twinkling frost

but i call it

magic

*Published by Cold Moon Journal on 1/31/21

 nocturne...

the blue

within blue

*Published by Fresh Out: An Arts and Poetry Collective on 1/31/21

 along the pond’s surface moonlight dreams

*Published by Cold Moon Journal on 1/30/21

 not everything

has an answer

deepening snow

*Published in the January 2021 issue of Stardust Haiku

 lyrics to “delia (testing the waters)”

testing

the waters

testing

the waves

dragging me deep

under the water

testing

the water

the ocean

the movement

*Performed by my friend paul, a side project of Tiffany Shaw-Diaz, on ep 01

each star the sound of rain in my bones

*Published by Cold Moon Journal on 1/24/21 

 lyrics to “throes”

this lie

oh yes the one you told me

between the sheets

and i knew it wasn’t you

but the demon inside

*Performed by my friend paul, a side project of Tiffany Shaw-Diaz, on ep 01

 insomnia

within my chest

spiders writhe

*Published by horror senryu journal on 1/18/21

 Reprieve

Nothing quite compares to the night sky of my dreams. Constellations, planets, and stars are so large I can see even the most minuscule of detail. And let’s not forget about the colors of these celestial objects. Vibrant, and in every shade of the rainbow, I could gaze at them for hours, and sometimes, I do.

eyes closed

a little joy within

this ache

*Published in Issue 7 of the QuillS

 transfiguration

lit by the soft glow     of maple

candles adorn     this large tub

filled with rainbows     ricocheting

from quartz in every color     she

walks in     sits down beside me     smiling

a mother i didn’t know i had     wordlessly

washes my hair     hums a lullaby

in a dialect     before time became time

is of no importance here     i am allowed

to rest in the womb of this water     all night

if desired     she drops oil from cinnamon

clove and nutmeg     into my palm     and i

become the falling     Christmas Eve snow

*Published in Issue 1.35 of FEED

 quarantine

the spider now

a friend

*Published by Haiku in Action on 1/14/21

 dust gathers

for once i am

fine with that

*Published in the January 2021 issue of brass bell: a haiku journal

For the next seven days, the Tanka Society of America will feature my cherita on their Twitter page as a part of their 7 poems in 7 days project. Please check them out at @oftanka!

 still

a protest

your art and words

*Published by Haikuniverse (www.haikuniverse.com) on 1/10/21

 the wind in my hair a dusting of moonrise

*Published by Cold Moon Journal on 1/9/21

 on the wings of a moth a poem

*Published by Cold Moon Journal on 1/6/21

the sound of paper drifting in the wind

 i wouldn’t say

i’m afraid

but i will say

i’m concerned

for what will

remain of me

when my life

comes to a close

will my art and words

enhance the senses

of another soul

seeking fullness

or will the catalogue

of my existence

fade into a drone

heard by no one

not even

the worms

*Published by Central Coast Poetry Shows on 1/5/21

If you are on Twitter, make sure to follow the Tanka Society of America. They will be posting my tanka for the next seven days as a part of their 7 poems in 7 days project!

 sleater-kinney kind of heartbreak

it’s like when

you stroke your

thumb ever so

gently across rose

petals & no

words can describe

that sensation maybe

velvet comes close

but it’s still

insufficient & here

i am two

decades later trying

to describe what

she felt like

when she kissed

me quite unexpectedly

& i spent

the next day

trying to untangle

my stomach

branded myself

a sinner

not roses

between my lips

i felt shame

*Published in issue six of Stone of Madness Press