Friends at Seal Rock
Tom Goff and Nora Laila Staklis
UNDER YOU
—Tom Goff, Carmichael
Full moon, full golden moon,
you will not stay for your drenching
in horizon smog, but rise
like Agamemnon, dominus
empty of blood.
You surmount Mount Diablo’s
panic-inflicting summit.
You float without drift
in the river’s creased sheet,
a mirror for Eugene O’Neill,
hazel white to complement
his blue, his green. Our dogs
howl twice their noise under
you. Under you, we lie down for sleep
—but no: moonfloods of sweat,
distress, conscious nightmare.
If asked about our lives,
or anyone’s, you tighten your scroll
a quarter turn darker. Insisted at
by the waves you govern, you enigma
your lips, insinuate the odd crater
into light.
__________________
VOICES OF AMERICAN SOLDIERS SPEAKING ABOUT THE SADDAM FEDAYEEN
(a found poem transcribed from a cnn.com video clip on March 28, 2003)
—Nora Laila Staklis, Carmichael
Sgt. Paul Wheatley
U.S. Army 7th Cavalry
“It’s unreal.
It’s unimaginable.
You are constantly almost paranoid or
You ARE paranoid about
Every turn or every building
Or every person,
And it’s a little nerve racking at times.”
Lance Cpl. Joshua Menard
2nd Batallion 8th Marines
“We were surprised.
We were told
When we were going through Nasariya
That we should see little or no
Resistance.
It was a whole different ball game.
They weren’t rolling over like we thought they would.”
Sgt. Charles Horgan
U.S. Army 30th Infantry Regiment
“I thought
O my God
I am going to die.
I thought no,
I am going to lose my legs,
Gonna hit the truck.”
(published in Poets Against War (online) and The River Speaks from Poet’s Corner Press)
__________________
Thanks, Tom and Nora! Tom Goff and Nora Laila Staklis will be reading this Friday (4/20) at 7 PM in El Dorado Hills at Our House Gallery and Framing. Our House is located at 4510 Post St. in El Dorado Hills Town Center; from Sacramento, take the Latrobe exit south (right) off Hwy. 50 and then turn left into the shopping center. There is no charge; an open mic follows.
Congrats!
Rattlechapper (Skin Stretched Around the Hollow) Steve Williams writes from Portland: We are announcing some great news. Our web site, wildpoetryforum.com has just been named in Writer's Digest as one of the best 101 websites for writers. In fact, our site was only 1 of 4 shown in the poetry category. Writer's Digest hasn't updated their web site yet, but the list is in the June issue on the newstand... we are very happy!!!
Speaking of Happy Endings:
Saturday, April 28, 9 AM-4 PM/$65. We'll write to a 'happy ending': consider the meanings and reverberations of happiness, and discuss the structure and potential for stories, short and long. For all levels. Enjoy a lunch-break walk in the woods behind the studio. Contact Donna Hanelin at donna@creativewritingclasses.us
More about the Historic Reading this Sat. in San Andreas:
Monika Rose, Manzanita Editor, writes: You are invited to a fantastic literary reading April 21 up at the Calaveras County Historic Museum in and Courthouse in San Andreas (30 Main Street) from 2-5 PM. Come dressed in historic fashion if you like. Bring an excerpt of your favorite historic writer's work to share and/or bring your own work to read. Or just come to listen. It will be a wonderful melding of past and present literature and folklore. There will be an open mic for the public. If you would like to sign up as a participant, please e-mail me (mrosemanza@jps.net) and let me know ASAP. This is a nonprofit fundraiser to benefit the literary arts in the Mother Lode and Sierra region. Contact Phone: 209-754-0577. Museum phone: 209-754-4658. Arts Council gallery: 209-754-1774
COST: $8.00 suggested donation for adults, $4.00 children under 12. Includes Museum fee.
Writers Unlimited and Calaveras County Historical Society will present the re-enactment of the Sentencing of Black Bart in the Calaveras County Historic Courthouse, located in the historic museum, featuring Glenn Wasson as Black Bart (aka Charles Bolton, the notorious poetic highwayman and robber of stages in the Mother Lode), and Ted Laskin as the judge who brought Bolton to justice. People might have missed this event the first time around, as it occurred in the latter 1800s, but this rare opportunity to see it again is offered Saturday, April 21, at 2:00 P.M.
