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An anthology published by

Soft Whispers Magazine

4/25/2010

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TABLE OF CONTENTS:

Jim Wisneski.............................................................................................. 4 Cindy Antene ............................................................................................. 5 Maude Stephany......................................................................................... 7 Cari Main................................................................................................... 8 Maria Kelly................................................................................................ 9 Martin Ramos ............................................................................................ 10 C.D. Reimer ............................................................................................... 11 Cathy Russell ............................................................................................. 13 Cynthia Schuerr ......................................................................................... 14 Dave Toland .............................................................................................. 16 J. Leigh Bailey ........................................................................................... 17 Denise Stanley ........................................................................................... 18 Miriam Dunn ............................................................................................. 19 Aaron Wilson............................................................................................. 26

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Jim Wisneski Don’t get to close now For the eyes are deceiving And the heart takes all. Through the field run Tall grass tackles my lost hand The soul can still feel. A naked tree laughs The clouds and wind take over Give a fresh blanket. With you I can see A moment of love begins I rest forever. The time has now come Wash away winter bring spring But not yet summer. She says it’s creepy The pictures look like someone else Another to rid. BIO: Jim lives in Pennsylvania and has been published in many anthologies including Flash!, Elements of Horrors, Diamonds in the Rough, and Inner Fears. Other stories have been published in Flashes in the Dark, Twisted Dreams, Pow! Fast Flash Fiction, among many others. He doesn’t sleep, drinks lots of coffee, and listens to Guns ’n Roses. Jim’s web site is www.jimwisneski.com

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Cindy Antene Gather at table All eat drink and be merry Sharing all our day. The seasons will change All holding a new promise Each day of our lives. I wait for you here So trying to be patient. Why are you so late? Little dogs of mine You are busy all the day Running here and there. Give me a good book And a little bit of time I will be happy. Shadows glide along Playing tag with the bright sun Another day done. Pencil to paper This rhythm is unceasing A song in my head. New season starting My favorite team will play Could this be the year? Hey, hey we all say Our Cubs are going to play. Let’s have two today! BIO: (written in haiku!) Cindy Antene New author of these haikus They are addicting.

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Mother of many. Gardener, reader, and wife. I wear many hats. They are attached here For all to read and enjoy Thank you for this chance.

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Maude Stephany cocoon a lowly caterpillar encased in your silken bonds emerged a butterfly breakout spring lances winter with bold leaves piercing frost expectantly seeking sun. frozen flame pressing fingers write poetry on the windowpane which winter’s breath fogged complicated with playful fingers love unfolds my origami heart I burst with elation BIO: Maude Stephany writes about whatever interests her. Whatever the focus of her lens, she lets her light shine through to bring a unique perspective to the topic. Her first book, Going Green and Saving Money, is published by QuickFind Books and will be available in Summer 2010.

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Cari Main A heart that's yearning Is hopeful but so on edge Waiting feels endless BIO: “I am retired and live in the beautiful Okanagan Valley of B.C. I write for fun, as a challenge and to keep the "juices flowing".”

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Maria Kelly

Seven Petals

seven petals float trapped in a spiraling stream i splash among them the streamlet flows to where the river warden waits silent and brooding dips in his fingers draws forth a dewy petal and whispers my name we run through the glade in the warmth of spring sunshine and chase each other (it’s too much to know) BIO: “I am currently working on getting a job and getting my BA in English. I am writing two fantasy stories at present, one of which I am posting by chapters on my blog.”

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Martin Ramos

Water buffaloes,

the farmer in the rice fields:

he also labors

BIO: Martin A.Ramos is a writer of short stories and poetry from Hormigueros, PR. He grew up and was educated in Chicago, IL, has a master's in TESL (Teaching English as a Second Language) and currently works as an Auxiliary Administrator for the Dept. of Education in his hometown of Hormigueros, PR. He has published stories in small literary magazines such as Chiricú, and poetry in Dragonfly, Rattle, Latino Stuff Review, Cyclo*Flame, and Writer’s Digest. His work has appeared online in the Feb. 2008 issue of The Cortland Review, Red River Review and in issue 16 of Gold Dust Magazine. Paz.

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C.D. Reimer

A WRITER’S FURY

Car horn from outside

made me hurl typewriter off

balcony. CRASH! Peace.

AT THE POTTER’S HOUSE

A royal pot rose

from the muddy earth of the

poor potter’s wheel.

BEFORE WINTER APPROACHES

An open window hears

gas-powered blowers turning

over the autumn leaves.

