The Leaves Are Getting Busy

SMALL SONG
—A.R. Ammons

The reeds give
way to the

wind and give
the wind away.

___________________

Tonight the Sac. Poetry Center will present Cherryl Smith, Edythe Schwartz, Connie Gutowsky and Anthony Scoggins, reading to celebrate the release of Ms. Smith's book, After Being Somewhere Else. 7:30 pm, HQ (25th & R Sts., Sac.), free. Info: 441-7395.

James DenBoer will read at The Book Collector, 1008 24th St., Sac. this Wednesday, Oct. 12 at 7:30 pm, to celebrate the release of his latest chapbook from Rattlesnake Press: Black Dog: An Unfinished Segue Between Two Seasons. Refreshments and a read-around will follow; bring your own poems or somebody else's.

OR, that same night, you might attend the potluck and reading to celebrate the life and work of the late poet and activist, Phil Goldvarg (6 pm, La Raza Galeria Posada, 1421 R St., Sac.).

Also released at Jim's rattle-read Wednesday will be littlesnake broadside #17 by Song Kowbell: Watching the Rabbit. Song is an emerging poet from the Grass Valley/Nevada City area who will be reading at Luna's Cafe Nov. 17, and who will be releasing a chapbook from Rattlesnake Press next Spring.

Also reading at Luna's Nov. 17 will be fellow GV/NC poets Todd Cirillo and William S. Gainer, both of whom have rattlechaps in the offing—Bill for December, and Todd for next Spring. Both poets also have published littlesnake broadsides, as well, which are currently available free at The Book Collector and will also be available at the 11/17 reading at Luna's. littlesnake broadsides are intended as a brief introduction to poets: longer than a poem or two, shorter than a chap. November's broadside will be from Sacramentan Claudia Trnka; more about that soon.

Here is a wee smidgeon of Bill Gainer's fine work:


THE LEAVES ARE GETTING BUSY
—William S. Gainer, Grass Valley

It’s Fall
and the leaves
are getting busy,
hiding the corpse
of summer
and we all know
what that means—
it’s going to rain...
it’s going to rain...

The days are getting
short,
nights
long
cold
and we all know
what that means—
the moon’s taking charge,
the creatures that howl
are coming out,
it’s getting dark.
Even the angels
look
to hide.

But no place is safe,
it’s Fall
and the leaves
are getting busy
and we all know what that means—
the rain,
the dark,
the creatures that howl,
the moon taking charge,
the leaves getting busy.

And we all know what that means—
the leaves getting busy...
it's going to rain...
it's going to rain...
it's going to rain...

____________________________

Thanks, Bill! Your mouth to God's ears... our friends in the foothills are anxious for an inch or two of rain to end the fire season up there.

—Medusa

Medusa encourages poets of all ilk and ages to send their poetry and announcements of Northern California poetry events to kathykieth@hotmail.com for posting on this daily Snake blog. Rights remain with the poets.