Thursday, May 25, 2006

Three Birthdays

DAYS
—Ralph Waldo Emerson

Daughters of Time, the hypocritic Days,
Muffled and dumb like barefoot dervishes,
And marching single in an endless file,
Bring diadems and fagots in their hands.
To each they offer gifts after his will,
Bread, kingdoms, stars, and sky that holds them all.
I, in my pleached garden, watched the pomp,
Forgot my morning wishes, hastily
Took a few herbs and apples, and the Day
Turned and departed silent. I, too late,
Under her solemn fillet saw the scorn.

_______________________

Emerson would have been 203 years old today.

Today (5/25), Rattlesnake Interviewer-in-Residence B.L. Kennedy will host Joyce Jenkins and Richard Silberg, editors/publishers of the Bay Area's Poetry Flash, at 8 pm at Luna's Cafe, 1414 16th St., Sac. Info: 916-441-3931. Watch for Bari's upcoming rattlechap, The Setich Manor Poems, to be released June 14 at The Book Collector, along with a littlesnake broadside interview of him by Gene Avery ("A Conversation with B.L. Kennedy"). Not to mention Bari's action-packed "The BL 418 Buzz" in the next Snake, due out in a couple of weeks...

•••Also today (5/25): a Spanish poetry recital contest in the Little Theater of the Woodland High School, 21 North West St., Woodland, 6-8 pm. Free. Info: 530-662-4678 (ext. 515).

•••Also tonight (5/25): Flo-Real and Malik-speaks present "Vibe Sessions Neo-Soul Lounge" at The Cobbler Inn Soul Food Restaurant, 3520 Stockton Blvd., Sac., 8 pm. $5. Info: 916-457-6177.

from THE SHAPE OF THE FIRE
—Theodore Roethke

Morning-fair, follow me further back
Into that minnowy world of weeds and ditches,
When the herons floated high over the white houses,
And the little crabs slipped into silvery craters.
When the sun for me glinted the sides of a sand grain.
And my intent stretched over the buds at their first trembling.

The air and shine: and the flicker's loud summer call:
The bearded boards in the stream and the all of apples;
The glad hen on the hill; and the trellis humming.
Death was not. I lived in a simple drowse:
Hands and hair moved through a dream of wakening blossoms.
Rain sweetened the cave and dove still called;
The flowers leaned on themselves, the flowers in hollows;
And love, love sang toward.

________________________

Roethke would've been 98 years old today.

from WHAT THE DOCTOR SAID
—Raymond Carver

he said are you a religious man do you kneel down
in forest groves and let yourself ask for help
when you come to a waterfall
mist blowing against your face and arms
do you stop and ask for understanding at those moments
I said not yet but I intend to start today

________________________

Carver would've been 68 today. He passed away in 1988, at the age of 50.

—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.)
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