Buffaloes, Spiders, Fly-Ghosts & This Week's Events

THE FLOWER-FED BUFFALOES
—Vachel Lindsay

The flower-fed buffaloes of the spring
In the days of long ago,
Ranged where the locomotives sing
And the prairie flowers lie low;
The tossing, blooming, perfumed grass
Is swept away by wheat,
Wheels and wheels and wheels spin by
In the spring that still is sweet.
But the flower-fed buffaloes of the spring
Left us long ago.
They gore no more, they bellow no more,
They trundle around the hills no more;—
With the Blackfeet lying low,
With the Pawnees lying low.

________________________

Here's are (most) of the area poetry happenings for this week. Lemme know if there are more:

•••Tonight (1/9) Sacramento Poetry Center presents Terry Moore at HQ, 25th & R Sts., Sac, 7:30 pm. Terry is a huge contributor to the Sac. poetry scene, both with his own prize-winning poetry, and with all the events he sponsors. Do remember, though, to bundle up—HQ can be chilly this time of year!

•••Jeanine Stevens will celebrate the release of her chapbook, The Keeping Room, from Rattlesnake Press next Wednesday, January 11, at 7:30 pm at The Book Collector, 1008 24th St., Sacramento. Refreshments and a read-around will follow; bring your own poems or somebody else’s. Free. Info: 442-9295.

•••Asst. Wrangler Robbie Grossklaus has the next issue of VYPER, our journal of poetry from youngsters 13-19, almost ready to go; it'll premiere at Jeanine Stevens' reading at The Book Collector on January 11.

•••Also Weds. (1/11): Mahogany Urban Poetry Series, 9 pm, Sweet Fingers Jamaican Restaurant, 1704 Broadway, Sac., $5 cover. Info: 492-9336.

•••Thursday (1/12): Poetry Unplugged at Luna's Cafe, 1414 16th St., Sac. 8 pm.; Poetic Light Open Mic, 8-10pm at the Personal Style Salon, 2540 Cottage Way, Sac., Info: 470-2317; Evening of Poetry, 7 pm, Gwen's Caribbean Cuisine, 2355 Arden Way, Sac. Info: 284-7831.

•••Friday the 13th: The Other Voice presents Snake Pals Elsie and Don Feliz at the Davis Unitarian Church Library, 27074 Patwin Rd., Davis, 7:30 pm. Info: 530-753-2634.

•••Saturday (1/14): Poems-For-All presents David Larsen, Lauren Gudath, Sean Finney & David Hayward at The Book Collector, 1008 24th St., Sac., 8 pm. Free; also free mini-books. Info: 442-9295. Earlier that day: Patricity in Spirit in Truth Open Mic at Queen Sheba's restaurant, 1537 Howe Av., Sac., 3-5 pm. Info: 920-1020.

•••Sunday (1/15) the Third Sunday Writing Group meets from 1-3 pm. Info re: location: eskimopi@jps.net.

•••Also Sunday: Poets Cleo Kocol of Roseville and John Doyle from Chico will be the featured poets at a Special Event sponsored by the Lincoln Library and Lincoln Arts Poetry Open Mic, 3-5 pm at the Scout Hall (behind the Lincoln Library) in Lincoln. Free to the public.

___________________

THE SPIDER AND THE GHOST OF THE FLY
—Vachel Lindsay

Once I loved a spider
When I was born a fly,
A velvet-footed spider
With a gown of rainbow-dye.
She ate my wings and gloated.
She bound me with a hair.
She drove me to her parlor
Above her winding stair.
To educate young spiders
She took me all apart.
My ghost came back to haunt her.
I saw her eat my heart.

___________________

—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. Previously-published poems are okay for Medusa’s Kitchen, as long as you own the rights. (Please cite publication.)