In addition, famous and not so famous literary figures will come back to life briefly. Black Bart (Glenn Wasson), Bret Harte (Ted Laskin), Mark Twain (Ed Cline), Ambrose Bierce (Dave Self), and John Muir (Daniel Williams) will showcase excerpts from their famous, or infamous, works. Juanita (first woman hanged in the West) aka Jackie Richmond, will be there to share her woes. Emily Dickinson’s (Sherry Snyder) presence is rumored, if promoters can get her out of her room and onto a train. Other minor figures may also appear, including the Lady Theresa Avonmore (Monika Rose) who adored John Muir and wrote a romance novel featuring Muir as the hero. And it is highly likely there might be some indiscreet courtroom scene reminiscent of the 1850s, so bring a hat to hold onto—although hats may have to be removed when the judge is present, but boots should definitely stay on.
Manzanita writers from Northern California featured in volume 5, released in the Fall, will be there to read some of their work, as will invited guests and writers in the region.
The public and participants are encouraged to dress in historic garb from the 1800s to turn-of-the-century clothing, or Calaveras Western and/or rural or dressy cultural clothing to celebrate our historic rustic past and rich California history. There will be an open Mic for public reading. Audience members are invited and will be prodded and even encouraged to come up and read a historic story of the Mother Lode, recite a poem (original or a favorite poet's), or to tell a humorous or wildly suspenseful story of modern-day Mother Lode life. The public is invited to bring a crazy adventure story of the area and share it with the audience. (No indecent stories, as children may be present.) Public figures are invited to share their wild experiences (modern or historic) to add to the rollicking climate (there will be cameras and videotaping).
The public is invited to visit the historic museum (it opens at 10 AM) before the reading to renew an appreciation for the rich historic past of the area. The $8.00 suggested donation for the event includes the Calaveras County Museum entrance fee, which is discounted for this event ($2.50). Delectable refreshments will be provided for audience imbibing, including unusual empanada-like objects, elk sticks, and many delicious pastoral and bucolic treats (Teriyaki rattlesnake will not be featured, unfortunately, due to unpopular demand [well, Medusa is certainly glad to hear that!]). Beverages will not be enhanced as children will be present, but expected libations should satisfy thirsty patrons.
Universal Table:
Universal Table is calling for submissions on the themes of “Illness and Grace” and “Terror and Transformation”. Stories, poems, personal essays for two anthologies; deadline is May 1. Stories/essays to 5,000 words; poems 1-5 pages. Payment in copies. Submit electronically as Word or RTF attachments to: wisingup@universaltable.org. Submissions also featured on website:
www.universaltable.org
__________________
tonight
—charles bukowski
"your poems about the girls will still be around
50 years from now when the girls are gone,"
my editor phones me.
dear editor:
the girls appear to be gone
already.
I know what you mean
but give me one truly alive woman
tonight
walking across the floor toward me
and you can have all the poems
the good ones
the bad ones
or any that I might write
after this one.
I know what you mean.
do you know what I mean?
_________________
—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.)
SnakeWatch: Up-to-the-minute Snake news:
Journals: Rattlesnake Review #13 is available at The Book Collector; next deadline is May 15. The new VYPER #6 (for youth 13-19) will be out this week; next deadline is Nov. 1. Snakelets 10 (for kids 0-12) is available; next deadline is May 1.
Books/broadsides: April’s releases are SnakeRings SpiralChap #7 from D.R. Wagner: Where The Stars Are Kept, and littlesnake broadside #33: Swallowed By This Whale Of Time by Ann Menebroker. Both are now available at The Book Collector. SpiralChaps are $8; broadsides are free. Or contact kathykieth@hotmail.com for ordering information.
Something new: Rattlesnake Interview Series with B.L. Kennedy is also available (free) at The Book Collector (or contact Kathy Kieth). #1 is Ann Menebroker.
Also: check out the Rattlechaps Chapbook Series page on the rattlesnakepress.com website! We've started generating separate pages for each rattlechapper/spiralchapper; scroll down through the list of books we've published and click on the names that are in red. That should lead you to a separate page for each of them, including photos, bios, poems, contact info—and more to come, once we get them all up and running. Sweet!
