I am honored to have one of my poems, “The Red Ribbon”, included in the 2025 edition of MARYLAND BARDS POETRY REVIEW. (Local Gems Press)
THE RED RIBBON
Such a performance –
like a peacock the child struts,
raising a cloud of dust as she dances
past ragged tents and kerosene stoves
where shrouded ghosts with dead eyes
stir gray pots.
A red strip of cloth encircles her black curls,
marking her as precious
in a land where life has little value.
Is it inevitable that she will join
mothers and grandmothers
endlessly coaxing life, like a dying flame,
amidst devastation?
Janice F. Booth
Opening Lines 
So true and so sad. Who knows what gifts and talents this young woman has that no one will probably ever know about.
Congratulation. Thanks for sharing your beautiful poem. I enjoyed reading it.
Mike Cash
Thank you, Mike.