Kate Wells
VANDALISM
—Kate Wells, Placerville
Sedge, twigs, grey feathers on concrete;
mockingbird’s nest
scraped from the rafters.
Farther on, the mulberry’s
lowest branch cracked
at broken bone angle.
Now a young pine, roots up
in the burn pile;
needles green, still.
Cold leaves discharged
from the drained sky.
____________________
Come hear Kate read TONIGHT (Wednesday, 10/10) at 7:30 PM at The Book Collector, 1008 24th St., Sacramento. The rain is supposed to stop, and our festivities will include:
•••the release of Spiral, a rattlechap by Placerville's Kate Wells of Red Fox Underground;
•••a free littlesnake broadside, Autumn on My Mind, featuring Mary Field of Pollock Pines;
•••#5 in the Rattlesnake Interview Series by B.L. Kennedy, this one featuring Sacramento Poet Laureate Julia Connor;
•••the new, 104-page interview anthology, Conversations: Volume One of the Rattlesnake Interview Anthology Series (a collection of B.L.'s conversations with eleven Sacramento poets);
•••a free broadside tribute to Ben L. Hiatt commissioned by Rattlesnake Press and designed by Richard Hansen, featuring a poem by B.L. Kennedy and art by Pat Grizzell;
•••and cake! All to celebrate Sacramento Poetry Month! Be there.
Also tonight:
•••Wednesday (10/10), 5:30-7 PM: “Opening Night: A Celebratory Reading with UC Davis Faculty." Fiction from Pam Houston, Lynn Freed, and Lucy Corin; poetry from Joshua Clover, Joe Wenderoth, and Sandra McPherson. UC-Davis Arboretum, Wyatt Deck.
_____________________
AUTUMN NIGHT RAIN
—Wu Yün Hua
Softly and gently
The little rain
Taps on the walls and roof.
My pillow is wet
With bitter tears
That flow from a lonely heart.
The west wind howls,
And the dead leaves fall.
Autumn has come again.
_____________________
TO MY AUNT
—Yang Yün Hui
The same yellow flowers
Bring sadness
To both our hearts,
And the call of the wild goose
Tells you, too, at home,
That autumn has come again.
Even though I am far away,
Tonight I know
That the moon is shining
Down on your garden
And your house.
And, as though I were there,
I see you
Leaning on your tower railing,
Thinking, perhaps, of me.
(The poetry from today's two Chinese poetesses was translated by Henry H. Hart.)
______________________
—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).
—Kate Wells, Placerville
Sedge, twigs, grey feathers on concrete;
mockingbird’s nest
scraped from the rafters.
Farther on, the mulberry’s
lowest branch cracked
at broken bone angle.
Now a young pine, roots up
in the burn pile;
needles green, still.
Cold leaves discharged
from the drained sky.
____________________
Come hear Kate read TONIGHT (Wednesday, 10/10) at 7:30 PM at The Book Collector, 1008 24th St., Sacramento. The rain is supposed to stop, and our festivities will include:
•••the release of Spiral, a rattlechap by Placerville's Kate Wells of Red Fox Underground;
•••a free littlesnake broadside, Autumn on My Mind, featuring Mary Field of Pollock Pines;
•••#5 in the Rattlesnake Interview Series by B.L. Kennedy, this one featuring Sacramento Poet Laureate Julia Connor;
•••the new, 104-page interview anthology, Conversations: Volume One of the Rattlesnake Interview Anthology Series (a collection of B.L.'s conversations with eleven Sacramento poets);
•••a free broadside tribute to Ben L. Hiatt commissioned by Rattlesnake Press and designed by Richard Hansen, featuring a poem by B.L. Kennedy and art by Pat Grizzell;
•••and cake! All to celebrate Sacramento Poetry Month! Be there.
Also tonight:
•••Wednesday (10/10), 5:30-7 PM: “Opening Night: A Celebratory Reading with UC Davis Faculty." Fiction from Pam Houston, Lynn Freed, and Lucy Corin; poetry from Joshua Clover, Joe Wenderoth, and Sandra McPherson. UC-Davis Arboretum, Wyatt Deck.
_____________________
AUTUMN NIGHT RAIN
—Wu Yün Hua
Softly and gently
The little rain
Taps on the walls and roof.
My pillow is wet
With bitter tears
That flow from a lonely heart.
The west wind howls,
And the dead leaves fall.
Autumn has come again.
_____________________
TO MY AUNT
—Yang Yün Hui
The same yellow flowers
Bring sadness
To both our hearts,
And the call of the wild goose
Tells you, too, at home,
That autumn has come again.
Even though I am far away,
Tonight I know
That the moon is shining
Down on your garden
And your house.
And, as though I were there,
I see you
Leaning on your tower railing,
Thinking, perhaps, of me.
(The poetry from today's two Chinese poetesses was translated by Henry H. Hart.)
______________________
—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).
