Light: A cento by Melissa Lemay

 

cottonbro studio

Light

A cento.

The morning when I first notice

the farthest candle to the right.

He plants his footsteps in the sea,

Someone films something that needs this light.

And I’m afraid of what can happen

Knot in the hectic juncture of water, sky;

It was as if he dreamed some private garden.

In unsymbolic gestures of eternity;

till what seems solid floats away, dissolves,

Some veil did fall,—I knew it all of yore.

Sources

"Light" by Alice Jones from Poetry (January 1996)

https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poetrymagazine/browse?volume=167&issue=4&page=22

"Light the Festive Calendar" by Aileen Lucia Fisher from Skip Around the Year (New York: Thomas Y. Crowell, 1967) https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/46923/light-the-festive-candles

"Light Shining out of Darkness" by William Cowper from Poetry (April 2003) https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/44028/light-shining-out-of-darkness

"Light of the World" by Hugh Seidman https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poetrymagazine/browse?volume=182&issue=1&page=10

"Lighting out for the Territory" by Ronald Wardall from Poetry (February 2000) https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poetrymagazine/browse?volume=175&issue=4&page=41

"Lighthouse, Mosquito Inlet" by Reynolds Price from Poetry (November 1985) https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poetrymagazine/browse?volume=147&issue=2&page=40

"Weighing Light" by Geoffrey Brock from Weighing Light by Geoffrey Brock (Ivan R. Dee, 2005) https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/50895/weighing-light

"Light from Above" by Richard Eberhart from Poetry (October 1959)  https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poetrymagazine/browse?volume=95&issue=1&page=11

"What Light Destroys" by Andrew Hudgins from After the Lost War (Houghton Mifflin Company, 1988) https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/47520/what-light-destroys

“Sudden Light” by Dante Gabriel Rossetti https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/45026/sudden-light

© Melissa Lemay

Melissa Lemay

Melissa Lemay lives in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, with her children, cats, and dog. She writes about God, addiction, trauma, healing, motherhood, and many other things. She enjoys spending time with family, drinking good coffee, and being outdoors. She loves animals. Her poem, “Ephemeral”, was chosen as Poetic Publication of the Year for 2023 at Spillwords Press; she was Author of the Month for July 2024 and Author of the Year for 2024. Find her at melissalemay.wordpress, collaborature.blogspot, and at dVerse Poets Pub. 

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A hummingbird pauses by the window by LeeAnn Pickrell

Frank Cone

A hummingbird pauses by the window

where I sit writing   I swear 

it’s my friend Norma flitting around 

two days after her memorial 

a reminder to step 

into the morning glory’s purple gaze

to welcome the ancient oak in the dog park

that offers me a branch 

low enough to climb and sit on

That night the full moon hanging low in the sky

over the city, over the bay, over the town,

guiding us home after the jazz show

where the singer’s voice 

tumbled and rose with the saxophone 

like the moon playing hide and seek 

with the clouds

The next day two hummingbirds 

fly figure eights near our cherry tree

—fruitless—yet this morning 

a crimson cherry hangs by its stem

(Originally published on Poem Farm, June 22, 2025)

© LeeAnn Pickrell

LeeAnn Pickrell

LeeAnn Pickrell’s debut collection is Gathering the Pieces of Days from Unsolicited Press. Her chapbook Punctuated was published in 2024 by Bottlecap Press, and her book Tsunami is forthcoming in 2026, also from Unsolicited Press. She lives in Richmond, California. See more at www.leeannpickrell.com.

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Leap of Faith by Lynn White

 

Israel Delgadillo Figueroa

Leap of Faith

We make it look easy,

dancers always do. 

Even out here

on the heath

performance is all.

The rest is hidden

behind the scenes

usually in the sweaty studio.

It took a leap of faith to carry on

working alone month after month

with no prospect of performance,

of audience,

of applause

of income.

But we’re out now

out in the sun 

jumping for joy

leaping with faith

ready to go again.

First published in Visual Verse, August 2020

© Lynn White

Lynn White

Lynn White lives in North Wales. Her work is influenced by issues of social justice, as well as events, places, and people she has known or imagined. She has been nominated for Pushcarts, Best of the Net, and a Rhysling Award. https://lynnwhitepoetry.blogspot.com  and https://www.facebook.com/Lynn-White-Poetry-1603675983213077/

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You know! by Dr. Priyanka Neogi

 

Jill Wellington

You know!

