Poetry

Full Circle
by Shawn Anto

they buried a boy
they never really knew
sprinkled salt around
the resting place
to prevent desecration
in their grief.

did I ever come full circle
like they wanted?

would you say
the redemption
of my life is complete?
 
if the dead want something:
have a face cut it in half
one for happiness
one for guilt
disregard any expectations
and wait for answers after
you pour the gasoline all over.
 
I never asked you
to set yourself ablaze
to keep me and my brother close.
 
the body settles in
somewhere you can hear a lullaby
a mother sings as she calls out to angels
dirty wings still territorial
caked with soil, uprooted.
 
even in death you sing
to enrapture and console me.
 
will they even listen?
do the dead want to hear—
 
maybe they will this time
as they begin their song too.

I walk closer to the fog
for I was closer to the devil.

Shawn Anto is from Delano, California. He was originally from Kerala, India. His writing has been featured or is forthcoming in Reed Magazine, The Decadent Review, Sierra Nevada Review, and elsewhere.

AHH, THE RAIN…
by Shelley J. Evans
 
 
            …the mellifluous sound
of raindrops splatting onto ground
and falling softly down;
forming puddles all around;
pellets pounding in the street.
So rare is rain, it’s quite a treat!
 
The grass and fields are turning green.
Before long wildflowers will be seen
in vivid colors like aquamarine,
violet, yellow, red, tangerine.
In spite and because of this rainy day,
even superbloom memories take my breath away!
 
Oh, the smell of rain is indescribable…
Fresh, clean, unbelievable;
an absolute delight to inhale,
it makes my lungs feel clear and well.
Dropping from heaven, it’s simply divine.
I like to call it liquid sunshine!

Named after poet Percy Shelley, nature inspires Shelley Evans; several poems are published, and she’ll publish a book soon. Shelley’s a wife, mother, secretary, WOK member, participates in open mic nights at Dagnys, CSUB’s poetry readings, and has entered poetry in the Kern County Fair. Rhyming is breathing to Shelley.

writing
a tanka poem
by cyn bermudez
 
candlelight flickers
illuminating my room
stacks of paper swish
they flutter and flap and fall
until they land on my desk

Cyn Bermudez is a writer and artist living in California. She loves astronomy and speculative fiction. She loves music, reads comics, and bakes chocolate cakes for her family. She writes in multiple genres, writes poetry, and illustrates.  Sign up for her newsletter to receive a free e-book copy of To Dream in Color. 

2 Sun Dogs
by Christopher Nielsen
 
One sun dog in kind,
another on the other side. 
Two sun dogs left and right
showing in the clouds.
 
Glowing reflected colors 
basking on the earth surface.
Telling of the weather storms
alongside the forecastered rains.
 
In the hot dry deserts
praying for the waters
with our souls. Sun dogs
above for awe-inspiring days.

Christopher Nielsen resides in Bakersfield, California. He is a photographer, writer, web designer and consultant. Traveling the many back roads of California has provided a wealth of inspiration and he feels most at home out in nature. Poetry has become his primary form of written expression. Christopher has been the featured poet at Kern Poetry’s Open Mic at Dagny’s. His photography has appeared in Barren Magazine and West Texas Literary Review. Christopher’s poems have appeared in CSUB’s Sound 2019, CSUB’s Writing Fields 2020, Rabid Oak and in Mojave Heart Review.
 

Author website:
 chrisnielsenphotography.com

The Coronavirus
by Baylie Jett Mills
 
Just a few months ago we had never heard
Of the virus that now sweeps the globe like a bird.
The virus that changed the way that we greet
And makes it difficult to find the food that we eat.
 
Just a short time ago we never dreamed
That our whole nation would be quarantined.
The grocery stores are crowded, yet the shelves are all bare
And now finding toilet paper has become rare.
 
Just a while ago we never believed
A pandemic could strike that would leave us all grieved.
A pandemic that makes us all wash our hands well
When we return from searching the stores for Purell.  
 
 
Just a few weeks ago we never knew
That a virus existed more lethal than flu.
A virus that makes us stock up on food
And social distance ourselves from the face-masked old dude.
 
Just a few months ago we never feared
That our bottled water would have disappeared.
Panic has set in and everyone feels stress
As they listen with interest to the president’s address. 
 
But as hopeless as things look amid all the fear
I am confident America can persevere.
We have overcome crises before this one came
But our world undoubtedly will never be the same.
 
If we all stay on lockdown
And keep surfaces clean,
I truly believe
We will beat COVID-19.

Baylie Jett Mills is a Bakersfield resident and the author of The Adventures of Max children’s book series available for purchase online at Amazon.com and at local bookseller Russo’s Books.