Touchstone

The Wintering Birch

Silvered ghosts in windless hours
Shriek a silent song,
Knowing well the coming hell
Of frigid winds at dawn.

~Earl John Westcott

Champagne Blondes

Oh, so many blondes!
pouring down the sidewalk
like New Year's Champagne -
a cascade of pale, yellow bubbles
giggling on their way.

~Karen-lisa Krueger

Drunk's beloved

Old Tom wore
a limp in his gait

coal-dust stubble
on his chin,
a rot in his liver

to match the spot
of cancer on his lip

but his eyes were gusts
of youth

and life

as his tongue,
steady and golden,

dropped

        the

            words

               of

                   his

                      beloved

Bobby Burns

like hymns

~Patrick Meighan
This poem appeared in the Summer 2000 edition of Flash!Point.

Salmon Tide

Estuary of night's edge
Sunset arrives
Her mast of light
Sails day's release

~Karen Galipeau

Recipe for Sledding

A sprinkle of stardust,
a cup of moon-glow -
frost with cold snow
and you're ready to go!

~Laurie LaMontagne

Fulfilling my Potential

At age 24
I am a symbol of math.

Greater than
Or lesser than -

Depending
on who's plotting the chart.

I have been
tax deductions

An equation
for child support

Life insurance
beneficiary

A 40% roll over
from last year

Matched
at 80% of my contribution

In-state tuition
Out-of-state tuition

Rent Groceries Utilities
entertainment value.

Quite possibly,
I am bottled finance -

ready to be sold
on an open market.

Give me three years
to up my market value

and I can be exchanged
for four times my worth.

~Jessica Banas

Disaster Relief

In a discarded dresser
I stockpile emergency candles.
The drawers, basement swollen,
will not budge.

The garaged rowboat
your ark against a flood
flakes with dry rot.
Muddy river water will seep
through pocked boards.

In a disaster, we'll survive
buoy each other up in the darkness.

~Carolyn Veitenheimer
This poem was previously published in Feelings

Greed

When the opportunity for greed
presents itself the religious recants,
the generous becomes miserly;
frankness shyly turns cunning
thwarting love the heart hardens.
Gold blinds.
Senses take leave.

~Morrisy