To Be A North Star

HOBO OF COLFAX TUNNEL
—Matt Amott, Roseville

we sit in the café
she must see me
as a relic
a living fossil of time
before the Nintendo revolution
we discuss books, movies and trains
time frozen until she is summoned
away by the ring of her phone
we go our separate ways
a beautiful afternoon spent
humoring an old man
who wonders
where was she
when he
was
17

________________________

ANNOYING
—Matt Amott, Roseville

She talks non stop
in the store
in the car
and in the living room
all my answers are short words like
"yes," "no" and "really?"
she gets mad that I don't talk enough
about my day

I don't tell her
that I spent my whole day
waiting to hear
her sweet voice
and the stories
of her day

_______________________

Thanks, Matt! These are samples of the fine poetry to be found in the next issue of Rattlesnake Review #11; deadline for submissions is August 15, one week from today. Send them to kathykieth@hotmail.com, or P.O. Box 1647, Orangevale, CA 95662.

Also coming in RR11 will be a feature on the Lincoln poets. Cleo Kocal of Roseville, a member of same, writes to say that she is a First Place winner in the Artists Embassy International Dancing Poetry Contest for 2006, and she will be reading her poem in October at the Palace of the Legion of Honor in San Francisco. She was a grand prize winner in 2003. Also, she am a finalist in the Placer Arts Council Contest for residents of the "gold" counties. She will be reading her poem in Auburn, where the winner will be announced Aug. 19. Here's a poem from Cleo which is also a sample from RR11. She will be releasing a littlesnake broadside in November.

DANCE THE NIGHT
—Cleo Kocol, Roseville

A dry dust morning,
horizon lost,
people disoriented,
cut off from the day,
the world a flower dead-headed,
bare stalks sticking up
like a forest without
a canopy—
tree trunks
standing after a fire…

When the ice melts and
oceans rise, and temperatures
soar…. No, no,
bury the thought,
bury it deep.
Pretend.
Ignore the day, dance
the night, dance again.

________________________

And Irene Lipshin, who will be reading tomorrow at The Book Collector to release her new rattlechap, Shadowlines, took note of last Sunday's post of Denise Levertov and sent Medusa one of her own favorites from same. Thanks, Irene!

STEPPING WESTWARD
—Denise Levertov

What is green in me
darkens, muscadine.

If woman is inconstant,
good, I am faithful to

ebb and flow, I fall
in season and now

is a time of ripening.
If her part

is to be true,
a north star,

good, I hold steady
in the black sky

and vanish by day,
yet burn there

in blue or above
quilts of cloud.

There is no savor
more sweet, more salt

than to be glad to be
what, woman,

and who, myself,
I am, a shadow

that grows longer as the sun
moves, drawn out

on a thread of wonder.
If I bear burdens

they begin to be remembered
as gifts, goods, a basket

of bread that hurts
my shoulders but closes me

in fragrance. I can
eat as I go.

______________________

—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.)