In Defiance of Gravity

STRAIGHT AND NARROW ROAD
—Jacques Prevert

At each mile
each year
old men with closed faces
point out the road to children
with gestures of reinforced concrete.

__________________

The aging poems continue. While you're sitting around aging, you might as well go hear some poetry! Tonight at Luna's Cafe it's Bill Pieper; tomorrow choose from Jack Hirschman at the Art Foundry or Al Young at Grass Valley; Saturday it's Robbie Grossklaus at The Book Collector. See last Monday's post for details. At least there's plenty of good poetry to listen to while our wrinkles deepen and gravity takes over those growing mounds of flesh... :-)

On a cheerier note, next Wednesday at James Lee Jobe's Book Collector Rattle-Read, we will also premiere littlesnake broadside #20 by the illustrious Sacramento treasure frank andrick (small f, small a). This is his long-admired (also long and admired) Lamantia poem, Aurelia Occultica Lamantia—AOL. Come get yours (free) and hear the shy frank read a smattering of it. Here's a tasty sample:


This morning/mourning paper

I feel a void

The knowledge and presence

of a void—paradoxia paradiso

Space does not rush in to fill

This void

Void of voids—oh void of voids



Eye that smoothes

The eye that caresses

That touches with tenderness

Shaping the sacred into suicide shapes

Invisible patterns only seen in vision

Open eyed—wild eyed—third eyed

____________________

Thanks, frank! Next Wednesday will indeed be a historical day in Sacramento, with two heavyweights sending poetry into the stratosphere.

One more from Prevert; these translations were by Lawrence Ferlinghetti for City Lights.


THE DUNCE
—Jacques Prevert

He says no with his head
but he says yes with his heart
he says yes to what he loves
he says no to the teacher
he stands
he is questioned
and all the problems are posed
sudden mad laughter seizes him
and he erases all
the words and figures
names and dates
sentences and snares
and despite the teacher’s threats
to the jeers of infant prodigies
with chalk of every color
on the blackboard of misfortune
he draws the face of happiness.

_______________________

—Medusa (still defying gravity)

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.)