Tom Goff and Nora Laila Staklis
UNDER YOU
—Tom Goff, Carmichael
Full moon, full golden moon,
you will not stay for your drenching
in horizon smog, but rise
like Agamemnon, dominus
empty of blood.
You surmount Mount Diablo’s
panic-inflicting summit.
You float without drift
in the river’s creased sheet,
a mirror for Eugene O’Neill,
hazel white to complement
his blue, his green. Our dogs
howl twice their noise under
you. Under you, we lie down for sleep
—but no: moonfloods of sweat,
distress, conscious nightmare.
If asked about our lives,
or anyone’s, you tighten your scroll
a quarter turn darker. Insisted at
by the waves you govern, you enigma
your lips, insinuate the odd crater
into light.
__________________
VOICES OF AMERICAN SOLDIERS SPEAKING ABOUT THE SADDAM FEDAYEEN
(a found poem transcribed from a cnn.com video clip on March 28, 2003)
—Nora Laila Staklis, Carmichael
Sgt. Paul Wheatley
U.S. Army 7th Cavalry
“It’s unreal.
It’s unimaginable.
You are constantly almost paranoid or
You ARE paranoid about
Every turn or every building
Or every person,
And it’s a little nerve racking at times.”
Lance Cpl. Joshua Menard
2nd Batallion 8th Marines
“We were surprised.
We were told
When we were going through Nasariya
That we should see little or no
Resistance.
It was a whole different ball game.
They weren’t rolling over like we thought they would.”
Sgt. Charles Horgan
U.S. Army 30th Infantry Regiment
“I thought
O my God
I am going to die.
I thought no,
I am going to lose my legs,
Gonna hit the truck.”
(published in Poets Against War (online) and The River Speaks from Poet’s Corner Press)
__________________
Thanks, Tom and Nora! Tom Goff and Nora Laila Staklis will be reading this Friday (4/20) at 7 PM in El Dorado Hills at Our House Gallery and Framing. Our House is located at 4510 Post St. in El Dorado Hills Town Center; from Sacramento, take the Latrobe exit south (right) off Hwy. 50 and then turn left into the shopping center. There is no charge; an open mic follows.
Congrats!
Rattlechapper (Skin Stretched Around the Hollow) Steve Williams writes from Portland: We are announcing some great news. Our web site, wildpoetryforum.com has just been named in Writer's Digest as one of the best 101 websites for writers. In fact, our site was only 1 of 4 shown in the poetry category. Writer's Digest hasn't updated their web site yet, but the list is in the June issue on the newstand... we are very happy!!!
Speaking of Happy Endings:
Saturday, April 28, 9 AM-4 PM/$65. We'll write to a 'happy ending': consider the meanings and reverberations of happiness, and discuss the structure and potential for stories, short and long. For all levels. Enjoy a lunch-break walk in the woods behind the studio. Contact Donna Hanelin at donna@creativewritingclasses.us
More about the Historic Reading this Sat. in San Andreas:
Monika Rose, Manzanita Editor, writes: You are invited to a fantastic literary reading April 21 up at the Calaveras County Historic Museum in and Courthouse in San Andreas (30 Main Street) from 2-5 PM. Come dressed in historic fashion if you like. Bring an excerpt of your favorite historic writer's work to share and/or bring your own work to read. Or just come to listen. It will be a wonderful melding of past and present literature and folklore. There will be an open mic for the public. If you would like to sign up as a participant, please e-mail me (mrosemanza@jps.net) and let me know ASAP. This is a nonprofit fundraiser to benefit the literary arts in the Mother Lode and Sierra region. Contact Phone: 209-754-0577. Museum phone: 209-754-4658. Arts Council gallery: 209-754-1774
COST: $8.00 suggested donation for adults, $4.00 children under 12. Includes Museum fee.
Writers Unlimited and Calaveras County Historical Society will present the re-enactment of the Sentencing of Black Bart in the Calaveras County Historic Courthouse, located in the historic museum, featuring Glenn Wasson as Black Bart (aka Charles Bolton, the notorious poetic highwayman and robber of stages in the Mother Lode), and Ted Laskin as the judge who brought Bolton to justice. People might have missed this event the first time around, as it occurred in the latter 1800s, but this rare opportunity to see it again is offered Saturday, April 21, at 2:00 P.M.
