Images – Douglas J. Lanzo

Images - Doug Lanzo

Moss Phlox in Soft Mist

Moss phlox
the softness of her face
dewed by misting rain
blanketing the forest
with shades of light pink laughter

Petaled Beauty Preserved

preserving the beauty
of a freshly plucked rose —
cooling it in latticed shade
pouring through the window,
that its peach-pink petals
might, for a moment, linger
beneath pastel palette
of an artist’s brush-stroked gaze,
its essence imprinted
upon his eyes, his mind, his soul…
before bestowed to us
to cherish in its splendor ‒
unwilted and refreshed

An award-winning author and poet, Doug Lanzo’s debut novel, The Year of the Bear, won the 2023 Ames Award for Young Adult Books and was named a Finalist for the 2023 Hawthorne Prize. Doug resides in Chevy Chase, Maryland with his wife and award-winning twin son poets, enjoying nature, snorkeling, tennis, fishing and chess. Doug is also the author of over 370 poems published in 73 literary journals and bestselling anthologies in the US, Canada, Caribbean, England, Wales, Austria, Mauritius, India, Japan and Australia and the author of I Have Lived, a romance suspense novella featuring a U.S. Army Ranger combat medic and his inspirational bride releasing this spring. His author website is located at www.douglaslanzo.com.