Union. She has three children, two grandchildren, and two sons-in-law. Annie played a flute in the Butler University Symphony. She still plays her flute.

Poetry from Jerry Langdon

Light skinned man with dark short hair and a white collared shirt seated at an angle.
Jerry Langdon
In The Shade

Stop trying to sell me your light.
You are only going to lose the fight.
I've been there; I've seen beyond that beam.
What you are so sure of is just a wishful dream.
Maybe you will find peace but I only found sadness.
A sadness that immerged me into the arms of madness.
A madness that drove me to my inner core.
Where I dwelled and part of me will dwell evermore.
In a darkness that harbors negativity
Feeding on every drop of positivity.
Only in that I let my misery torture me
In that darkness am I truly free.

Sick

I'm just sick
I'm adDICted
I need a fix
I need you with me
I need a kiss
So what's it gonna be?
Can't you just hold me?
'Cause I'm a dick
I'm conVICted
Watch my tricks
My heart is incarcerated
All that I wish
Is that I stay sedated
Why are we so complicated?
I want your touch
It's not like I'm asking much
We're half way to defeat
'Cause we never seem to meet 
I need you bad
Can't we have what we had?
I'm just sick
I'm adDICted
I need a fix
I need you with me
I need a kiss
So what's it gonna be?
Can you just hold me?
'Cause I'm just sick


From southwestern Michigan, Jerry Langdon has lived in Germany since the early 90's. He is an Artist and Poet. His works bathe in a darker side of emotion and fantasy. He has released five books of Poetry titled "Temperate Darkness an Behind the Twilight Veil", “Death and other cold things” “Rollercoaster Heart” and “Frosted Dreams” Jerry is also the editor and publisher of the literary magazine Raven Cage Zine poetry and prose. His poetic inspirations are derived from poets such as Edgar Allen Poe, Robert Frost and Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. As well as from various Rock Bands. His apparently twisted mind, twists and intertwines fantasy with reality.

Poetry from Alan Catlin

768-

Love. All you need is. Makes the world
go ‘round. Is a many splendored. Thing.
Love Shack. Love Boat. Love Canal.
Kevin Love. Thirty Love. Forty-five love.
Sixty. Love. Somebody to. Love. Hiroshima
My. Love. Love hurts. Love is a battlefield.
Love at six thousand degrees.


		769-

Joy in the morning. Joy to the world.
All the boys. And girls. Joy to the fishes
In the deep blue. Sea. See. Blue Meridian.
Blood Meridian.  Jeremiah was a.
Prophet. 

		

		770-

Violent Femmes or Psychedelic Furs.
Dead Kennedys or Dead Milkmen
It’s all happening at zoo.  Charlie
Don’t Surf. It smells like.
Teen spirit. Victory.
 
		771-

Astro turf never needs water.
Plush lawns for pink flamingoes.
Black jockey statues with ring 
handles. Tethers for ghost ponies.
Kissing cousins to Christmas displays.
The reindeer. And the elves.
Yard dwarfs and garden gnomes.
Paint them with glitter. Glow in
the dark colors. Lawn ornaments
need attitudes.



		772-

Easy reading or Life Stories

Briefing for a Descent into Hell
or Woman of Solitude

The Golden Notebook or
The Bell Jar

Canticle for Liebowitz or
Wittgenstein’s Mistress

Desert Solitaire or
Arctic Dreams

Hades in Manganese or
An Alchemist with One Eye
on Fire

Portrait of Dorain Gray or
A Guided Tour of Hell (again)
 
		773-

Patti Smith. Solo. Portraits of
people. Stuff. Walt Whitman’s
tomb. Sonic’s Fender. Cross with
a mirror. Mapplethorpe’s hands.
His slippers. His star mirror, London.
His cross. Jesus with a flower.
V. Woolf’s cane. Duncan Grant’s
paintbrushes.  Pitted mirror, East
Sussex. The River Ouse. Robert
Graves’s straw hat. William Blake’s
head. Not a Fordham Baldie.  A
visionary. Brighton Beach sea gull.
Herman Hesse’s typewriter. Bust of
Baudelaire. Brancusi’s grave. Ingres’s
Christ detail. Rimbaud’s eating
utensils. Godard seated, Alexandria.
St Sebastian. Details. Arrows. Turin.
Shroud. Details. Stuffed bear with a
Calling card tray. Tolstoy’s house. 
No one home. Self Portrait 2003.
Unfocused.
 
