The Little WattlebirdDarts backwards and forwardsBetween the flowering branchesAnd the pollen avalanches Fluttering from tree to treeLike a busy honeybeeThey are much too swift for meand my photos stay blurry Then yesterday, among the treesQuietly squatting on my kneesI finally photographed the little birdie Editor: Erynn Crittenden

Lips part and blood floods through my veins. Our hearts thumping with a steady rhythm like a drum with every pump. The groaning and moaning are felt within my vibrant soul. Heat flushes through my skin, my porcelain complexion, each breath hitched and shallow. Your husky voice whispers my name like a silent siren echo, ...

The birds call out in harmony for the morning to awake.Drowsy legs stumble to start the day.Suits and trimly cut gowns grace the bodies of the soldiers,All marching in unison to get daily bread. It’s halfway through the day and chins are propped up on palms,Eyes gaze in lost focus as the minds’ wheel turns,It’s ...

The intrusive gale was from out of townUninvited and wearinga mud-splattered gownIt rampaged acrossour winter-ravaged ground Snapping and snarling,so powerfully profoundAnd blew our innocentgum-tree down Editor: Erynn Crittenden  

Tiny feet waddle,  With the sturdiness of a seedling. Gleeful giggles fill the air, Emitting the joy of perfect possibilities. Editor: Erynn Crittenden

Unjustly, the road East is now ClosedTo everyone trying to leave the city Heed the Warning!Abandon the Office.Go to the emergency parking bayUnder the building.Avoid the bomb-damaged streetsAnd the armed militia. The once-safe, Great Ocean RoadHas become the Wrong Way.It is the new Government’s Private Property,And Trespassers Will Be Prosecuted! There is only One Way ...

Sometimes, I wish to pause time, Just to spend forever with those I love. Many times, I wish we stay stuck in a moment, So I never have to say goodbye to you. Editor: Erynn Crittenden

Why is the crowCarrying such a large twig?It is not nest building time. Maybe a strengthening rod,To help hold the new chicksIn their cozy cradles? Or a protection stickTo help ward offThe feral predators? Whatever the reason,His tenacious flightIs a weighty mission! Editor: Erynn Crittenden  

Every rock I kicked asideEtched her moon-washed shadowAcross the distant sky Every stone I bounced over the wavesMirrored her olive eyesWithin my bleary dreams Every sod of earth I walked uponResurrected her memoriesWithin my lonely heart And with every phase of the daylight moonThe frozen rivers in my weary soulBegan to thaw

I’m putting all the notes together. I’m raising the highs and dropping the lows. It all has to synchronize perfectly. I can’t let them escape. I shouldn’t make it obvious. So, I paste a smile on my face. Why not? I smooth out the bleeding cracks. I cover it up with careless perfection. Till I’ve ...