Shonda Renée
ODD COUPLE
(the house where revenge lives)
—Shonda Renée, Stockton
The devil lives with me
He moved in some time ago
He cooks for me and never burns a thing.
He spends hours and hours in the kitchen,
says it's where He feels most comfortable, ya know.
He tells me to leave when I complain of the heat,
it gets on His nerves when I do that.
So mostly, I stay in my room, until the meals are served.
When I go down, the table is always beautifully set,
and the meals, well, it pains me to say this
because He works so hard—
but they are always just awful.
_____________________
Thanks, Shonda! Shonda Renée is currently moderator of Poets On The Roof Workshop in Stockton, and she occassionally hosts the Poet's Corner Press Sunday Poetry Reading at Barnes & Noble’s. She has published a chapbook collection of her poetry, entitled Bearings (2003), and is currently working on another chapbook collection for release in 2007.
Poetry Out Loud today:
For the second year, California is participating in Poetry Out Loud, the national poetry recitation contest for high schoolers. The State Finals will be held today (Friday, March 23) at 12:30 PM in the Secretary of State Auditorium, 1020 O St., Sac.; no charge for attendance. Sacramento County's entry in the State Finals will be Kristi Avila of Elk Grove H.S., who will recite "I Go Back to May 1937" by Sharon Olds. The winner of today's contest will get to go to Washington D.C. for the national finals. Info: 916-322-6555 or www.cac.ca.gov. Yesterday's Sacramento Bee has an excellent article, including comments from California Poet Laureate Al Young, and our Brad Buchanan had a hand in coaching the youngsters, too.
_______________________
OH HAPPY COLLECTIVE
—Shonda Renée
we move along
like a row of ants in our thinking
straight.
we slap our own backs
and are cool man cool.
you are the same as me
i am the same as you.
lay your head on the cool side of the pillow—before we die.
somebody once said everything is short-lived.
ssshhhh, I have a feeling they were right.
________________________
A POEM FOR SULA
(for the main character in the Toni Morrison novel, Sula)
—Shonda Renée
I turned the pages of her fabled life
as a fresh witness to the smell of salt
from female piss and tears;
a mix so strong, I hunched deep
behind my baby girl self and dared not dream
of crossing the fidgety line that would divide me from them.
At 16 then, I was a paradox of good girl teachings
and the desires my form was made for.
Fire, brimstone and wagging tongues ally ruthlessly;
so I eyed her with venom, and chorused my
dislike. The word whore was no stranger,
but only spoken aloud.
At 34, brimming with aborted buds,
A hunching girl's legacy,
I pour through her pages again
and beg pardon my past judgment.
She is now Eve,
biting into the world and saying,
"Here baby, taste this."
Uncursed
bare breasted
beautiful and free.
_______________________
—Medusa
Medusa encourages poets of all ilk and ages to send their POETRY, PHOTOS and ART, as well as announcements of Northern California poetry events to kathykieth@hotmail.com (or snail ‘em to P.O. Box 762, Pollock Pines, CA 95726) 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.)
