Fragile leaves,promising

a spring renga

Marisa Brown

Jane Brunette

Drew Carpenter

Janet Ector

Jeff Embleton

Alexander Friend

Deborah Henning

Bruce Machado

Mary Ann Malkos

Katie McCleary

Nicole Henares

Abigail Wick

Randall Babtkis

Jaime Robles

Fragile leaves, reborn,eclipse thorns on wet brambles,promising berries.

—Jane

Upon these verdant pages,the sun begins a chapter.

—Drew

Coastal lilies, whitetrumpets with blaring, yellowtongues, thus cry: rejoice

—Abigail

Fragile hearts beat outSongs for lost time

—Marisa

The fierce intentof budding limbscalls out to autumn moon

—Janet

The sun melts colors on fallen leaves buried in the streets

—Mary Ann

Towering concreteswathes light into purple grainsand decayed skylines.

—Nicole

A forgotten scent drifts fromthe threadworn blue pillow case—

—Jaime

Depth of the midnight,Woken by her hand’s caressDown her backside, ooo

—Alex

Was it the curve of her spineOr the curve of the half moon?

—Deborah

These two women wo—ken share a subway tokenThumbprint still on breast

—Randall

Ride through the hollow tunnelsto emerge with a shared breath

—Jeff

The sky drips warm ink,humid air licks collarbones.A summer moon shines

—Katie

A speckled palette of dreamsFor cicada illusions.

—Bruce

The tap of a visionburied in the mindas eyes race with waking

—Mary Ann

The smell of old books, a game,a doll with no head—unearthed.

—Jane

Spring blossoms erupt.Headless doll stops her crying.Tears detached from heart.

—Deborah

heads break black and fertile earth.bloom of spring barbies

—Janet

Falling, falling, snowy flakesKissing the ground beneath feetRecycling grace back next season

—Marisa

urban detritus launchesfoaming garbage: shore and sea

—Abigail

home: dereliction.unclean precipitationborne on angel wings.

—Dreux

Beneath a halo: two wingsof wax too close to the hearth

—A. Friend

Dissipate like late seasonflakes and iciclespuddles pooling by the flames

—Jeff

of loneliness and night snowaching to break free in spring.

—Nicole

thoughts drift—a latticeof inky words curving acrossthe paper’s small field.

—Jaime

I love you. I loveYou so much words are threadbare.

—Randall

Devoid of succor,I yearn to speak without them,With impassioned eyes.

—Bruce

with mouth sewn shut language blocksa torn tongue, a wide iris

—Katie

Under wine—dark moon,two women don’t speak what’s known:this harvest, rotted.

—Abigail

Calico cats in pumpkins.Bare branches hang persimmons.

—Katie

Poor Autumn sun’s phaseIt made me feel naked, drunkHung and fantastic

—Randall

pungent memories of lossmy heart scents the languid air

—Janet

jaded branches open wideseething teeth invite inside

—Marisa

silk threads hang from reddened lipsunhinged, truth stripped and cursive.

—Jane

Sunday strollers passby me; their kerchiefs to theirnose—still I grin.

—A. Friend

and the light crown’s songvibrates half—rhymes and longingthrough the soft evening

—Nicole

Dare I come again to herBlossomed, floral flowing glass

—Marisa

The flame tongued orchidleaps out stray kisses in blooms.Spring: the wind’s bounty.

—Nicole

Exalt photosyntheticeclipse of thorns. Sun’s thumbprint.

—A. Friend