Poetry

"...From a little drop of water the world came into being..."

"...Did I know that you are a new reality..."

"...Above The earth The sky Just beyond..."

"...In blackness, an indistinct day is made another..."

"...such friendly banter which wishes only joy and tender years to come..."

"...the words embedded like slumbering spirits..."

"...and the thunder that rolls in a bed of clouds..."

"...Open the old envelope On the depths of time..."

"...The gradual engagement of entropy gains traction over time..."

"...dogged denialists..."

Xi Nan (Nancy), contemporary poet, writer, and translator, was born in western Hunan, China. She used to be the lifestyle columnist of the (British) BBC UKChina website, and was nominated for the Zijin Star by People's Literature, China for her debut novel.

"...curious for credible anthems..."

"...His sax blaring like a rattlesnake bite..."

"...Dead things are to be noble In their fleeting decay..."

"...he may rest and contemplate the infinite..."

"...All she requires is a view..."

"...'how much time?' i ask..."

"...Detoxing was up and instructive..."

"...Don't tell us we need more and more shiny stuff in our lives..."

"...My next tour will be fully financed but I never question by who..."

Probal Basak, 31, from India, started his career as a journalist working with Press Trust of India, Business Standard, covering mostly socio-political issues. Currently employed as an officer with Department of Information & Cultural Affairs, Government of West Bengal, he also writes poetry and his recent works have been published in journals like Dissident Voice, News Verse News, Setu.

"...a cold wind, blowing gray scrum of clouds..."

Connie S. Tettenborn, PhD, began a career as a scientist in biotechnology and then transitioned to scientific editing and art/poetry. She currently lives in the San Francisco Bay Area.

"...one eye on the clock to watch numbers change..."

"...the old jacket, mended in the Spring..."

"...There've been no tragic or dramatic scenes..."

"I have a background in health care and have witnessed the healing power of the written word. My love of English literature, I attribute to my teachers. My interest in epic poetry and creative writing is rooted in my love and admiration of English classical literature. I therefore write in the hope that I might do for others what great writers have done for me."

"...And now I stand in the darkness asking everyone passing by..."

"...astonishing accumulations of wealth and privilege..."

Dan Provost's work deals with the darkness of depression, the certainty of death and the internal loneliness he feels daily. Sprinkle in episodes of adolescence/adult emotional defeats -- the reader will find his attempt to describe the quiet horror in everyday events.