June 1, 2026
Photo by Stefania Tolin on Unsplash
Matches
mutter to candles in a closet,
Somebody needs to install
a light in here!
Roses
reach over the fence,
wondering what smells
so beautiful.
Finch
flaps its feathers ragged,
seeking freedom
seeking sky.
A wizened monk
reads yet one more
spiritual text,
with God’s eyes.
June-July 2026
A 2026 Pushcart nominee, Daniel Skach-Mills’s poems have appeared in numerous publications, including Sojourners, Braided Way, and Sufi (Featured Poet). His book, The Hut Beneath the Pine: Tea Poems, was an Oregon Book Award finalist. A former Trappist monk, Daniel lives with his husband in Portland, Ore., where he served 15 years as a docent for Lan Su Chinese Garden.
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