Today's photo is of Taylor Graham and Friends.
THE VANITY’S SMOKY FACE
—Taylor Graham, Somerset
This is your mother’s looking-glass,
testament to the sort of loveliness
that sutures silver threads into
a silken head-scarf, and cultivates
a smoky gaze to romantically obscure
the Lucky cartons in an upper drawer.
You call it an obnoxious mirror;
the reflection so obviously noxious
as it draws your gaze to the cartons
full of her romantically smoked-out
Lucky butts; her lovely head, scarfed
in skull; sutures useless to obscure
the sort of testament she left you,
this mother looking through a glass.
__________________________
Thanks, TG (and Friends)! Taylor Graham will be reading in Stockton this coming Sunday (9/10); see below for details.
This Week's Chicanery:
•••Tonight (Monday, 9/4), The Other Voice poetry reading series returns with an open reading at 7:30 PM in the Unitarian Universalist Church of Davis, 27074 Patwin Road, Davis. James Lee Jobe will be your host. Call 530-750-3514 for details. This is a free event.
•••Or head over to Stockton tonight (9/4) at 7 PM for Alan Satow's open mic & feature at Java Aroma on Pacific Ave./Walnut in Stockton.
•••Thursday, 9/7 at 8 PM, Poetry Unplugged features Vincent Kobelt. Open Mic before and after. Luna's Cafe, 1414 16th St., Sac. Free. Info: 916-441-3931.
•••Also Thursday, 8 PM: Flo Real's weekly Vibe Session and neo-soul lounge. The Cobbler Soul Food Restaurant, 3520 Stockton Blvd., Sac. $5. Info: 916-613-0776.
•••Also Thursday (9/7): All Peace letters must be received by The Peace Library (www.thepeacelibrary.org). The Peace Library, based in San Luis Obispo, California, and ARTS Obispo, SLO County Arts Council, are sponsoring an art installation in the new ARTS Space Obispo gallery in honor of September 21, 2006. In 1983 the United Nations declared September 21 the International Day of Peace (www.internationaldayofpeace.org.). Peace Day gatherings are being planned all over the world in support of a single day of global cease-fire, and in the hope of a future without the violence of war. The installation will be composed of your ideas in letter-form, creating an international chorus for peace. All letters received by September 7, 2006 will be included.
- Write the letter in your own handwriting if possible, if not, typed is fine, or email thepeacelibrary@aol.com. No response is too short or too long.
- Write the letter in your own language, part or all of it could be translated into English if you like.
- Include in the letter the country of origin.
- Send or email a picture of yourself and/or your family and friends
- Use interesting paper, perhaps something commonly used in your community, and attractive stamps on the envelope
- Ask everyone you know to send a letter.
- Send the letters to…
The Peace Library
17100 Walnut
Atascadero, California 93422
Better get 'em in the mail today!
•••Saturday (9/9) and Sunday (9/10): The Friends of the Woodland Public Library, 250 First St., Woodland, will host a book sale in conjunction with the city's annual "Stroll Through History". Sat. 9 AM-4 PM; Sun. 1-4 PM. Info: Phyllis at 530-666-1561.
•••Sunday, 9/10, 7 PM: Poet's Corner Press features Taylor Graham at Barnes & Noble at Weberstown Mall on March Lane and Pacific in Stockton. She'll be reading from her new book, The Downstairs Dance Floor (winner of the Robert Phillips Poetry Chapbook Prize from Texas Review Press) and other books, including Harmonics (Poet's Corner Press) and Living with Myth (Rattlesnake Press).
_______________________
Sun Shadow Mountain:
Speaking of Stockton, Don Anderson of Stockton writes: We are looking for material to fill the pages of our latest publishing project, "Sun Shadow Mountain”, a 6”x 9” perfect-bound paperback of approx. 169 pages which will be made available for sale online at www.lulu.com. We are now accepting as many submissions as possible; all submissions are reviewed and selected upon relevance to the theme. The closing date for submissions is Thursday, January 4th, 2007; those received earliest are most likely to get a higher priority for available space, except where aesthetics dictate. Submissions requirements are very specific, so for further info, contact Donald Anderson at P.O. Box 121, Farmington, CA 95230 (too_live_forever@yahoo.com), (209) 943-2449; or Nikki Quismondo (pisces03142001@yahoo.com), (209) 474-7099.