GONE SWIMMING

Four teenaged girls in

wet bikinis skipped into

the darkness laughing.

MOUNT WILSON

Liquid fire surf the

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tinderbox hills to break under

majestic white dome.

SPIDER PLANT

The shoots came first, white

flowers next, and green spiders

floating on the wind.

BIO: C.D. Reimer lives and works in Silicon Valley. His interests are ceramics, painting, tropical fish, and web programming. These keep him out of trouble when he’s not fixing broken users and consoling hurt computers. Currently working on his first novel, a short story collection, and various short stories.

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Cathy Russell #1 Little boy sneakers Pitter pat Pitter pat pat Tears and mud stain floor #2 Inside my temples merciless sledgehammers pound driving deep the knife #3 Technological Geekdom behind black glasses Ironically chic #4 electric words tapped upon the keys as raindrops beat against the glass BIO: Catherine Russell is an author living in northeast Ohio. She is currently working on publishing her first novel and learning more about the craft. http://www.ganymeder.com http://www.ganymeder.com/esperanto

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Cynthia Schuerr

NATURE AND LOVE

Summer Heartbreak

Eyes closed, she looks up When you love deeply

On the soft cheeks of her face The heartbreak is more intense

The sun glows, warmly But so worth the risk

Winter Smile

The gray winter sky Frowning is no fun

Greets us on too many morns Smile and also will your heart

With cold, drab feelings Easier to do

Spring Daughters

The rain soaked the ground My Girls are precious

And seeds dug deep and took hold Though awesomely different

The scent was Jasmine Their sweetness prevails

Autumn Pregnancy

The colors were bright She carries a hump

Burning leaves tickled her nose Baby grows inside of her

The crisp air chilled her Soon the prize will come

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Water Words

The water flows free The words can be hard

And trickles against the rock And emotions are daunting

Then evaporates Still, they must be said

BIO: Cynthia Schuerr, lives in the upper Midwest and is a lover of books and writing. She began writing short stories for her grandchildren to enjoy and realized that writing has been her passion since she was a little girl. You will find Cynthia’s works published in the “12 Days 2009 Anthology” and www.softwhisp.blogspot.com of which she is a regular contributor. She is also a journalist for www.examiner.com in the family/parenting section and is currently working on two separate novels in her spare time. Her blog www.theheartofwriting.blogspot.com, is where you can find bits and pieces of what defines her.

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Dave Toland FOUR SEASONS Tiny pale green shoots poke their tips though leafy mulch Baby lifts her hand Golden seas of wheat Sun enriches fruited groves Breathless lovers sigh Painted forests glow Festivals of harvest wealth Daughter giving birth Frost upon the pane Icy feathers hide the view Withered fingers creak

BIO: Dave Toland is a long-time resident of Massachusetts, and a country boy at heart. He is an active member of the WritingForums.org community at http://www.writingforums.org, and is currently working on two science fiction novels. In his day job, Dave is a software engineer. He has two adult children who make him proud. In addition to writing, he enjoys photography and cooking as creative outlets.

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J. Leigh Bailey Faerie wings flutter Jewel bright and glittering In the summer breeze Sprites dance on green leaves Peaking over then under Mischief in their eyes Dragon scales glisten Polished, gleaming, golden bright In my flower bed Imagination Planted, tended and cared for Blooms for those who see

Bio: Currently based in Chicago, IL, J. Leigh Bailey is new to the writing game, but is enjoying every minute of it. In her spare time she is campaigning to create a military branch of an Apostrophe Protection League, an advocate for a Semicolon Appreciation Association, and a proud practitioner of Random Acts of Parking. Sometimes, when time permits, she is also an aspiring author of Young Adult Paranormal Romance novels and a writer of half-written short stories.

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Denise Stanley

The muffled whisper Against the pulse on her neck Tells her many things. Scratches on the page The pencil turns thoughts to words. Can you read my mind? The flash of light screams Without producing a sound. The thunder follows. It’s snowing again. It is winter, after all. Spring is a promise. I see a shadow. Goosebumps stand up on my arms. Is that my conscience? Too many voices! Competing for attention All inside my head.

BIO: “I am a student of the Institute of Children's Literature. I have a poem that has been published in Parent:Wise Austin and am pending publication of two children's puzzles in Highlights' Puzzlemania.”

