Neologism Poetry Journal is edited by Christopher Fields. A new issue of this US based journal appears online each month, presenting the work of American poets and writers from other countries.

Neologism is always enjoyable to read. Christopher’s selections include a variety of styles and subject matter with the content always being accessible and engaging. Offering about ten poems in each issue, Neologism is just the right length to read during a break from other activities or while travelling on a bus or train.

I was pleased to have one of my poems selected to appear in Issue #106 which was released in March 2026. My poem relates to the ordeal of two German aviators, Hans Bertram and Adolf Klausmann, who became stranded on Australia’s remote Kimberley coast in 1932. Bertram’s diary records that after forty days they were weak and awaiting death.

Emeralds and Sapphires

The rugged walls of this stone overhang provide shelter, give
sanctuary, deliver us from evil. They protect us with the grace of a vaulted nave
or a marble apse beneath a golden dome. Outside, pools of water
lie motionless in natural depressions that formed in the sandstone terrace
before Christ was born.

Rising brilliant orange in the afternoon sunshine, rough-hewn
blocks stacked atop one another appear fragile and timeless. Crisp white
ribbons of water cascade down the cliff, splashing carelessly
onto the lowest ledge where a saltwater crocodile rests beside a sea sparkling
with emeralds and sapphires.

We’ve watched the sun circle north in the sky. We’ve seen
unfamiliar stars shine through the addled branches of a tree whose bloated trunk
has room enough for a wayside chapel. And yet, despite the
abundance of birds, fish and creatures that scamper and leap, we never did learn
how to live on this land.

This world cannot be hurried. This world takes time to give up
the secrets a stranger will need if he’s to prosper, rather than perish,
though even a stranger can feel the warmth in the red sandy soil
and the midday breeze. Even a stranger can recognise this as a land so rich,
a land so full of life.

God, we could not wish for a better place to die.

In fact, Bertram and Klausmann survived. After nearly six weeks, they were unable to move and waiting to die when they were found by a local Aborigine named Miaman. You can read more about their plight and eventual rescue here.

Neologism Poetry Journal offers an archive of wonderful poetry that can be found here. Please visit the site and enjoy the poems. If you wish to contribute poems of your own, the Submission details for Neologism Poetry Journal can be found via this link.