The Fabulous Mary Z

Whistling girls and crowing hens
always come to some bad ends.
—The Grandmother's Daybook of Proverbs and Platitudes

Of Whistling Girl and Crowing Hen
—Mary Zeppa, Sacramento

The little red hen's inspiration (eR eR eR
cock a doodle doo doo!) wakes the girl
in this dream, in this fat featherbed,
who is me: in whose sleep-
hugging arms, the little red hen

incandesces: lights the bedrooms,
the parlor, the yard, spotlights
my redheaded Grandpa
knocking back his last
cinnamon schnapps.

Little Trumpeting Fluff
of Red Feathers, Little Belt-it-Out
Megaphone-Beak. Little Star of
My Firmament blasting
sour Granny clean into next week.

_______________________

The above poem is from the Fabulous Mary Zeppa, whose new Rattlechap (#11), The Battered Bride Overture, will be released this coming Wednesday, June 8, at a book party and reading at The Book Collector, 1008 24th Street, Sacramento, 7:30-9pm. Mary is a wonderful poet in addition to being a long-time Sacramento Poetry Center Board member and all-around supporter of poetry in Sacramento. This is her second chapbook.

In other news, Editor Joyce Odam is having a poetry crisis: she desperately needs poetry submissions for PDQ (Poetry Depth Quarterly), which has fallen behind in its schedule, so is doing a quick "catch-up" issue in July. Snail her (no e-mail) 3-5 poems, 3-10 line bio, SASE, no prev-pub or simul-subs. Joyce's address is 2432 48th St., Sac., 95822. Website: poetrydepthquarterly.com. Deadline is June 30.

Coming down the home stretch with Snake 6; 50 pages of your poetry, and counting....!

Medusa