Chantarelle's Notebook:
Featured Poet in Chantarelle's Notebook this month is Patricia Wellingham-Jones; check it out at www.geocities.com/chantarellesnotebook/featured.html.
_______________________
THE COMING FALL
—Denise Levertov
The eastern sky at sunset taking
the glow of the west:
the west a clear stillness.
The east flinging
nets of cloud
to hold the rose light a moment longer:
The east flinging
nets of cloud
to hold the rose light a moment longer:
the western hill dark to blackness.
The ants
on their acropolis
prepare for the night.
.....................................................................
The vine among the rocks
heavy with grapes
the shadows of September
among the gold glint of the grass
among shining
willow leaves the small birds moving
silent in the presence of a new season.
....................................................................
In the last sunlight
human figures dark on the hill
outlined—
a fur of gold
about their shoulders and heads,
a blur defining them.
.....................................................................
Down by the fallen fruit in the old orchard
the air grows cold. The hill
hides the sun.
A sense of the present
rises out of earth and grass,
enters the feet, ascends
into the genitals, constricting
the breast, lightening
the head—a wisdom,
a shiver, a delight
that what is passing
is here, as if
a snake went by, green in the
gray leaves.
_______________________
Yeah, well, a Snake is about to go by us all; I shall spend this Labor Day giving birth to Snake 12 (an even dozen). Poetry is our True Work, after all—yes? Here are some instructions from Russ:
POETRY
—Russell Edson
You will hear her, the muse; she knocks three times. Past that she knocks no more...
The password is nonsense.
This begins the secret which hides the final message.
You will sit in the dark waiting for the three knocks. Do not be fooled by the coming of the three little pigs, or the old man who hobbles on a cane. The one who slays the Sphinx at the end of the game.
The consummation is nonsense, without which the road of the final message is overgrown with meaning, and the vagueness of everything is everywhere...
_______________________
P.S. TG just wrote and said, Snake #12? Where the hell's 11? Okay—Apparently I over-anticipate myself. It is #11 that's on the current agenda...
—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.)
on their acropolis
prepare for the night.
.....................................................................
The vine among the rocks
heavy with grapes
the shadows of September
among the gold glint of the grass
among shining
willow leaves the small birds moving
silent in the presence of a new season.
....................................................................
In the last sunlight
human figures dark on the hill
outlined—
a fur of gold
about their shoulders and heads,
a blur defining them.
.....................................................................
Down by the fallen fruit in the old orchard
the air grows cold. The hill
hides the sun.
A sense of the present
rises out of earth and grass,
enters the feet, ascends
into the genitals, constricting
the breast, lightening
the head—a wisdom,
a shiver, a delight
that what is passing
is here, as if
a snake went by, green in the
gray leaves.
_______________________
Yeah, well, a Snake is about to go by us all; I shall spend this Labor Day giving birth to Snake 12 (an even dozen). Poetry is our True Work, after all—yes? Here are some instructions from Russ:
POETRY
—Russell Edson
You will hear her, the muse; she knocks three times. Past that she knocks no more...
The password is nonsense.
This begins the secret which hides the final message.
You will sit in the dark waiting for the three knocks. Do not be fooled by the coming of the three little pigs, or the old man who hobbles on a cane. The one who slays the Sphinx at the end of the game.
The consummation is nonsense, without which the road of the final message is overgrown with meaning, and the vagueness of everything is everywhere...
_______________________
P.S. TG just wrote and said, Snake #12? Where the hell's 11? Okay—Apparently I over-anticipate myself. It is #11 that's on the current agenda...
—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.)
