Dandelion & Iris like a good friend forget each other's fault just enjoy being a good company This piece is one of the six poems published in The Weekly Avocet #491, May 1st, 2022. Thank you, Charles, Vivian, Valeri for taking them. --Byung A.
My six poems appeared in this journal: Spring Pasture; Learning the eyes of Sky,
turtles; Dandelion & Iris; For the Spring Sun; Spring Grass; Spring Tree Song.
Thank you, Charles, Vivian, and Valerie for taking these poems.
–Byung A. Fallgren
Inside me, a family by Ching-In Chen born from small waters. Each night, I look for a paper to feed this first litter from a slow continent. New trappers buy their fetters and hooks, dreaming of new skin to drape. In the sky, a wound like river, opening up again to bird. Neighborhood pushes against seams, dislikes a newcomer. This linked to history and forgetting-- a new gray house like a weed. A monument rises past the window. We sit and drink twice-steeped tea. Ching-In Cheng is the author of Recombinant (Kelsey Street Press, 2017) and The heart's Traffic (Red Hen Press, 2009). A Callaloo, Kundiman, and Lambda Fellow, Assistant professor in the School of Interdisciplinary Arts and Science and MFA in creating and Poetics at the University of Washington.
View on the side of the road, a Message Silver sky and the land join in the sea of smog; Submerged, the wind turbines wave their arms, Like the drowning octopuses. Drying lake gives her way to the green invaders, Like old soldiers with no weapons. Hope the smoke will dwindle with winter's arrival; Dried lakes will begin to refill As the irrigation stops in October. In the smoke, the wind turbines point fingers, As we panic at the foot of crumbling hills, Fumbling on the sea of plans. They say eventually Nature replenishes what it has lost, But she cannot revive the perished creatures; Polar bears, beavers, and others may live only In the children's story book. We can reverse that, can't we? ©Byung A. Fallgren
Saving Mother Earth Haikus hear the rage of smoke from the burning trees and houses they resign no more the monarch butterflies on the brink of extinction they don't need to go save others, and save us before polar bear and others gone forever from Earth ©Byung A. Fallgren
A Fish Story Don't ask me my name, I can be any fish, small and big. The point is the fact I am dying with unknown cause; unknown to me and others. A human examines me and others and finds plastic particles in our cell. But he's not sure if that is what killed us. There are more things, toxic chemicals poured into the ocean can be also the reason. humans who consume us worry; what if they too eventually end up being like us. But why worry? Change your wrong habits, and we all be safe. Or won't we? ©Byung A Fallgren
We Dream the Dream Dreaming Us
by Brian Tierney
You say we should wait--
It must have snowed all night or season,
we don't seem to know
and there isn't a clock.
I say then
we should
wait, I
trust you.
The page is blank outside.
we haven't heard in days.
There is not enough time for a whole new plot.
Inside, the wax dilates.
We sit in the dark
and wait.
and are separate,
but looking at each other--
Brian Tierney is the author of Rise and Float (Milkweed Edition, 2022).
A former Stegner Fellow and the recipient of the 2018 George Bogin
memorial Award from the Poetry Society of America. He lives in
California, teaches poetry at the writing salon.
The Wound Like the debt we try to avoid in the sea of exposure, it usually lurks in the dark and hits you when you don't see it. It appears raw, gaping mouth of a roaring bear; silent menace. Rebukes you for your negligence. As the days pass, it shrinks a bit, but the danger still percolates within. Eyes on your patience like an enemy in ambush. the wound slowly closes, shaking head in the blue tremble, lesson learned hard way. we, at times; no fools do it no fools way. Still, it is the spider in the web, and we are the wise victims of the night. ©Byung A Fallgren
For the Spring Sun walleye in the river plays jumping & jumping for the spring sun Spring Grass in the helmet of morning dew the blade prepare for the seasonal allergy Countryside sentiment afternoon ride countryside where pronghorns roaming how wonderful to share with them this moment wire fence by the road weatherworn but decorated with an old cowboy boot ©Byung A Fallgren
Five Haikus calves on the pasture taking naps by their mom's side prime time for the cows upturned soil of field gets the nod of nearby oil pumps a rich cowboy's dream gas stations everywhere displays the high price of fuel games of useless war a new bouquet at the tombstone in the cemetery a raven on the bench guitar in the case sees the clumsy old fingers spring reverie ©Byung A Fallgren
Byung A. Fallgren 