Roundabout Course

First breath came as wail
Borne out from within
Purged from Sanctuary
Comes collecting pail
All Knowledge poured in
Learn all Mystery
To Fight never Fail
Strive to always Win
Goal for Victory
As one walks Life's Trail
Each Mark to Begin
Yesterday's History
So rises your Sail
Wind storms to Rein in
Journey Soul's Story
Be Strong even Frail
Strength never give in
Why even Worry
Faith and Love to bail
Kindness when all's Mean
Humbly say Sorry
Head tries to catch Tail
Ends where it Begin
Back to Sanctuary
Breathe of Life to hail
Core's Essence's clean
All in God's Glory


I Wanna Know What Love Is

Tell me what love is
Is love truly a disease
One acquired with a kiss
With bitter pill will cease
Tell me what love is
Is love when one you miss
Do everything for love to please
One's soul given as a lease
Tell me what love is
Is love but a carrot to tease
Where dignity must decrease
From moral laws to release
Tell me what love is
Is love a filthy grease
A nest to cuddle fleas
That even an angel flees
Tell me what love is
I wanna know what love is
The world has forgotten what love is
Show me what real love is


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

House

I painted the house white this morning
Into a silky fluttering vision of life
Joyful, with giant hands
I leave pieces of white
Where did all the living birds from my home go?
Maybe into black grass with flashes of futility
Where will the spirits of life fly that have no name?
They make me love to hug you invisible,
But present, in the dark night
Who longs forever to stay scared?

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.

Welcome New World! 

The most innocent emotions belong to humans, 
But why did Adam's children change? 
They gather and fill their treasures, 
Their greed and stubbornness never fade! 
The desire to be more prosperous, greater,
Their lofty ideals are empty illusions! 
They shed no tears for the limits of competition, 
A diffusion towards the end of mankind! 
Every side, every corner is filled with sin, 
Deadly diseases, epidemics prevail, 
Disgrace does not bring honor, 
Let drug addiction be eradicated!

 Let peace and justice be our future's name, 
Let us maintain balance on the scales, 
Where do millions and billions go, 
Let us account for and scrutinize each expenditure! 
Awaken, put an end to this ignorance, 
Perhaps the bud will wither before it blooms, 
Greedy ones, put an end to this insatiable hunger,
 Everything will be inherited by this world! 
Place yourselves in the shoes of the poor, 
See how it feels to be without support, 
Learn the pain of impossibility, 
To be denied everything you witness! 

The genes of food and fruits are manipulated, 
Animals are injected with harmful substances, 
Infants are born sick, abnormal, 
They suffer the horrors of life! 
Nature lovingly caresses us, 
As a sole consolation to humanity, 
Let us not distance ourselves like ungrateful children, 
This opportunity will not be given to us again!
Let us gift the world a radiant smile, 
Let us say no to war together! 

May the innocent faces of children shine, 
Let the earth not be left to wickedness. 
Let us say to the world, with laughter, 
That no one is afraid anymore, 
We will not surrender the world to the headless tyrant,
Let his vile desires remain in his heart!
In this world, there are countless nations, peoples, 
Each has its own native language, 
In every language, there are countless words, 
With deep meaning and profound wisdom. 
Words cannot be measured, 
Each one is like a unique pearl, 
There is no equal in the world, 
The elixir of kind words soothes the soul!

Let us write melodies with honeyed words, 
Far from hatred, anger, and rage,
Let us erase fearful dreams with benevolence, 
And create smiles and joy on faces! 
Come, masters of words, army of poets,
Let us create a brand-new world once again!
May the fragrance of peace spread everywhere, 
Together, let us compose the anthem of the world. 
The world does not belong to you, 
Nor does it belong to me, 
The world belongs to each and every one of us!
 Let us live with conscience,
With love, with respect, 
Let the world revolve, 
With faith in the future!
Welcome New World!

07.07.2023.
 


Elmaya Jabbarova - was born in Azerbaijan. She is a poet, writer, reciter, and 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.

Water As a Gift to Life
 
Water as a ritual symbol of baptism, 
A man plunges into the river, vows to the priest to leave his old habits 
And emerges sanctified with a prayer 
Water as the source of life, 
The first morning bath and salutation to the Sun, 
The first glass of water as the most precious drink, 
And the last meeting with ritual water when a person dies, 
He leaves bathed to return to the beginning of this story... 
A soul is born into a new body, 
While the doctor after the birth of the mother bathes the child 
And congratulates the mother who drinks a glass of water with a smile on her face. 

Lesson 

Everything in life is like a wheel of fortune and misfortune. 
Everything changes and is not permanent, our inner attitude is important, 
That it is a show for our eyes, 
A test for the mind and heart 
And above all a great lesson. 




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 shealso is a member of the Poetry club "Area Felix" in Serbia.

Soft Magic of Night

And the night descended like soft magic;
Its shadows gripped my soul, binding me
In a memory of another night, finding me
In time’s protected space of moments.
Soft the night was then, too, smiling
With your eyes alight in the darkness;
The moon speaking so rapidly
I lost some of the words of its light.
The moon speaks, still, and the stars
Sigh in this ‘now’, just as they did then.
All the night is a loving flood
Of talking light from the darkness;
Of remembered warmth of a hand
Holding my hand in the stillness;
Of the soft light in your eyes, that filled
My soul with the same inner brightness.
There are lights and words that never die;
They come alive when night descends
Like soft magic shadows of timelessness.


The Measure of Love


My soul dances to the music of your voice; 
My feet want to skip every time we meet.
Your eyes speak to me in an ancient tongue
That only my eyes can hear and translate.
My heart riots whenever you look at me. 
Yours are the standards I gauge all men – 
No other man compares to your fineness.
Honor is your code and truth your religion.
Your lips speak and I hear with my heart;
Your eyes speak love your lips can’t say.
I’ve held you for hours content to listen
To the beating of your heart, knowing
That it beats with devotion for only me. 
My life is yours with all my dreams
Leading through reality’s illusions, thrust 
Into the ongoing path of everyday living.
Whatever thunderous storms may come,
Whatever lightning may flash and follow, 
Everlasting love will be our haven.

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.

NIGHTMARES 

On my lowly bed
As I was sleeping 
You a caress gave
To my eyes weeping 
My faith did fruit 
As you reached on.
So love did smooth 
A soul matted long.
Never have I cried
Such a muted pain.
As i did yesternight
For you left again. 


Looking Back on Life

Once upon a quantum millenium
Lived lifeforms called human.
Such perishable mechanics
Fleeting vessels of organics.
Creators, Gods that have transcended
Giving us immortality for them intended.
If this is the definition of life I'll pass.
Such ephemeral mortality could not last.
But I thank their evanescence
For my infinite existence.

--

From South-Western, Michigan, Jerry Langdon lives 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.

When you realize the TikTok sign is a musical note on grief

I guess this / is what happens/
when you / feed your eyes with too/
much grief / It wallows / sucks you in/
its breath / till you breathe in it/
and become / as hollow / as your /
country / Speaking of / hollowness /
I long to ask / how far is your / country from a / nova / wet like a
wound / into the lips of / a tiktok
trend / Here / the muezzin's voice / 
calls out for prayer / that's the only
aspen / that cascades / maybe or
not / into grief / So take this poem /
as one from / the eyes of a tiktoker /
camouflaged with / metaphors / one who / oils skin follicles / daily / into
a matrix / of sepia hues.