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Miriam Dunn

Pomegranate bursts ~

Juice tsunami in his mouth ~

Ocean of her taste

Amber tops of trees ~

sun peeks out, paints orange path ~

dead wood breathes again

New Spring breathes deeply ~

Fills herself with the scent of moist ~

Perfume soon to bloom

Soft sweet squeeze on tongue ~

Lips-a-linger on the flesh ~

Taste of raspberry

Whispers cover me ~

Flesh hidden beneath your lips ~

Secrets will be told

Whispers from one side ~

Echoes agitate Abyss ~

Voices take the leap

Know me like the night ~

As Blue Moon shall know each Star ~

as Sun knows the day

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Fire Curls the paper ~

Frees the past, grateful ashes ~

Ushers in the Dream

Sweeping nervous toes ~

Writing messages in sand ~

Wave takes 'I love You '

Dawn drops it's curtain ~

Heavy velvet on the sky ~

Window of my eyes

Side by Side we Love ~

Legs Entangled, Arms Entwined ~

Trading Breath for Breath

I would take your pain ~

Carry it to the ocean ~

Swim it out to sea ~

Night’s open window

Breeze battles against the screen

Spring creeps in the Dark

Crystal Dance on Glass ~

The Furtive Frost tells Secrets ~

Kept in Nature's Heart

Wet Earth begs the Sun ~

Soaked and sodden, pleads for Spring ~

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Winter stays too long

White moonlight on waves ~

Light breath blows across my flesh ~

Tide in my hips rock

Moon hangs low from Sky ~

Sad Sideways in Sweet Slumber ~

Whispering to Snow ~

She gathered Moxy ~

At every darkened corner ~

Like daisies in fields

His words weave her love ~

Fabric he stole from her heart ~

Texture of his soul

The day is so long ~

Passed in wanting and desire ~

Frozen flux of fire

Your arms around me ~

Sun rising from your body ~

Crescent kiss on chest

They would look like you ~

If God would send her Angels ~

They would look like me

Night's starry blanket ~

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Curls around me like your arms ~

Chamomile field

Spooning is our talk ~

Bodies curled apostrophes ~

With no words between

You are Mountain Stream

Clear rush and roar of water

Falls against my skin

Harmonized with Hue ~

Saturated with Echo ~

There's no Estrangement ~

Feet feel sweet Rhythm ~

Tapping as the eyes peruse ~

Gifts left by the Muse ~

The stylized swing ~

Rhythm rock and roll, the thrust ~

Smooth curve of his back

I am filled with blue ~

Lost tired bird that chases~

The near horizon

You move over me ~

White flesh beneath you quickens ~

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All within me stirs

I am laid out bare ~

You are the wild wind, rushing ~

Over waiting field ~

The sweet push and pull ~

Swaying like waves on the shore ~

We come and we go

White Moon in daylight ~

Gives reflection of Her own ~

Message from the night ~

Feather fingertips ~

Smooth scribe on your bare shoulders ~

Secret messages ~

Old men with poppies

Insist they pin them on me

Fumble at my breasts

One weakened bird trails ~

End of the great formation

Their strength moves her on

Know me like the night ~

As the Moon shall know each Star ~

As Sun knows the day

Sweeping nervous toes ~

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Scribing Secrets in soft sand ~

Wave takes 'I love You’

Their bodies entwine ~

Halfway union of their hearts ~

Lover's Eclipse

White moonlight on waves ~

Light breath blows across my flesh ~

Tide in my hips rock

Your hands are sacred ~

Have once touched the things I love ~

They have held your heart

Wet Earth begs the Sun ~

Soaked and sodden, plead for Spring ~

Winter carried on

Sweet Tangerine Burst ~

Citrus rain drops on my tongue~

Kisses from the Sun ~

HAIKU FOR HAITI

Pain older than time ~

can calm come from the distance ~

that separates us?

Quick Quivering Quakes ~

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This Earth is not implacable ~

Breaking like our hearts

Bonfire of bodies ~

Stench of Death and Dying hope ~

Haiti still needs us

Tragedy adrift ~

Their Story becomes our Pain ~

Weight of cosmic dust ~

Through the streets Death Prowls ~

Hungry for those hanging on ~

Buried, not yet dead.

BIO: Miriam Dunn lives by the Ocean. She writes for the Moon, dreams of the Desert. She can often be found writing on Cape Breton Island.

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Aaron Wilson

Ceropia Moth (Hyaloperhora cecropia)

Cousin to Mothra

Sky scrapers tumble down under

Your pesticide wings

The Day Fish Learned How To Cry

Black oil spills over in-

To an aquamarine O-

Cean environment.

