Three poems…written in the midst of our time

January 26th, 2026

Poets within this community of writers are feeling this moment in time, and writing about it.

Here are three examples.

If you have something you want to say about what is happening in the world and how it may be affecting you in the way of a poem, drop me an email.

Joe Maita

[email protected]

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photo via Picryl

Something Off the Cuff

Maybe a star can replace a life
Maybe hello can be a bridge,
Replacing a cold hard stare,
Born out of fear, maybe a handshake
Can be about brotherhood, maybe a
Kind face can replace a hooded face
Maybe dialogue can be the balm, that
Stops the madness in its tracks, maybe
We just need to stop and look at each other
Father, brother, sister, mother, maybe we can
Be friends again, maybe this madness can
Come to an end ? Maybe we can be each other’s
Light, maybe we can end this fright, kill your
Enemies with a smile, instead of a sword
Think of the words of our lord , maybe there
Is a chance, that peace lies in a kind
Glance…
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by Erren Kelly

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There Is A Sadness In The Air

There is a sadness in the air
And it’s spreading globally

A sense that all has gone wrong
That what has past
What has been foundation
Has at this time
No currency
No basis for continued guidance

While those that established this foundation
That created such guidance
Are viewed as relics
Their ideas disparaged
Their labors worthy of disregard

Disdained by docile tough guys
They are the background timid
Seeking protective strength
From someone other than themselves
To provide for what cannot be gained honestly

While those desirous of earning a place
Seeking acceptance
Raising a family
Are described as dangerous, even threatening
To Safety & the Common Good
Though without means they are commonly unarmed

Perhaps it’s the threatening manner
They carry a concealed document
One ignored by the comfortably dressed
And their combat cloaked assailants
Who delight in the use of warfare’s weaponry
To maintain Safety & the Common Good

There is a sadness in the air indeed

by Terrance Underwood

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To Be An Ally
— for Alex Pretti

it takes a soul
an empathetic heart
it requires that you hear your own voice
within the dying cries of a George Floyd for his mother
& that you sense the remnants of war both fought
(& inwardly fought) by a homeless vet
it makes you remember
the vulnerability you felt as a child
when you see a Liam Ramos
a five year old in a robin-blue/bunny hat
detained by masked agents from ICE.

which begs the question:

………………………….(if they really believe
………………in their cause, why can’t they
………..show their faces?)

those masks
reminiscent of those worn by the KKK in the ‘60s
when civil rights allies were killed for daring to fight
for voter rights for Black people

…………………………Andrew Goodman
…………………………Michael Schwerner
…………………………Viola Liuzzo

we must never forget
their names or yours:

…………………………Alex Pretti

in a land when being an ally
can mean becoming a martyr
with no protection for the complexion
when you dare to stand on the just side
of history.

by Connie Johnson

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Connie Johnson has multiple Pushcart Prize nominations for poetry. A California-based writer, she has authored Everything is Distant Now (Blue Horse Press) and I Have Almost Everything (Boats Against the Current). In a Place of Dreams, her digital chapbook (containing audio readings/personal narrative), was published by Jerry Jazz Musician. Click here to view it.

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Erren Kelly is a three-time Pushcart nominated poet from Boston whose work has appeared in 300 publications (print and online), including Hiram Poetry Review, Mudfish, Poetry Magazine, Ceremony, Cacti Fur, Bitterzoet, Cactus Heart, Similar Peaks, Gloom Cupboard, and Poetry Salzburg.

Click here to read “Under Quarantine” — COVID-era poetry of Erren Kelly, published by Jerry Jazz Musician

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Terrance Underwood is a retired Gas Turbine Package Engineer whose career offered opportunities to work all over the world. A devoted jazz enthusiast, his first memory operating a mechanical devise was a 4-speed spindle drop record changer for his father’s collection of 78s. In 2024, he was nominated by Jerry Jazz Musician for a Pushcart Prize.

Click here to read Proceeding From Behind: A collection of poems grounded in the rhythmic, relating to the remarkable, by Terrance Underwood

Click here to read his collection of poems “With Ease in Mind”

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Click for:

The Sunday Poem Archive

More poetry on Jerry Jazz Musician

War. Remembrance. Walls. The High Price of Authoritarianism – by editor/publisher Joe Maita

“The Sound of Becoming,” J.C. Michaels’ winning story in the 70th Jerry Jazz Musician Short Fiction Contest

More short fiction on Jerry Jazz Musician

Information about how to submit your poetry or short fiction

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