All Over the Place: A Breath of Fortitude

By Michael H. Brownstein

Based on an image by artist Vony Razom, who is currently producing art from a bomb shelter in Ukraine


in the madness of the fertile lands,
a red blossom and its red leaves—
and from its seed, red caterpillars
bending into Red admirals, strong
in wing and shape, a rugged Vanessa

All Over the Place: War and Beauty

By Michael H. Brownstein

Let us say the colorful hummingbird symbolizes peace.

Let us say the two legged giant with weak arms is the gray of cruelty—

The hummingbird swift and agile, a glitter of texture;

the giant clumsy and slow, the creator of tools of destruction.

All Over the Place: Just Because a Leader Is Mad Does Not Mean You Must Follow Him

By Michael H. Brownstein

Putin tries to poke holes into the body’s work of a nation

but the body’s work of the nation cannot be poked through—

 

gut-shot punctuation, terrorist renderings, vocabulary of madness

and Russia bleeds fire, cruelty, vocabulary of an insane man's mind.

We Humans (a poem)

By Neil Hoffmann

The day lingers late,
Grey, wet, cold and windy.
April showers seeming sad,
Not promising joy and beauty.

A last crust of winter, perhaps,
Soon to be forgotten
In an early summer blast.