Guest

Bright lady you are

Welcome among the green vines

And red tomatoes.

Light Show

Dark sky. The coming

Storm. A drunk man leaves a bar.

Jingles keys. Starts car.

Basic Need

Sand sifting slowly

Slides through blue waves. Mean while a

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White toilet flushes.

Michael Pollan’ Food Rules

Eat food, mostly plants

Fueled by solar capital

And please, not too much

Escaping the Cold

Wet, new snow falling

Friends rocking-out wii rockband

Minneapolis

www.myfootprint.org

We must recycle

There is no getting away

Only one blue spaceship

January

Dim morning sunlight

Filtering up from the South

Minneapolis

Morning Commute

Morning icy roads

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Quickly traversing nightmares

On my way to work

When to Eat Apples

Silent apple core

Longing for sweet, crisp ripeness

Food so seasonal

THE small FLIGHT OF DRAGONS

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Buckeye (Junonia coenia)

Tiny elegant

Navigator of blue skies

Eating snapdragons

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Mourning Cloak (Nymphalis antiopa)

Sad graying widow

Hiding among weathered wood

Breading a large, vengeful brood

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Gulf Fritillary (Agraulis vanillae)

Passions of children

Twists into adult poisons

Used for protection

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Copper Looper Moth (Allagrapha aerea)

Oh so fragile you

June, Temporarily here

Dead before July

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Milkweed Tiger Moth (Euchaetes egle)

Wait! Be very still

Look left! There flitting between

The long blades of grass

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Question Mark (Polygonia interrogationis)

True Scholar, you go

From petal to petal in

Search of answers

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Red-humped Apple Caterpillar (Schizura concinna)

Now beautiful in

Wings—I hope you don’t mind

Being tossed with the core

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Silver-spotted Skipper (Epargyreus clarus)

If you were a coin,

Josh would collect and hunt you,

O! Precious Dragon

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Bagworm Moth (Psyche carpini)

What you got there, eh?

Can I see inside? Or do

I get a warrant

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Painted Lady (Vanessa cardui)

How much does it cost

To stay that pretty color?

Death would be cheaper.

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Cynthia Moth (Samia cynthia)

Cynthia, taken

In by dazzling light, leave a

Piece of heaven just for me

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White-marked Tussock Moth (Orgyia leucostigma)

Here for the day, gone

The next—time is short: a mate

I must find, and quick

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Monarch (Danaus plexippus)

Canada, south to

Mexico made possible

By NAFTA’s fight path

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Queen (Danaus gilippus)

Gracious Lady, are

You content, in the south, while

He migrates up north

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Eight-spotted Forester (Alypia octomaculata)

Pretending to be

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A day Dragon—butterfly—

To each their… I guess

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European Cabbage Butterfly (Pieris rapae)

Your children eat my

Crop; I eradicate your

Children. This sound fair

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Eastern tiger Swallowtail (Papilio glaucus)

Summer, your cunning

Virtue in action is very

Admirable

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Polyphemus Moth (Antheraea polyphemus)

One smoky eye sees

Not well, but one surly sees

Better than none will

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Io Moth (Automeris io)

When your moon is full

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Worshipers sacrifice in

Testament of awe

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Luna Moth (Actias luna)

Endangered species

List; indicator species,

Says, “We are next”

BIO: Aaron M. Wilson lives in Minneapolis with his loving wife and his two cat’s (one good and one bad). He and is an adjunct instructor of English, Literature, and Environmental Science at Le Cordon Bleu College of Culinary Arts, Minneapolis/St. Paul, and occasionally writes citizen book reviews for Magers & Quinn Booksellers.

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ALL clipart and artwork has been provided by Jenna Luckenbach.

Jenna Luckenbach is a graphic designed living in Boyertown, PA with family and pets. She loves the man in her life more than anything, his name is Brodie – a four year old Lhasa Apso!

She specializes in creating logo’s and company branding – but she LOVES to do anything design related.

She is always up for new projects and can be reached at FORTUNATECREATIONS@yahoo.com.

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Thank you for reading Soft Whispers SEVENTEEN SYLLABLES anthology!

The response has been terrific!

We plan on having MANY more anthologies in the future.

Please don’t forget to check our site at www.softwhisp.blogspot.com for updates, open submissions, and our daily posts.

A big thanks to all those who have submitted and of course the greatest graphic designer in the

world, Jenna, for helping out like she always does!

-Jim-