Editors’ Note
Dear RPP Readers,
Issue 10 begins our fourth year of bringing you the finest contemporary poetry we can find. Thank you for helping us celebrate three years of being your poetry partner!
Inside this issue, we are very pleased to highlight a few “firsts,” and two poets from Europe and Asia.
We received a record number of submissions. We are so excited to see the interest in RockPaperPoem grow!
For one of the few times since Issue 1, all the poets in this issue were first-time contributors. To all 16 poets, welcome to the RockPaperPoem community!
Another first: Not only is Jake Griggs new to RockPaperPoem, but he told us that “O’Leary Lake” is his first-ever published poem!
Also in this issue, we welcome two international poets: Nicola Caroli from Berlin and Anisha Drall from Singapore, who share their beautiful work with you.
As we launch into our fourth year, we hope you enjoy what you see in our pages. We are honored to present more wonderful poetry to you in every issue. And if you would consider a donation to RockPaperPoem – a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, volunteer-run journal – we would be most grateful!
https://rockpaperpoem.com/donate/
Thank you!
The Editors
Image Credits:
Garage Sale Chair – Old kitchen chair and AI garage sale composite by Deborah Goschy
Photo – Old wooden kitchen chair Image Author: unknown https://pxhere.com/en/photo/428603#google_vignette License: CC0 Public Domain
The Night Market – “Corner Bodega” Image Author: spurekar https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Corner_Bodega_(48213980756).jpg License: Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic
Dust – Dust storm approaching Stratford, Texas, NOAA, George E. Marsh Album, Historic C&GS Collection Image Author: George Everett Marsh Jr. (1877–1953)https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Dust_storm_approaching_Stratford,_Texas.jpg License: This image is in the public domain because it contains materials that originally came from the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, taken or made as part of an employee’s official duties.
One Day – Lightning Near Sunflowers Composite by Deborah Goschy
Photo 1 “Electrifying Sky Over Grass Field” Image Author: Unsplash: https://freerangestock.com/photos/96872/electrifying-sky-over-grass-field.html License: CC0 Public Domain, Free for personal and commercial use, No attribution required
Photo 2 Sunflowers Image Author: unknown https://pxhere.com/en/photo/1524621 License: CC0 CC0 Public Domain, Free for personal and commercial use, No attribution required
Settled in the Suburbs – “Cul de sac Cinema” Image Author: Jose Chavarry https://www.flickr.com/photos/jfchavarry/4872333504/in/album-72157625107776886 License: CC BY-NC 2.0 Attribution-NonCommercial 2.0 Generic
Dance Of Will – “Elderly couple dancing indoors, smiling in each others arms” Image Author: Senior Living https://freerangestock.com/photos/183579/elderly-couple-dancing-indoors-smiling-in-each-other-s-arms.html License: CC0 CC0 Public Domain, Free for personal and commercial use, No attribution required
Harbor Seal – “Gray Seal Beach North” Image Author: photoscene https://pixabay.com/photos/gray-seal-beach-seal-north-sea-6545932/ License: Free for use under the Pixabay Content License
Prayer for the abandoned – Shells and Pebbles composite photo by Deborah Goschy
Photo 1 “Flat lay summer composition with shells” Image Author: azerbaijan_stockers https://www.freepik.com/free-photo/flat-lay-summer-composition-with-sea-shells_9226178.htm License: Free per Freepik Terms of use
Photo 2 “Colorful decorative stones for crafting on concrete surface” Image Author: azerbaijan_stockers https://www.freepik.com/free-photo/colorful-decorative-stones-crafting-concrete-surface_16084745.htm License: Free per Freepik Terms of use
She – Image Author: unknown https://pxhere.com/en/photo/748949 License: CC0 Public Domain. Free for personal and commercial use. No attribution required.
lipstick – “Just the lips” Image Author: fernandasuzukimakeup https://pixabay.com/photos/makeup-mouth-lipstick-beauty-lips-2659284/ License: Free for use under the Pixabay Content License
Folksong – “Air bubbles in ice”. Image Author: Ezzex https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Air_bubbles_in_ice_(02).JPG License: Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported
O’Leary Lake – “Wooden Walkway Leading to Lake With Mountains”. Image Author: Unknown https://freerangestock.com/photos/69826/wooden-walkway-leading-to-lake-with-mountains.html. License: CC0 No Rights Reserved
New Snow – “Winter in the Woods” by Edvard Munch (1863–1944) – Winter in the Woods, Nordstrand (1899) https://creazilla.com/media/traditional-art/7040624/edvard-munch—winter-in-the-woods-nordstrand-1899. License: Public Domain (CC0). Free for editorial, educational, commercial, and/or personal projects. No attribution required.
Avenues Of Escape – “Forest wood night smoke orange flame”. Image Author: Unknown https://pxhere.com/en/photo/834878#google_vignette License: CC0 Public Domain. Free for personal and commercial use. No attribution required.
To the Fawn Inside her Mother’s Body Falling Into the Canyon – “Beautiful Dead Deer” Image Author: Matt Wharton, photo altered to make it appear to be a doe by removing its budding antlers https://www.flickr.com/photos/electricinca/2288187335. License: CC BY-SA 2.0. Attribution-ShareAlike 2.0 Generic.
Growing Feathers – “Eagle Guarding Nest” AI Image Author: Stockcake License: Public Domain
what falls to ground – “A dandelion seed head with seeds flying away” Image Author: ArtCoreStudios https://freerangestock.com/photos/152069/a-dandelion-seed-head-with-seeds-flying-away.html. License: License: CC0 No Rights Reserved
Everyone in me is a Bird – “Winging Eagle and Treetops” Image Author: Deborah Goschy
Against a Bleached Evening Sky – “Seagull image” Image Author: Unknown https://pixabay.com/photos/fly-wing-seagull-bird-blue-585425/ License: Free for use under the Pixabay Content License
Harvest – “Grandpa preparing breakfast for his family” Image Author: Anatoliy Karlyuk https://freerangestock.com/photos/185930/side-low-angle-view-of-senior-happy-man-chopping-and-cutting-organic-vegetables-with-knife-on-counter-in-kitchen-to-cook-delicious-healthy-dinner.-grandpa-preparing-breakfast-for-his-family.html License: Images are licensed under Equalicense
The sky held odd and white for days after – “Horses with winter jackets, Drumnakilly” Image Author: Kenneth Allen https://www.geograph.ie/photo/5235298 License: CC BY-SA 2.0 Attribution-ShareAlike 2.0 Generic