You know what!

In your face

Have that excitement,

Which, when revealed,

Everyone's face will light up.

You know what!

In your voice

Human peace and sweetness,

There is spice to cheerfulness.

You know what!

To turn you on,

Fragrance spread around.

You know what!

You have work

In vivid examples,

Waking up is dedicated to living.

You know what!

In your smile

To make the world of magic,

Spread the kingdom of laughter.

You know what!

Magic in your words,

Eradicate people's sufferings.

You know what!

Keep yourself as

Seeing you

In the heart of nature's sway,

People are happy.

© Dr. Priyanka Neogi

Dr. Priyanka Neogi

Dr. Priyanka Neogi is from Pundibari, Coochbehar, India. She is an international poet, story writer, editor, motivational speaker, dancer, singer, and artist. She's a member of literacy organizations at the national and international levels. She is also the National Joint Secretary of the Rocket Ball Federation of India; UAP Miss India 2nd Runner-up 2022; Miss Pundibari 2025; Miss West Bengal 2025; a social worker; an International Representative of the Mother Teresa Foundation of India; and the National Director of Miss and Mister Peace India.

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The Smile by Ralph Dranow

 

Евгения Карпова

The Smile

I’m waiting in the car

while my stepson shops for food

on his restricted diet.

Watching people navigate the parking lot,

like molecules drifting past one another,

I feel bored,

crave some sort of engagement.

So, when a heavyset, white-haired man approaches,

arms wrapped playfully around a short, pudgy woman,

like some infatuated schoolboy,

I glance in his direction.

His easy smile dances into my eyes,

snaps the chain of anonymity,

sends oxytocin swirling through my bloodstream.

© Ralph Dranow

Ralph Dranow 

Ralph Dranow works as an editor, poetry teacher, and oral historian. His most recent books are At Work

on the Garments of Refuge, poems of his and poems and artwork of his late friend Daniel Marlin. And Jelalludin Rumi Comes to Oakland. Ralph's website is http://www.ralphdranow.net.

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On Speaking of Inheritance by Edilson A. Ferreira

 Tomáš Malík

On Speaking of Inheritance 

We live daily connected to the virtues, 

but also, unfortunately, to the errors and failings  

of our ancestors. 

We are, still, consequence of all those who once lived,

our ancestors or not,  

brothers as they had been in our common human race.

We are sure that those who preceded us will be in eternity, 

to which we are all condemned.   

Some in rejoicing and peace, others penalized and repentant. 

Let us not forget that, at this moment, we are a generation 

that is representing all of our people, saint and sinner, 

who have inhabited this solitary planet, in a gigantic world. 

Let each of us have the integrity and a clear conscience, 

that we are directly responsible for the health and happiness 

of all those who will succeed us. 

They will be children who will be subject 

to the legacy we are building.  

© Edilson A. Ferreira

Edilson A. Ferreira

Edilson A. Ferreira, 81, is a Brazilian poet who writes in English rather than Portuguese. He has launched two poetry books, Lonely Sailor and Joie de Vivre, and has published 300 works in various international literary journals. Has also been nominated for the Pushcart Prize. He began writing at the age of 67 after retiring from a bank.

What Grows after the Fire by David Anson Lee

 

Robin Heidrich

What Grows After the Fire

After the fire
the land does not hurry.
Char loosens its hold.
Ash becomes a language
the rain remembers.

In the blackened field
small verbs appear:
lift, split, insist;
green forcing its grammar
through ruin.

The old oak stands half-ghost:
one side burned to bone,
the other still working sap.
It has learned how to carry
silence and song
in the same body.

I walk there emptied
of answers.
Grief hums like heat
under the skin.
Some losses do not leave
when the smoke does.

Still, a bird returns
to the scorched fence,
sings into a morning
that asks for nothing.

This is how the holy feeds itself:
not by undoing the burn
but by letting life speak again
so quietly
you must kneel
to hear it.

© David Anson Lee

David Anson Lee

David Anson Lee is a poet, philosopher, and physician living in Texas. Born on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation, he explores themes of healing, grief, resilience, and the sacred dimensions of ordinary life. His work has appeared in Ink Sweat & Tears, Braided Way, Silver Birch Press, and numerous other journals.

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