The World at Last a Meadow

THE DANCING
—Gerald Stern

In all these rotten shops, in all this broken furniture
and wrinkled ties and baseball trophies and coffee pots
I have never seen a post-war Philco
with the automatic eye
nor heard Ravel's "Bolero" the way I did
in 1945 in that tiny living room
on Beechwood Boulevard, nor danced as I did
then, my knives all flashing, my hair all streaming,
my mother red with laughter, my father cupping
his left hand under his armpit, doing the dance
of old Ukraine, the sound of his skin half drum,
half fart, the world at last a meadow,
the three of us whirling and singing, the three of us
screaming and falling, as if we were dying,
as if we could never stop—in 1945—
in Pittsburgh, beautiful filthy Pittsburgh, home
of the evil Mellons, 5,000 miles away
from the other dancing—in Poland and Germany—
oh God of mercy, oh wild God.

_______________________

Tonight:

(7/13), 8 PM: Poetry Unplugged presents Michael Halfhill's poetry and sacred chants. Open mic before/after. Luna’s Café, 1414 16th St., Sac. Info: 441-3931 or www.lunascafe.com. Free.

Next Monday:

(7/17), 7:30 PM: Sacramento Poetry Center presents Hot Thoughts: Two-Voice Poetry featuring Susan Hennies and Joe Finkelman. Jazz flute and Vocals by Francesca Reitano; Percussion and Sound Texture by Sharon McCorkell. Rattlesnake Press is proud to announce that newlyweds Susan and Joe will be doing a chapbook for us in December of 2006! Hear their exciting presentation this Monday at SPC/HQ for the Arts, 25th & R Sts., Sac. Info: 451-5569. Free. Open Mic.

Poet's Lane: Theme-poems for July Needed:

Cynthia Bryant, Pleasanton Poet Laureate and Poet's Lane Maven writes: Send me your poems for July, the theme being Summer, Picnic, Fireworks. Send to PoetsLane@comcast.net along with your picture/email/website and any previously published info, if it applies. If you have nothing to fit the theme, but still need to get something Off Your Chest, send the poem to PoetsLane@comcast.net and tell me it is for mental health: Getting it Off Your Chest page on www.poetslane.com

Babelfish:

(No, it's not a new low-cholesterol alternative...) Check out www.babelfish.com if you need to translate something either into or out of another language. Easy to access, easy to use.

_______________________

THE POWER OF MAPLES
—Gerald Stern

If you want to live in the country you have to understand the power of maples.
You have to see them sink their teeth into the roots of the old locusts.
You have to see them force the sycamores to gasp for air.
You have to see them move their thick hairs into the cellar.
And when you cut your great green shad pole
you have to be ready for it to start sprouting in your hands;
you have to stick it in the ground like a piece of willow;
you have to plant your table under its leaves and begin eating.

_______________________

THE BITE
—Gerald Stern

I didn't start taking myself seriously as a poet
until the white began to appear in my cheek.
All before was amusement and affection—
now, like a hare, like a hare, like a hare,
I watch the turtle lift one horrible leg
over the last remaining stile and head
for home, practically roaring with virtue.
Everything, suddenly everything is up there in the mind,
all the beauty of the race gone
and my life merely an allegory.

_______________________

—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.)