Tap Dancing For Our Lives

Pat's Dogwood
Photo by Stephani Schaefer, Los Molinos

SWEAT
—Patricia Wellingham-Jones, Tehama

Sweating women
tend their gardens
run after children
hang sheets and towels
After their jobs in town
they work hard at home
all summer
Despite what Victorian
grandmothers said
these women know well
that ladies don't glow
They sweat just as hard as men

__________________

Thanks, PWJ, and thanks, Steph, for the photo of PWJ's dogwood blossoms. Both Steph Schaefer and Patricia Wellingham-Jones have published broadsides for Rattlesnake Press; Pat is also a rattlechapper, as well as head of PWJ Publishing. Both poets are frequent contributors to Rattlesnake Review.


This week in NorCal poetry:

•••Monday (7/21), 7:30 PM: The Sacramento Poetry Center is pleased to present a poetry reading by Yang Her as a benefit for My Sister's House. Some of the women from My Sister's House will also read, sharing their stories as victims and survivors. Refreshments will be served. HQ for the Arts, 25th & R Sts., Sacramento. [See last Friday's post for more information.]

Next week's SPC reading (7/28) will feature Susan Palwick and Ellen Klages.

•••Weds. (7/23), 7:30 PM: Roan Press will present its first Book Launch Party at the Book Collector (1008 24th St., Sacramento). Roan Press is a new Sacramento publisher with an interest in poetry, fiction, books of essays and other genres. We particularly welcome submissions from Northern California writers, but are open to work from anyone, anywhere. Please also watch for our website, www.roanpress.com, which is coming soon.

•••Weds. (7/23), 6-7 PM: Upstairs Poetry Reading at The Upstairs Art Gallery, 420 Main St (2nd floor), Placerville. It's a poetry open-mike read-around, so bring your own poems or those of a favorite poet to share, or just come to listen. No charge. We hope to see you there!

•••Thurs. (7/24), 8 PM: Poetry Unplugged at Luna’s Café, 1414 16th St., Sacramento, presents Monika Rose and Phillip T. Nails. Monika Rose is editor of the beautiful journal, Manzanita, and Phillip T. Nails will be releasing his new Sexological Asylum CD. (See also philliptnails.com). Open mic before and after.

If you miss Phillip on Thursday, he will also be performing and releasing his new CD Friday (7/25), 9-11 PM, at the Red Poppy Art House, 2698 Folsom St. (at 23rd) in SF. $10 suggested donation.

And be sure to check out both of these poets in Conversations, B.L. Kennedy’s Rattlesnake Interview Series. Phillip is in the most-recently released volume, #4, and Monika will be in #5, due out in November.

•••Thurs. (7/24), 8:15 PM: Benefit Squaw Valley poetry reading with nationally admired, award-winning poets, including Pulitzer Prize winner Robert Hass, Lucille Clifton, Sharon Olds, C.D. Wright and Dean Young. Squaw Valley, Olympic Village Lodge, 1901 Chamonix Place (off the SV Main Road near the Olympic Village Inn). $15/$5 student suggested donation. Email brett@squawvalleywriters.org to reserve a seat, or call Executive Director Brett Hall Jones at 530-581-5200. All proceeds benefit the Poetry Workshop Scholarship Fund, enabling talented writers to attend the week-long Squaw Valley poetry writing workshop; the 39th Annual Community of Writers will convene again this July & August with workshops in Poetry, Fiction, Nonfiction & Screenwriting. Poets and writers meet each day in workshops, as well as attend presentations on the writing craft; most of these afternoon and evening events are open to the public. Learn more at www.squawvalleywriters.org/.

•••Friday (7/25), 7:30 PM: Open Mic Nights are back July 25, August 27, and September 24, 7:30 PM at the Valhalla Grand Hall in Tahoe, just north of Camp Richardson on Hiway 89. Travel Hiway 50 to the "y" then take 50 north about 5 miles. The second edition of writings from the Lake Tahoe Writing Club is out, by the way. It's been renamed The Edge, and it’s very attractive: 73 pp, perfect-bound with colored photographs. They are now accepting submissions for the next edition. Go to TahoeWritingClub.com or info@LakeTahoeWritingClub.com/.

•••Sunday (7/27), 11 AM-1 PM: El Camino Poets meet to workshop poems. All poets are welcome to bring ten copies of your one-page poem for critique. Hart Sr. Center, 27th & J Sts., Sacramento.

