Oatleaf

 February has come to an end and we'd like to say thank you to our wonderful contributors! We are so, so glad that you chose Oatleaf to showcase your work. ... We are grateful to: Manlio Valenza | Museum Jessica Cortez | Crows Gregg Shapiro | Questions About Economic Collapse Oliver Kleyer | My Daughters Are Playing in the Shade of a Tree ... We appreciate the work you put out into the world!

 ... I don’t like poems beginning with I. Every poem should begin, and end, with you, no matter what happens in between. In the middle, there should be a tree, so the poem is firmly rooted and the lines have enough fresh air to breathe. The daughters I never had play in its shade, climbing the branches and skipping rope. The poet is standing by the window, watching them, smiling, with a cup of tea in his hand. And someone is sitting beside him, reading this poem. It’s you! ... Oliver Kleyer is a teacher & poet from Northern Germany. He teaches German as a Second Language in a refugee camp. He writes in German & English. His poems have appeared in Duck Duck Mongoose, Five Fleas, Disturb the Universe & elsewhere. His poem "A rambling meditation", published in Raw Lit, was nominated for Best of the Net. When not teaching or writing, he's trying to make his mandolin sing. @funnyfrogget.bsky.social | Bluesky

 ... Why are the banks on fire? What happens when the coins melt, denominations dissolving into pools of molten metals? Who will tell the tellers? Who let the greedy in? Who left the needy out? Are you lonesome? Did you bury your dead or leave them soundlessly sleeping where you found them? Do you know how to patch holes in threadbare fabrics? What about the shredded fabric of a society? Can you sew a button on a shirt, on a hungry mouth? What if it rains? For days on end? Do you have enough fuel? Who is in charge? Do the seasons know? Are you my mother? What time is it? If you eat a battery, how long will it take? How many questions are too many? How do you calculate, measure the losses? Was it worth it? ... Gregg Shapiro is a poet and entertainment journalist based in South Florida where he lives with his husband Rick and their dog Coco. @greggsha.bsky.social | Bluesky @greggsha | Instagram & Threads

... Nature never favored a straight line  as the crow flies          in dips                               and jags  trees bend in waves  pictures of wind, of sun, of time itself  I have stood straight against the wind  something small  and rigid             lines and angles       favoring the break ... Jessica Cortez is a poet-librarian residing in rural Minnesota. Her long, rambling nature walks often provide writing inspiration as she listens to the wind and watches the seasons change with familiar unpredictability. Her work has appeared in The Covid Logs, Maya’s Minis, and The Closed Eye Open. She lives with the exact right number of children, more than enough animals, and too many mature cottonwood trees to count.

... Glazed marble that smiles, Modern art on sleek Surfaces who deny sleep. A cold embrace Forever frozen Made of rude chairs Mocks me. Muses died not, Stalking pity Yet so pretty Out! Out, brief neon! Save it for the priest Of unsacred ground. Take me by the hand. Lead me to the altar.  The wax may not burn, As my innards sear And my scoliosis proceeds. Oh Death, this is my future urn The awaited release I yearn. ... Manlio Valenza is an aspiring writer and publisher lost in the liminal space between thoughts and words, studying the old masters, and always searching for new talents. @thebearpublishing | Instagram