Upon My Journey

Let not my silent steps resonate

With the sounds that strikes make

Upon the huge cold metal bell

That mourns the loneliness of hell

Let not crisp paper bills abound

In red envelope with gold seal round

For the greed of thieves shall hound

My shell before it joins the ground

Let not the flickers of candlelight

Illuminate my farewell so bright

Lies and deceits hide my plight

Incantations that blind with fright

Upon my journey secretly depart

Shed no tears as my soul will start

Travel beyond, our path trails apart

Born alone, I leave you my heart.

Time is Irrelevant

To bloom after the sun has risen

To wither before the sun can set

A glory that never even have seen

The beauty of sunrise nor sunset

So little time for flower to have fame

Time is irrelevant, worth is the same.

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 herself as a voice for Truth in pursuit of Equality and proper Stewardship of nature despite the hindrances of distorted information and traditions.

Blue Rain

Restless neighborhoods bathed in blue rain

A man puts chickens in a coop

The dog is barking loudly

The wife soothes the children before bed

I think about us

We live far away

It’s warm in the bosom

You are the spirit I embrace

I’m dying to give you a name.

Emina Đelilović-Kevrić (Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina) After studying the b/h/s (bosnian/croatian/serbian) language and literature at the Philoshopical Faculty in Zenica she got her master’s degree on the subject „Memory construction in the South Slavic interlinear community: typical models of the war camp experience in literature“. She is the author of the poetry collection „ This time without history“ and the short stories collection „ Erased lives“. Her collection of poems „ My son and I“ is awarded by the Publishing Foundation of Bosnia and Herzegovina in 2021. In 2022 she won the second place in the international literature competition „ Isnam Taljić“. She is the winner of the second award for the best short story of the regional literature competition „Zija Dizdarević“ 2022, and she won the first place on international literature competition „Nastavi priču“. 2023. she won a third place on international poetry competition „Ossi di Seppia“ Italy.

Let’s save our world

Our Lord, who created the world,

He gave us the world as gift,

Let’s rise by living and creating,

The world that only shines light on our lives.

The world is entrusted to us,

It is necessary to share in every pain,

Choosing the good and the bad,

It is necessary to give a correct assessment.

In everyone’s actions and work,

You must have justice and conscience,

Standing guard of the Motherland

You should be a general and a soldier.

However, as more and more scientists,

Innovations are fake and unknown,

Oppressors rule in every corner,

The black spot on his forehead is not removed.

Don’t burn the forests,

Smoke and fog are everywhere,

You feel lack of oxygen and it’s hard to breath,

Because of this, life expectancy is reduced.

Do not use low-quality gasoline,

Do not release carbon monoxide,

Many types of gases are poisonous,

You can’t count the toxins in the air.

An ecological crisis is at the door,

War in every country

They fired shells pollute the air,

Even if they pray every day, in repentance.

Toxins are very harmful to mother,

This also affects the baby,

If parents live a healthy life,

The world will be paradise for every child.

Let’s not see every sin in someone else,

Let’s look at ourselves and understand,

Let’s not weave a spider’s web in the air,

Let’s rebuke the sinner in time.

Let’s go together hand in hand,

Let’s have hope and faith in the future,

Let’s save the world together

Let’s call people to courage.

Elmaya Jabbarova – was born in Azerbaijan. She is a poet, writer, reciter, translator. Her poems were published in the regional newspapers «Shargin sesi», «Ziya», «Hekari», literary collections «Turan», «Karabakh is Azerbaijan!», «Zafar», «Buta», foreign Anthologies «Silk Road Arabian Nights», «Nano poem for Africa», «Juntos por las Letras 1;2», «Kafiye.net» in Turkey, in the African’s CAJ magazine, Bangladesh’s Red Times magazine, «Prodigy Published» magazine. She performed her poems live on Bangladesh Uddan TV, at the II Spain Book Fair 1ra Feria Virtual del Libro Panama, Bolivia, Uruguay, France, Portugal, USA.

LOVE AND FEAR

Love requires an open heart

Fear makes the mind tied in knots

The sword serves to cut the knots, and only the ignorant take a sword to an open heart.

They laugh in your face when they hear: I love you!

They do not see for pride, they do not see because of stubbornness,

They renounce everything while crying and attribute everything to the temptations of the Devil, Their souls have been poisoned by religions, they do not know that God is above all religions.

They write love poems that I don’t believe in,

They talk about God’s love but in fact they are wrapped like a silkworm in a cocoon

They have woven themselves and at the end they bless you and call you: Sister, God’s blessing! They use words of lies and hide behind a prayer that contradicts what they feel and by praying

They drive out sincere feelings as sin.

They do not see the golden grains sent by God to transform into golden jewelry,

They reject all that is unknown because love is the transformation from a caterpillar to a butterfly,

If you kill a caterpillar you will never see a butterfly fly.

Love gives you eyes to see more clearly

Fear closes your eyes, the choice is yours,

Do you want darkness and fear or light and love?

SOUL AND SENSES

No one can see or love the soul, that which is of spiritual nature rejoices in the spiritual.

There is no longing, there is no suffering, there is nothing that we feel.

If we have feelings, it is up to us, it is not from a soul that does not speak.

With words we should express what we feel,

If we remain silent it is pride that prevents the words from being expressed.

.

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.

You Are

You are my silent thoughts;

My heart’s rhythmic beating;

My soul’s deepest yearning

When loneliness tries to own me.

You are the resounding bells

Of church spires remembered

From girlhood’s cherished dreams.

You are the sunlit snow of winter –

Bright, silent diamonds sparkling

Like memories of coming years.

My love lives in the shadow

Of your smile and the lightness

Of your high-spirited laughter.

For a time, we shall walk together

While fate is generous and kind

And the love we share is strong

Against the grasping hands of time.

---

My Time to Dream

Night like a bully has chased the sun away.

All is darkness; there’s no more light of day.

All day long I’ve been a prisoner to duty

With little time to devote to things of beauty.

Now has come the time I devote to pleasure

When thoughts of you abound beyond measure.

In the innocent state of dreams, that are so few

The stars beckon surrounded by midnight blue.

In soft, hand-holding sweetness with soul so true

I fly among the singing stars searching for you

Until your voice on the wind of whirling spheres

Whispers past the solar silence to fill my ears

Saying, “Darling, you are mine for a million years.”

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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.