__________________

TWO FIGURES
—Patricia Wellingham-Jones

(from the painting, "It's You", by Caitlin Schwerin)

Greyed, two figures
walk out of the frame,
across the frayed writing,
their history fading behind.
They stroll through a meadow
into a gold haze.
The large figure tilts his head
as if listening.
It's not the companion's
voice he hears.
His ears catch
the sound of the sun.
Feet skimming lush green grass
they wander into their new world,
sun behind their shoulders
warming their gaunt forms,
their long bones.
The writing, the writing,
the story of lives
left behind.
They amble,
arms empty,
faces blank,
out of the jumble of their broken lives
forward
propelled by the sun.

__________________

BUTCHER KNIFE
—Patricia Wellingham-Jones

The butcher knife lay on the table.
Her grandmother made her mad.
The nine-year-old
certainly knew better.

In a flare of rage
her hand grabbed the knife,
whirled it around her head.

The tiny woman
in stark black dress, old-lady shoes
ran around the table,
banshee-child in pursuit.

The child's eyes widened,
rage fell away,
she dropped the knife.

Hurling herself
into her grandmother's arms,
she sobbed, I'm sorry, I'm sorry.

__________________

One last poem, this one from Marie Ross of Stockton, who was inspired by last week's Medusa pic of the bird flying against the image of the moon:

MOON ON BLACK SWATCH
—Marie J. Ross

Silhouette approaches its cloth,
feathered hawk sails like leaf
in wind; across its pale yellow
fabric.
He glides with nimbus of back
drop, wings dipped in the buttery
glaze.
From dawn to dusk he lunges for
morsels, fights the sun; pine scent
skimming ribs of cones hidden beneath
moist sod.
Hence the fleshy maps on moon prevails,
with sporadic exoduses toward earth: he
his caw vibrating solitude; in the society
of the yellow fabric glide.

__________________

Today's LittleNip:

THE POET
—Lucille Clifton

I beg my bones to be good but
they keep clicking music and
I spin in the center of myself
a foolish frightful woman
moving my skin against the wind and
tap dancing for my life.

__________________

—Medusa


SnakeWatch: What's Up With Rattlesnake Press

The Snake will be snoozing through July and August, leaving Medusa to carry on alone. Then on September 10, we shall burst back onto the scene with Ten Poems, a new chapbook from Patrick Grizzell; #2 in Katy Brown's series of blank journals (Musings Two: Vices, Virtues and Obsessions); plus Issue #19 of Rattlesnake Review (deadline is August 15). Meanwhile, look in on Medusa every day, and, for heaven's sake, keep sending stuff! The snakes of Medusa are always hungry...


Medusa's Weekly Menu:

(Contributors are welcome to cook up something for any and all of these!)

Monday: Weekly NorCal poetry calendar

Tuesday: Seed of the Week: Tuesday is Medusa's day to post poetry triggers such as quotes, forms, photos, memories, jokes—whatever might tickle somebody's muse. Pick up the gauntlet and send in your poetic results; and don't be shy about sending in your own triggers, too! All poems will be posted and a few of them will go into Medusa's Corner of each Rattlesnake Review. Send your work to kathykieth@hotmail.com or P.O. Box 762, Pollock Pines, CA 95726. No deadline for SOW; respond today, tomorrow, or whenever the muse arrives. (Print 'em out, maybe, save 'em for a dry spell?) When you send us work, though, just let us know which "seed" it was that inspired you.

Wednesday (sometimes): HandyStuff Quickies: Resources for the poet, including whatever helps ease the pain of writing and/or publishing: favorite journals to read and/or submit to; books, etc., about writing; organizational tools—you know—HandyStuff! Tell us about your favorite tools.

Thursday: B.L.'s Drive-Bys: Micro-reviews by our irreverent Reviewer-in-Residence, B.L. Kennedy. Send books, CDs, DVDs, etc. to him for possible review (either as a Drive-By or in future issues of Rattlesnake Review) at P.O. Box 160664, Sacramento, CA 95816.

Friday: NorCal weekend poetry calendar

Daily (except Sunday): LittleNips: SnakeFood for the Poetic Soul: Daily munchables for poetic thought, including short paragraphs, quotes, wonky words, silliness, little-known poetry/poet facts, and other inspiration—yet another way to feed our ravenous poetic souls.

And poetry! Every day, poetry from writers near and far! The Snakes of Medusa are always hungry.......!

_________________


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.) Medusa cannot vouch for the moral fiber of other publications, contests, etc. that she lists, however, so submit to them at your own risk. 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). And be sure to sign up for Snakebytes, our monthly e-newsletter that will keep you up-to-date on all our ophidian chicanery.