by finestexamplecontributor

Echoes…

pexels.com

ECHOES

rain falls on hot sidewalks

in the steam i see strangers

a child trips on her red boot

southern flannel moth emerges from a silk cocoon

like a new bride in yellow

bees drink nectar from a milkweed

lillie’s laugh, a mockingbird calls

discarded weeds wither

pruning last years garden

seedlings stand proud

tiny garden glove

life-cycles

echoes

in the black soil

Joni Caggiano is a self-published author of the book, “The Path Toward the Light.”  Her blog is the-inner-child.com, where she has published many poems, photography, and short stories. Her blog is an effort to give back as a survivor as an Adult Child of Alcoholics and to also write about things she feels matter in this world we live in today.  She started writing songs and poetry at the age of thirteen and have been writing ever since.

by finestexamplecontributor

An Enigmatic Cloud…

photo courtesy of the author Pedro L

“This photo might not be perfect – it was taken from the inside of a bus in movement – but it is meaningful: it is my last image of Porto, when I left the city last 16th March to return to Lisbon, my hometown, and spend this period of confinement. After a few months traveling around Germany and Poland, Ukraine and Romania, I returned to Portugal and decided to take some time in Porto. My idea was to discover the north of Portugal and Spain and collect info about Porto for a future ebook that I’m working on. In this photo there’s a beautiful sunset but what I appreciate the most is the cloud. It’s kind of enigmatic and, I believe, a great metaphor for these days.

Pedro is an independent writer from Lisbon, Portugal. He has worked as journalist and has been traveling around the world, to satisfy his curiosity about other countries and cultures. Feel free to follow his work in http://worldwidepedrol.com and in http://instagram.com/worldwidepedrol

by finestexamplecontributor

A Fair Amount of Ghosts

He plays the trumpet brilliantly on the corner of Grand and Victoria. He doesn’t look like he’s from this era. He’s impeccably dressed, from his crisply fitting suit to his smooth fedora hat. There aren’t many folks that can pull that off. He’s cooler than the freezer aisle on a sweltering summer day. He performs the type of yearning melodies that give you the goosebumps. I’ve never seen anyone put any money into his basket.

There’s a formidable stone house that sits atop Fairmount Hill. It’s been for sale for as long as I can remember. The crooked post sinks deeper into the soil with each passing year. It isn’t a place to live in. It’s a place to dwell in. There’s a dusty rocking chair on the front porch. It’s always rocking. Always rocking. I’m not sure if the chair is occupied by an old soul or if it’s just the wind. Maybe it’s both. I guess the wind is an old soul.

This town is full of posters for Missing Cats. There’s one for a sweet, fluffy Maine Coon named “Bear.” He’s been gone for a while now. I’ve searched through every alleyway, under every porch, and inside of every bush for him. Sometimes I think I see him out of the corner of my eye. But then he’s not there. The rain has pretty much washed away the tattered posters. If he ever turns up, I worry that the posters will be missing.

I met the love of my life in Irvine Park, near the gloriously spouting water fountain, beneath the serene umbrella of oak trees. We spent a small piece of eternity there together. We talked about whether or not the world was coming to an end soon, and if all of our memories will be diminished along with it. After we said our goodbyes and she walked off into the distance, I never saw her again. So I left my heart in Irvine Park.

Zach Murphy is a Hawaii-born writer with a background in cinema. His stories have appeared in Peculiars Magazine, Ellipsis Zine, Emerge Literary Journal, The Bitchin’ Kitsch, Ghost City Review, Lotus-eater, Crêpe & Penn, WINK, Drunk Monkeys, and Fat Cat Magazine. He lives with his wonderful wife Kelly in St. Paul, Minnesota

Looking to submit to us? We’re accepting Poetry, Fiction, Articles and Art! Please get in touch.

by finestexamplecontributor

intense, Passionate, TUMULTUOUS…

Tumultuous by Tiffany Arp-Daleo

Tiffany Arp-Daleo is an abstract artist working primarily in acrylics and mixed media. Tiffany paints intuitively and trusts her instincts to guide her creativity. Her paintings will catch your eye with bold contrasts, gobs of rich color, and layers of texture.

The main influences in Tiffany’s artwork are music and life experience. When she isn’t painting, she likes to attend concerts, mingling with other artists and creatives in search of new inspiration. Something that must’ve been quite a challenge during our global pandemic, but her work is continuing to thrive.

Tiffany loves to explore all things creative; writing, drawing, painting, pyrography, jewelry making, working with polymer clay and ceramics. All her creations are original, derived from the heart, and born out of a need to consistently create and to explore possibilities.

