Afternoon thunder cloud towering over
Tangerang, Java, Indonesia
ROSE BAWN
—Carl Sandburg
She believed herself to have gone through tall gateways and to have marched triumphant across fire and thorn. She sat in front of a county building, under a mulberry, and once she mumbled to an invisible Irish sweetheart, "All the knocking of the tumblers of the sea is in my knee bones."
When the chariots of thunder drove and rolled overhead, she mumbled, "When the water comes through the sieve of the sky, that makes the rain—God does it easy—God does all things easy."
Memories swept over her like a strong wind on dark waters. She half-whispered, "When the moongold came on the water afterward it was too much money—too much by far—more than we wanted."
______________________
This weekend in NorCal poetry:
•••Tonight (Friday, 10/12), 6 PM: Escritores del Nuevo Sol/Writers of the New Sun joins with the Zapatista Coalition on el Dia de la Raza for the annual remembrance of Chicano poet Phil Goldvarg. La Raza Galeria Posada, 1024 22nd St., Midtown Sacramento. Info: Graciela Ramirez (916-456-5323) or website: www.escritoresdelnuevosol.com/
•••Sunday (10/14), 7 PM: Poets Corner presents Sacramento's Brad Buchanan reading and signing his book, Miracle Shirker, followed by open mic @ Barnes & Noble, Stockton, Weberstown Mall.
•••Sunday (10/14), 2:30-4:30 PM: Poets on the Ridge Open Mic at Juice & Java, 7067 Skyway, Paradise. Info: 530-872-9633.
•••Monday (10/15), 7:30 PM: Sacramento Poet Laureate Emeritus (2000-2002) Viola Weinberg will return to Sac. to celebrate the release of her new book, Letters to Pablo Neruda, at Sacramento Poetry Center. Joining her will be Chad Sweeney, author of The Mirror That Shattered the Hammer.
____________________
SUN DANCER
—Carl Sandburg
Spider, you have long silver legs.
You may spin diagrams of doom.
Your patterns may throw fine glints
Festooned from wandering silk.
It may be neither art nor money
Nor calisthenics nor engineering.
No man trusts any woman and vice versa.
All men love all women and vice versa.
And all friends cherish each other.
And there are triflers who flirt with death.
Spider, you have long silver legs.
____________________
CAHOKIA
—Carl Sandburg
The Indian saw the butterfly
rise out of the cocoon.
That was enough for him.
The butterfly had wings, freedom.
The Indian saw flowers in spring
push up out of the ground
He saw the rain and the thunder.
They were enough for him.
And he saw the sun.
But he didn't worship the sun.
For him the sun was a sign, a symbol.
He bowed in prayer to what was behind the sun.
He made songs and dances to the makers and movers of the sun.
_____________________
—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.) For more info about the Snake Empire, including guidelines for submitting to or obtaining our publications, click on the link to the right of this column: Rattlesnake Press (rattlesnakepress.com).
SnakeWatch: Up-to-the-minute Snake news:
Journals: The latest issue of Rattlesnake Review (#15) is available for free at The Book Collector, 1008 24th St., Sacramento, or send $2 to P.O. Box 762, Pollock Pines, CA 95726. Next deadline is November 15. The two journals for young people, Snakelets and Vyper, are on hiatus; no deadlines this Fall.
New in October: Rattlesnake Press celebrated Sacramento Poetry Month on Wednesday, October 10 with the release of Spiral, a rattlechap by Kate Wells; Autumn on My Mind, a free littlesnake broadside by Mary Field; and #5 in the free Rattlesnake Interview Series by B.L. Kennedy, this one featuring Sacramento Poet Laureate Julia Connor. Also released that night was be Conversations, Volume One of the Rattlesnake Interview Anthology Series (a collection of B.L.'s conversations with eleven Sacramento poets), as well as a free broadside tribute to Ben L. Hiatt, commissioned by Rattlesnake Press and designed by Richard Hansen from poetry by B.L. Kennedy and artwork by Patrick Grizzell. All of these are available at The Book Collector, 100 24th St., Sacramento, or from rattlesnakepress.com, or write to kathykieth@hotmail.com/.
Coming in November: The Snake is proud to announce the release of Among Neighbors, a rattlechap from Taylor Graham; Home is Where You Hang Your Wings, a littlesnake broadside from frank andrick; and A Poet's Book of Days, a perpetual calendar featuring the art and photography of Katy Brown. Come celebrate the release of all of these on Wednesday, November 14, 7:30 PM at The Book Collector.
