The Things of Today

SADNESS
—Shuntara Tanikawa

Sadness
A half-peeled apple
Not a metaphor
Not a poem
Merely there
A half-peeled apple
Sadness
Merely there
Yesterday's evening paper
Merely there
Merely there
A warm breast
Merely there
Nightfall
Sadness
Apart from words
Apart from the heart
Merely here
The things of today.

______________________

This week's poetry events (Wow!):

•••Tonight (Monday, 10/16), 7:30 PM: Sacramento Poetry Center presents Poets of Luther Burbank High School. HQ, 15th & R Sts., Sacramento.

•••Tuesday (10/17), 6 PM: Sacramento Public Library's One Book Sacramento project presents Novelist and Poet Mary Mackey and Bee political columnist Daniel Weintraub reading from their works anthologized in My California. Bella Bru Cafe, 4680 Natomas Blvd., Sac. Free. 916-928-1770 or www.saclibrary.org.

•••Wednesday (10/18), 7 PM: The Sac State Creative Writing Program in conjunction with the Sac State Visiting Scholars Program and Poets & Writers, Inc. presents a lecture & poetry reading by internationally-acclaimed poet, teacher and scholar Bin Ramke in the CSUS Library Gallery (1st floor). Professor Ramke will deliver a talk and then give a poetry reading. The subject for his talk is "Poetry and Proof: The Problem of the Practical."

•••Also Wed., 6:30-8 PM: Urban Voices present CSUS Professor Mary Mackay, South Natomas Library, 2901 Truxel Rd., Sac. Free.

•••Also Weds., 10-midnight: Mahogany Poets presents Mics and Moods at Capitol Garage, 1500 K St., Sac. Features and Open Mic; 21 and older. $5. Info: 916-492-9336 or www.malikspeaks.com.

•••Thursday (10/19), 8 PM: Vibe Sessions Neo-Soul Lounge with Flo-Real and open mic. The Cobbler Soul Food Restaurant (next to Colonial Theater), 3520 Stockton, Blvd., Sac. $5. 916-613-0776.

•••Also Thursday, 8 PM: Poetry Unplugged presents Sacramento Poetry Center President and Poetry Now Editor Bob Stanley. Open mic before/after. Luna’s Café, 1414 16th St., Sac. Info: 441-3931 or www.lunascafe.com. Free. Congrats to Poetry Unplugged, by the way, for winning Sacramento News & Review's "Best of open mic: Poetry" Award!

•••Friday (10/20), 7 PM: Six Ft. Swells Press celebrates the newest chapbook in its Cheap Shots Poetry Series with the release of Julie Valin's Night Songs for Heavy Dreamers. The evening begins with cocktails and backslapping at 7 PM followed by a reading featuring Julie Valin and Matt Amott. The evening is hosted by the pirate of the Cheap Shots Poetry Series, Todd Cirillo. The event will be a combination of above-average garden party debauchery and truck stop revelries wrapped up in After-Hours Poetry at its finest. The event is free at Jason's Studio Cafe (in Booktown Books), 134 S. Auburn St., Grass Valley. For info. or to order Six Ft. Swells releases call 530-271-0662 or email sixfootswells@yahoo.com.

•••Also Friday, 7 PM: Our House Gallery and Framing presents Irene Lipshin and Phil Weidman. Both have new chapbooks out from Rattlesnake Press: Shadowlines (Irene) and Fictional Character: The Ernie Poems (Phil). An open mic follows. Our House Gallery & Framing is located at 4510 Post St. in El Dorado Hills Town Center. There is no charge.

•••Saturday (10/21), 7:30 PM: Literature Alive! Presents Wordslingers 2006: An Evening With Amy Tan. The event, presented by Literature Alive!, a Nevada County non-profit, will take place at the Veteran’s Memorial Hall in Grass Valley. Tickets for the main auditorium are $25 in advance, $30 at the door, $22 for Literature Alive! members (must show membership card); bleacher seats are $15. For more information on tickets (which may be sold out?), call (530) 272-5812 or visit the website at www.litalive.org.

•••Also Saturday, 7-9 PM: Underground Poetry Series features Red Fox Underground poets Wendy Williams and Brigit Truex, plus Lori Jean Robinson and Random Abiladeze, plus open mic. $3. Underground Books, 2814 35th St., Sac. (35th and Broadway). If you would like to be a featured poet, contact Terry Moore at 916-455-POET.

•••Also Saturday, 4 PM: The Central California Art Association and the Mistlin Art Gallery announces a poetry writing workshop as this month’s featured poetry event. The facilitator, Karin Forno, is a well known local writer who practicies medicine, has earned a Master's of Fine Arts in creative writing, and is an instructor at CSUS. A very modest $10.00 donation per writer is requested. Please email Gordon Preston at gordonbp@sbcglobal.net with your intent to participate. Space will be limited.

•••Also Saturday, 1-3 PM: The Third Saturday of the Month is The Stockton Poetry Workshop at The Acacia Cafe, corner of Acacia and Yosemite Avenues, Stockton. For info call Donald Anderson (209) 943-2449 or call the host, Shonda Renee (209) 603-1598.

•••Sunday (Oct. 22), 4 PM: The Book Collector and Rattlesnake Press present Taylor Graham reading from her latest book, The Downstairs Dance Floor, winner of the Robert Phillips Poetry Chapbook Prize from Texas Review Press. That's at The Book Collector, 1008 24th St., Sac. Be there.

_______________________

STONE AND LIGHT
—Shuntaro Tanikawa

The stone doesn't repel the light,
The stone doesn't absorb the light.
On the stone sits a deerfly,
The light is radiant in its downy hair.

The light just now arrived on earth.

_______________________

CONCERNING A GIRL
—Shuntaro Tanikawa

from a little basket on the kitchen shelf I was about to
pick a star the girl insisted she didn't care about a
harvest I thought I had planted a seed but perhaps we too
had been planted seeds without realizing it we were raised
and ripened and will probably wither away later we're nothing
more than a tiny clod of earth in the middle of the world's
garden yet this time we are the ones that will raise someone
will stand on us and grope for a star with a huge hand perhaps
even check for ripeness however we are not fertilizer for
stars even at that time a girl wise beyond doubt will be there
to plant her naked feet within us then she herself will become
a flower and when ripe a star will naturally fall the
flower knows all about this and so will not be afraid of
dying when standing on my tiptoes about to pick a star I
was called by the girl

(Today's poetry was translated from the Japanese by Harold Wright.)

________________________

—Medusa

Medusa encourages poets of all ilk and ages to send their poetry, photos and art, 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.)