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Daily Verse
 

Week 3, August 2023
 

Image by Vincent van Zalinge

A Visitor
By Kathleen Chamberlin  18th August  2023, 

Watercolor Butterfly 6

I saw the butterfly as it fluttered soundless near the pink rose bush,
Fragile white wings steadily stroking the currents of air
Changing direction in perfectly choreographed movements
I smiled and said your name,
Sure that this butterfly so pure and unsullied
Must be your soul, sent to say hello.

With Titles.jpg

Haiku with Titles

By Tomh Bakelas, 17th August 2023

Watercolor Butterfly 7
Screenshot 2023-08-20 at 10.20.27 AM.png

“one for me”


another blackbird night
spent walking streets amongst
ghosts and sheets of rain

Image by Jack Finnigan

“haiku written two months after visiting san Francisco”


i walked all night long
searching for inspiration
beneath city lights

“everyone mourns differently”


i share jokes at funerals
because the dead can-
not hear anything

Screenshot 2023-08-20 at 10.23.22 AM.png

“the ultimate declaration”


now listen up: all titled
haikus are henceforth
called “bakelakus”

Screenshot 2023-08-20 at 10.09.00 AM.png

Thought -Mirror

By Manali Choudhury,  16th August 2023

Stationery

      c

Hours s   a t    e r    r   ing

                      t

Like strings

 

 

Through the mirror h(   )le,

                                    (   )

Like r——————ays

                                     i

                                   r   s

Passing through a p      m.

 

   s

I  i wit  thoughts

   t    h

                   GNIDNIWNU.

    l   o

C         u     RUMBLING!

   s    d

 

Winds jo stl in g!

 

     a     e

W     v      s pounding,

 

On my shingled shore.

 

 

            (   at    )

I try to (g     h ) my words

            (      er  )

 

And l_i_n_e_s,

 

But the b</>ro</>k</>en mirror within

 

 

Reflects the B</>RO</>K</>EN shadow

 

Without.

Image by Patrick Hendry

My Country
By Anshu Gagal

Image by Sikandar Ali

In the realm of my heart
This nation is so grand
A canvas of land supreme
I made all in my dream
A country of rich culture
Behold it we so dear
In every corner Spirituality breathes
Scriptures enlighten humble and meek
A nation of wonders
Where knowledge unfurls
Unveiling secrets, Chandrayan-3
Patience and precision
illuminates ignoble
ignite also some with curiosity
A country where million dreams
Unite to transcend
Defeats into triumphs
A world where kindness often seems rare
There stands my nation, where
emotions run like streams
We always take pride
In our own legacy
Diversity we embrace
At such a pace
harmony and peaceful space.
It was a melody of utter delight
Of triumph, glory, and pride.
Until cries of woe begone
deep beneath often hurt

Why? I ponder
A country of Durga and Kali
Often sees Draupadi
Marched ripped naked
On the streets
Till date she is mercilessly raped
What symphony of brilliance we praise.
What we sow? Respect or Love?
Unabashed they grope and dragged
Died my pride, Bharatmata cried.

Biographies of Poets

Debra S Mascarenhas is based in Dubai in the United Arab Emirates, and has been living in Dubai for almost  three decades. She is a widow and lives with her three children. She  graduated in Arts and majored in Literature. Writing comes to her naturally. She has two books ,published in the UK. namely Whispers from my Heart & Sail into the World of my poem. She also loves painting in acrylics and is passionate about cooking, gardening, writing, and photography.

Dr Anshu Gagal, Assistant Professor, Department of English, Vivekananda Institute of Professional Studies, Delhi. She is a bilingual Indian poet and a creative writer. She has published her works, in Amarujala, Indian Periodical, The Poet, etc. Over 15years of literary research experience, leading to integration of theoretical expertise with strong analytic and strategic thinking. She has taught numerous courses. She is an avid reader and her areas of research interest covers Ecofeminism, Folklore and Culture Studies, Gender Studies, Ecocriticism and Dalit Literature. She has various publications in esteemed journals and she has also presented papers in national and international conferences.

Manali Choudhury,  is an Assistant Professor of English and a Katherine Mansfield scholar. An ambivert, she finds greater space for expression in written words. An avid traveller, she enjoys the journey rather than the destination. Films are not just a pastime, but a serious escape route as they help her travel, visually, imaginatively and almost tangibly, into spaces within and without. For her, poetry is a part of that journey .

Tohm Bakelas is a social worker in a psychiatric hospital. He was born in New Jersey and resides there. His poems have appeared in numerous journals, zines, and online publications. He is the author of 25 chapbooks and several collections of poetry, including “No Destination” (Kung Fu Treachery Press, 2021),  “The Ants Crawl In Circles” (Whiskey City Press, 2022), and “Cleaning the Gutters of Hell” (Zeitgeist Press, 2023). He has read his poems across America and England. He is also the editor of Between Shadows Press.

Kathleen Chamberlin is a retired educator living in Albany, New York with her husband and two rescue dogs. She began devoting time to writing creatively during the pandemic quarantine and has been writing ever since. Her work has appeared in Lothlorien Poetry Journal, Open Door Magazine, The World of Myth Magazine and the anthologies The Book of Black, Breath of Love, and Snowdrifts. In addition to writing creatively, she enjoys gardening, genealogy and grandchildren. 

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