776-

Ocean Avenue Salvage: A Personal History
Of:

My mother’s metronome

Her mother’s books
DeMaupassant
Robert Louis Stevenson
Richard Harding Davis

My mother in law’s tea cups
My father in law’s tools

My step-mother’s wicker baskets
My father’s picture in a heart shaped frame

Their Shaker Art

It’s a gift to be simple

Poetry from Vernon Frazer

Last Wording



half the polar well  

holds the harming serve

until breathers moan



     again loaded

     culminating adobe details



                         in the foreground cove



                while 



the tattered syllable recluse

celebrating from coherence 



             occupied yogurt armor 

             between aggressive pouncing



where

           cufflinks rotate

                                   cowl interjections



     rubbed beyond

     new reconstruction torpedos



                 bamboo cracks

                 pandemic eccentricities



                                in seance



                           *



grammatical stalling

skewers one written 

empire

            patriarch iced 



legend’s fixative seeks nods



     distrust empurpled

     celebrity hump rebuffs

     where a lead terrorist



                 bends to cold pavement



                          broadening 

                          perceptible calamities



bustle correspondence deadened a utopia decoy  



                           *



moon’s wake

the orthographic effigy      

       

     put refraction thoroughfares

     lunging                        apart 

                     aggressor

                  progressions



                          gone 

                          with the global



                                  valence



          present condemned

          a rope motive 

                                in the echoed slab



                  reputation boiling 

                  clauses to memoir debauch



                                              endowment removed





History Happening




extreme sanskrit multiplex directive

commotion scattered babel tongues

across the time of papyrus infusion

caverns gave coded empathy shrouds

a place to gather against the wind

or another ark to flood with animals

contained to pair for a bearded one

stoning down mountain imperatives

androgynous caverns heaving a glide

toward the desert suit filed into sand

temptations crystallized their renewal

before the reflection written to fix

the derelict card careening passion 

through undirected profusion litters

light crystals prismatic sun spokes

an emerging moon theme in motion

revolving over the nighttime desert 

where billowed plans will resolve 

with the crux of historic anticipation 

carried to any nearby tree will do

the sect projection beyond the day

the exempt declared renewed grit

and peremptory sandstone polish 

not the rain of provisional passing

furnished a new micrometer legend

whose replications dated calendars

when their makers proved reluctant 

snapshots in the tiller thatch missed

no embryonic passport in the thicket

or watchful rushes bulling paparazzi

to divide the walls that conquer all

tablets that broke their millennium

before the requisite numbers spread

the vast mirage of new mother's milk

spread through forty days of microbes

tempting the igneous with sediment

promised to deliver layered history

to seeking prophets under threat of 

renewed octagon vengeance made

before the form could fake ascent

on the choral donations or decor

as added to the licentious playbill

rostered pagan invasion sealant

before fumes could accrue tarnish

receptacles reeling with plasma grief

worn follicle ventures packing meat

of their belief into a worn sleeve’s fray

no doppel to gang a loose parlance

with a part from the other to match

the fetid geometry buckle in manure

angling the portal drop toward hay

where they fielded lain shepherds

deepened their sleep wherever 

the sale of their sheep relocated 

their hostile ambience a matter 

of sacred discord when aroused

the cult of thirteen ran the dozens

against a predictable implosion

felt rummaging vegetable sponsors 

when old spoons entice the lurid 

a cult device records the subtext

no graphic delayed for the new ride

a molecular detergent foray decries

testicular headings over horsemeat 

babble at the slowed compendium

forming a triage from the fictive mix





Dream a Generation Away



rutabaga polish 

rides a sanskrit momentum



calypso fury casts the last rendition



		*



enamel passion

brings its own veneer

to hidden sightings



vegetation budgets an inner flourish



before melting lavender

pots its ancient shrug



while inaction seeks its tongue



		*



an action pursued

the molting factotum legend 

of suit incarnation



dispassionate, buried

seven layers of ancient cities

bubble above the shale



		*



radical depiction

cherishes a hairy flourish



the vegetable innovative crew



merrily words away

the gray whitening to the rhythm’s light



an edition only dreamed to last




BIO

Vernon Frazer’s most recent poetry collection is Memo from Alamut.