Painted Stones by Mark Tulin is in Breathe Bold, Issue One.

Check out Breathe Bold, the new literary magazine.

I’m happy that my poem, Painted Stones, was in their premiere issue.

To read the issue, click Breathe Bold. Painted Stones is on page 8.

Painted Stones
By Mark Tulin



The spirits have breathed life 
into the painted stones 
at Ventura’s spiritual garden, 
colorful heart-shaped rocks, 
symbols of lost loved ones 

who roamed the beaches, 
made footprints in the wet sand, 
etched their faces in dreams, 
and once inhaled
the same seaside air. 

They lost their lives 
for different reasons, 
leaving wives and husbands
for distant stars 
and uncharted adventures.

In this garden of spirits, 
memories turn from sadness 
into youthful laughter, 
amid the waves, the siren
sounds their cry.