Ariel K. Moniz – The Golden Days of Liguria
chime in my pockets, a prayer
to golden sunshine, warm summer fruits
on curving branches, a soft-toothed reminder
of life’s long road and ferry toll
how else could I spend the touch of cool waves,
the stars adrift in the harbor, human eyes
captured by the slanted blue sky, a heartbeat
breath that echoes into the blessing of loneliness,
how I took home sand and stray flowers, humming
a sweet song of contentment upon the pillow
that was not mine, but knew me and smelled
to me, always, of dreams that were just waking
Ariel K. Moniz (she/her) is a queer Black poetess and Hawaii local. She is the winner of the 2016 Droste Poetry Award and a Best of the Net nominee. Her writing has found homes with Blood Bath Literary Zine, Nymphs Publications, The Centifictionist, and Sunday Mornings at the River Press, among others. She is an editor and a co-founder of The Hyacinth Review. You can find her through her website at kissoftheseventhstar.home.blog or staring out to sea.
Artwork: Rose of the Night by Wendy Hess
Wendy Hess is from Berkeley, California, USA. As an Artist, Photographer and Author, she enjoys the Gothic, Classic, Humorous, and Bizarre side of Life. Her work has been featured in Cauldron Anthology, Seaborne, Floresta, Acropolis Journal, and Lavender Bones Magazines.