In addition, famous and not so famous literary figures will come back to life briefly. Black Bart (Glenn Wasson), Bret Harte (Ted Laskin), Mark Twain (Ed Cline), Ambrose Bierce (Dave Self), and John Muir (Daniel Williams) will showcase excerpts from their famous, or infamous, works. Juanita (first woman hanged in the West) aka Jackie Richmond, will be there to share her woes. Emily Dickinson’s (Sherry Snyder) presence is rumored, if promoters can get her out of her room and onto a train. Other minor figures may also appear, including the Lady Theresa Avonmore (Monika Rose) who adored John Muir and wrote a romance novel featuring Muir as the hero. And it is highly likely there might be some indiscreet courtroom scene reminiscent of the 1850s, so bring a hat to hold onto—although hats may have to be removed when the judge is present, but boots should definitely stay on.
Manzanita writers from Northern California featured in volume 5, released in the Fall, will be there to read some of their work, as will invited guests and writers in the region.
The public and participants are encouraged to dress in historic garb from the 1800s to turn-of-the-century clothing, or Calaveras Western and/or rural or dressy cultural clothing to celebrate our historic rustic past and rich California history. There will be an open Mic for public reading. Audience members are invited and will be prodded and even encouraged to come up and read a historic story of the Mother Lode, recite a poem (original or a favorite poet's), or to tell a humorous or wildly suspenseful story of modern-day Mother Lode life. The public is invited to bring a crazy adventure story of the area and share it with the audience. (No indecent stories, as children may be present.) Public figures are invited to share their wild experiences (modern or historic) to add to the rollicking climate (there will be cameras and videotaping).
The public is invited to visit the historic museum (it opens at 10 AM) before the reading to renew an appreciation for the rich historic past of the area. The $8.00 suggested donation for the event includes the Calaveras County Museum entrance fee, which is discounted for this event ($2.50). Delectable refreshments will be provided for audience imbibing, including unusual empanada-like objects, elk sticks, and many delicious pastoral and bucolic treats (Teriyaki rattlesnake will not be featured, unfortunately, due to unpopular demand [well, Medusa is certainly glad to hear that!]). Beverages will not be enhanced as children will be present, but expected libations should satisfy thirsty patrons.
Universal Table:
Universal Table is calling for submissions on the themes of “Illness and Grace” and “Terror and Transformation”. Stories, poems, personal essays for two anthologies; deadline is May 1. Stories/essays to 5,000 words; poems 1-5 pages. Payment in copies. Submit electronically as Word or RTF attachments to: wisingup@universaltable.org. Submissions also featured on website:
www.universaltable.org
__________________
tonight
—charles bukowski
"your poems about the girls will still be around
50 years from now when the girls are gone,"
my editor phones me.
dear editor:
the girls appear to be gone
already.
I know what you mean
but give me one truly alive woman
tonight
walking across the floor toward me
and you can have all the poems
the good ones
the bad ones
or any that I might write
after this one.
I know what you mean.
do you know what I mean?
_________________
—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.)
SnakeWatch: Up-to-the-minute Snake news:
Journals: Rattlesnake Review #13 is available at The Book Collector; next deadline is May 15. The new VYPER #6 (for youth 13-19) will be out this week; next deadline is Nov. 1. Snakelets 10 (for kids 0-12) is available; next deadline is May 1.
Books/broadsides: April’s releases are SnakeRings SpiralChap #7 from D.R. Wagner: Where The Stars Are Kept, and littlesnake broadside #33: Swallowed By This Whale Of Time by Ann Menebroker. Both are now available at The Book Collector. SpiralChaps are $8; broadsides are free. Or contact kathykieth@hotmail.com for ordering information.
Something new: Rattlesnake Interview Series with B.L. Kennedy is also available (free) at The Book Collector (or contact Kathy Kieth). #1 is Ann Menebroker.
Also: check out the Rattlechaps Chapbook Series page on the rattlesnakepress.com website! We've started generating separate pages for each rattlechapper/spiralchapper; scroll down through the list of books we've published and click on the names that are in red. That should lead you to a separate page for each of them, including photos, bios, poems, contact info—and more to come, once we get them all up and running. Sweet!
