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.