An Online Literary Journal for Poetry and Flash

Tag: mindfulness

Birthday Presence

Special Selection for the 2022/2023 Winter Holiday Issue

Poetry by Mary Kate Bunstine

There is that one day a year that is a little extra special.
It’s the day where a song is played to usher in a brand new start;
Where decorations are hung and heart balloons held.
It’s the day where I am celebrated by family and friends alike.

I blow out burning candles on a cake.
It’s the day where I make a wish or two;
Where all eyes are on me as I do.
It’s the day that is full of surprise.

It flies by.
It’s the day where proud tears trickle from my mother’s eyes;
Where she sees how far her child has come.
It’s the day I wish I could hold onto and never let go.

But when another year arrives and that day returns,
I learn that perhaps it isn’t about how fast it fades.
Nor is it about the amount of presents unwrapped.
It’s about having gratitude each time I get to blow out candles yet again.


Mary Kate Bunstine is an undergraduate student and English major. She enjoys writing pieces of poetry that focus on positivity and living in the present.

A Collection of Three

Poetry by Philip Davison

For Instance

Dents in cars
red ivy
enormous trees,
you don’t want to
miss these
when out
buying sausages
or looking for love.


The Living of a Life

There and back
is the sum of it,
though that can’t be confirmed.


Celebration

Planning a play date
with her best friend
over the phone
she says –
‘The first thing we’ll do
is put on our masks and hug.’


Philip Davison lives in Dublin. He has published nine novels. Quiet City is his most recent work. He writes radio drama, has written two television dramas and one stage play. He co-wrote Learning Gravity, a BBC Storyville documentary on poet and undertaker, Thomas Lynch. His poems have appeared in various journals.

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