You can reach Tiffany Arp-Daleo at all of the following: Website: www.tiffanyarpdaleo.com Instagram: @Tiffanyarpdaleo Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/tiffanyarpdaleo/?modal=admin_todo_tour Redbubble: tiffanyarpdaleo.redbubble.com

by finestexamplecontributor

Happy Souls…

photo courtesy of pexels.com

HAPPY SOULS

I met a stranger on the road, the road that reads “lonely souls”.

The mind gave me a thousand reasons why, not to pay him heed and simply pass him by.

Yet the heart reached out and so the words, made him stop and started to converse.

Walking , talking we both were lost, in voicing everything inside that was locked.

The baggage that we carried was dumped, the unnecessary, suffocating shield was crushed.

After some time the road got diverged, we were surprised as this was unheard.

The road is straight was what we knew, and so we found that it was untrue. Having no choice we had to choose a lane, we both chose different and thus parted ways.

I left a stranger on the road, the road that reads “Happy Souls”.

Arushi Singh is pursuing a Bachelor of Science (honors) in Nursing from All India Institute of Medical Sciences(AIIMS), Rishikesh and distinguishes as an avid reader and a novice writer, wanting to learn and further explore the field of literature and creativity.

by finestexamplecontributor

Plight of the Elephant…

An animal activist, Susan M.L.Moore is a staunch advocate for their welfare, in particular the plight of elephants around the world. 

As an artist, Susan M.L.Moore  has worked in various mediums from color pencil, pen and ink, to oils and acrylics. She has had a one woman show at The New Hampshire Art Gallery in Manchester NH, shown in many local and distant venues, as well as having taught classes from K through 12 and evening adult classes. 

She participated in a fund raiser in Roxbury NY which included examples from many well known artists  including,  Yoko Ono. Susan has donated pieces for good causes throughout the North East, and has sold pieces around the world,  including Tibet. 

Susan M.L. Moore is accepting commissions, as well as has a blog, omordah.com which has links to her pieces currently for sale at etsy.com/shop/omordah. These include prints of a painting in which the proceeds go to WIRES of Australia  to help the animals impacted by the wildfires.

by finestexamplecontributor

Silver Grey

My wine glass is suddenly heavy.

I know, surely,

That I would still die for you.

You are silver grey now,

And my body is wider.

We are older,

But, I fear, not wiser.

You still smell the same, 

And it slays me,

As it always did. 

Stops me in my tracks,

Makes my knees buckle.

And yet, 

I don’t look back when you walk away,

And nor do you. 

Photo by Valeriia Miller from Pexels

Hannah is a freelance writer and blogger, who shares fiction, poetry and other ramblings at Secret Scribbles in London. She is currently in the very early stages of writing a novel. Hannah lives in South East London with a marauding toddler, an occasionally-marauding husband and a rescue cat, known as The Fluffbeast, who believes he has a very tragic life.

Looking to submit to us? We’re accepting Poetry, Fiction, Articles and Art! Please get in touch.

by finestexamplecontributor

Sick…

I’ve been drawing break dancers as of late and I haven’t showcased any of my drawn art on our site here. So I present you with Sick. Sick is slang for awesome.

I am a huge fan of Hip Hop (especially old school ’70’s-90’s) I even tried some simple break dancing moves when I was 15 in 1985. The Move depicted below was pretty much akin to what I was able to do back then which was essentially nothing acrobatic. LOL

This series of drawings which I am showcasing on my site also features Graffiti Stylized Slang from the 70’s-90’s.

Matt Snyder can mostly be found creating and showcasing older art on Sundays, 6 Word Stories on Mondays, Food Photography/Recipes on Thursdays, a memoir on Fridays. Every day though, is devoted to both Art of all types & the Written Word at https://aprolificpotpourri.art/

by finestexamplecontributor

“La Tristesse Durera Toujours”*…

*Van Gogh’s Last Words- ” The Sadness Will Last Forever”

Photo Courtesy Of Aspasia S. Bissas

Vincent Van Gogh spent the last three months of his life living in Auvers-Sur-Oise, outside Paris, France. Walking through the streets there,  seeing the mundane things he transfigured with his canvas and brush, is like sharing a fragment of his life. In the few months he was there, he created 77 paintings, including The Church at Auvers, Portrait of Doctor Gachet, and Daubigny’s Garden. This tree, which resides in the courtyard of the Auberge Ravoux, where Van Gogh lived, likely wasn’t there when he was alive. But it’s the sort of tree that would have captured his imagination, and when I saw it I thought it also captured a bit of his spirit. Seeing the tree in the courtyard was like seeing one of Van Gogh’s paintings come to life, one he never had the chance to create. Auvers is infused with his memory, and nothing encapsulated his presence more than this tree in bloom, transformed for a brief moment in the place where Van Gogh walked for a while.

Aspasia S. Bissas is an amateur photographer and professional writer. She is the author of the dark fantasy novel Love Lies Bleeding. Her latest short story, Tooth & Claw, is available for free download. Find out more at https://aspasiasbissas.com/books.