Right Back to the Roots

SOMETIMES IT ALL WORKS OUT
—William S. Gainer, Grass Valley

There’s an odd guy
that used to live around here.
He lost his tongue in the war,
had trouble communicating.
They sent him
one of those phones
for the disabled,
but it was for a blind guy,
had Braille buttons.
He had trouble
calling to complain,
had to write a letter,
“What are ya, a fucking idiot?
I don’t have a tongue,
now send over the right phone.”
I heard he became a drummer
for a punk rock band,
they thought he was into self-mutilation,
figured he'd fit right in.
They say he made lots of money,
got a tattoo,
bought himself a prosthesis.
I heard the color is almost
a perfect match.

_______________________

The irreverent Bill Gainer will read at Poetry Unplugged tomorrow night, along with Ann Menebroker and Neeli Cherkovski. That's 8 PM on Thursday at Luna's Cafe, 1414 16th St., Sac. Open mic before and after.


Tonight:

•••Weds. (11/29), 10 PM-midnight: Mics and Moods at Capitol Garage, 1500 K St., Sac. Features and open mic, hosted by Khiry Malik. 21 years of age and older; $5 cover. Info: 916-492-9336 or www.malikspeaks.com.

•••Weds. (11/29), 6 PM: The Hidden Passage poetry series meets in Placerville. This is an open mic/read-around; bring your poems or somebody else's. Address is 352 Main St., Placerville.


Calendar addition for tomorrow night:

Thursday (11/30), 7-9:30 PM: The Writers Read Poetry Series meets at the Colored Horse Studio, 780 Waugh Lane, Ukiah. This Thursday evening, Writers Read presents a special reading by seven authors whose work appears in Reads: An Anthology of Writings by The Lakeside Writers Guild. If time permits, an open mike session will follow the featured reading. Refreshments available. Donation requested. For more info: (707)275-9010 or (707)463-6989. This event is sponsored by Poets & Writers, Inc. through a grant from the James Irvine Foundation, and by Tenacity Press and Colored Horse Studio.


Get your tickets NOW:

I Began To Speak, a movie of the history of poetry in the City of Sacramento c. 1960 to 2006, features some 41 area poets who tell the story of the evolution of a single poetry community in their own voices. Produced, written and directed by B.L. Kennedy, with Linda Thorell as Director of Photography, Editing and Design, and funded in part by an ArtScapes Grant from the Sacramento Metropolitan Arts Commission, this unique film will premier at the legendary Crest Theatre in the heart of downtown Sacramento on Wednesday, December 6 at 7 PM. Advance tickets now on sale at the Crest, 1013 K St., Sac., 916-442-5189 or sid@thecrest.com. Tickets are $10, and can also be purchased via ticket agencies like www.tickets.com—though you save on fees if you buy them directly from the Crest. Limited seating, so get your tickets now!

_______________________

Here's another poem from the interesting Pascale Petit:

WHAT SHE WANTED
—Pascale Petit

What she wanted was to return
to the original rainforest

hear water pushing
through the sapwood

and leaves eating light
as she wanted to eat light.

She knew her nature
was to be water, not wood.

She knew there was a grove
of vertical rivers

of roaring waterfall-trees,
and a grove of whirlpool-trees

with vortices she could dive through,
past the hollow years of her life

right back to the roots.

______________________

—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.)