
©2023 Miroslava Panayotova
The Legacy of Longing
The diaphanous sheets susurrate against the onyx parchment As I gently turn the dog-eared pages of our mothballed album— The treasured cache of moments and memories of bygone days Conserved, before the scythe of Time mows us down. As I gently turn the dog-eared pages of our mothballed album I chance upon ‘him’—self-assured, charismatic, articulate— The 2 a.m. buddy and confidant to my nerdy, antsy, teenaged self. Cupid struck, but with a slanted dart…and he, forever, remained unscathed. The treasured cache of moments and memories of bygone days Enshrouds the wringing, wrenching, carmine landscape of my heart, Crisscrossed by a breadcrumb trail of wistful longing, Glossed over by the voguish masquerade of marital bliss! Conserved, before the scythe of Time mows us down, These metaphors of yesterday blend with my fragile todays And gossamer tomorrows; and together, they help me weave The warp and weft of my soul’s fractured tapestry.
First published on Penmancy in November, 2022.

Oil Painting ©2021 Miroslava Panayotova
April Blessings
Flashes of lightning streaking the skies, Taking the fissured, sapless earth by surprise, Drops of pure love, thy name is April showers! Drenched leaves and stems waltz in glee, Their rustling whispers are music to me, Tiny prismatic droplets dangle on the bowers! Purged of dust and grime, terra firma breathes easy again My parched soul inhales the redolence of summer rain Glens and vales come alive with fresh, iridescent flowers!
First published on ArtoonsInn Poetry Parlour in January, 2023.

Mixed Media / Digital Art ©2023 Miroslava Panayotova
I Am
Sometimes I am Hope— Weaving roseate, virile dreams in hoary, nebulous eyes And heaving hearts, yearning for a fillip; I play hide-and-seek with ennui, by the day At night, I hum a plaintive lullaby of moth-eaten desires Interred in the caverns of the infecund, impotent mind. Sometimes I am Light— Glinting off the Chardonnay in a crystal stein Held by star-crossed lovers traipsing a parallel universe, Immured within a prism of perennial passion, Kissing the full-bodied, carmine lips of eternal youth, today Only to be eclipsed by the penumbra of transience, tomorrow. Sometimes I am a Star— Tucking my pearly corners into the moire duvet Of the onyx sky, one spark at a time— A luminous metaphor for waxing wishes, Until I explode on the milky way of destiny, Sprinkling confetti of crushed novalunosis and half-kept promises. I am a memory, I am a void, I am a chuckle, I am a tear, I am alchemy, I am Kintsugi I am here, there, everywhere— A celebration of life, an inventory of scars!
©2023 Urmi Chakravorty
All rights reserved

Urmi Chakravorty…
…is a former educator whose articles, stories and poems have found space in national dailies like The Hindu, The Times of India, multiple literary platforms, as well as poetry and fiction anthologies.In 2022, she won the Orange Flower Awards instituted by Women’s Web, the second position in the National Poetry Writing Competition, and several such accolades. Reviewing and editing are other areas she finds engaging
.
http://:www.wordsnverses.com / Blog Linked
The 2023 (Inter)National Poetry Month BeZine Blog Bash

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(Inter)National Poetry Month
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Vashti’s Name Corona | Alison Stone
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our preoccupation | gary lundy
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Sonnet Hues Profaned | Kushal Poddar
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Eternal Memories Souls | Dessy Tsvetkova
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from Hiraeth | Mike Stone
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Departure, Arrival | Julia Knobloch
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Spring Throat | Mykyta Ryzhykh
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Democracy | Michael Dickel
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Whispering Vibrations | Waqas Khwaja
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The Joke | Faruk Buzhala
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intentional attention | Lonnie Monka
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Toy Improv Play | Gerry Shepherd
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Spring Hope | jsburl
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We Should Respond | Terry Trowbridge
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Probation Plea | Pek-êng Koa
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Am Feel Month | Brittney Cotrona
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a shadow lurking—3 poems | Mitko Gogov
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Red Sap | Mykyta Ryzhykh
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Invisible Fog | Eve Otto
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Assuage with pen ye troubadours | Lorraine Caputo
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Outcasts Gate Grieving | Linda Chown
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When The Queen Came to Tea | John Anstie
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Unicorn Diasporic Birdwatching | Gili Haimovich
Art: European Robin, pastels, ©2021 Tom Higgins