Christ on the Way to Calvary—Johann Freyberger
RED CHALK CONTOURS AND SPURTS OF BULLY-BLUSTER
—Tom Goff, Carmichael
(Based on Johann Freyberger’s “Christ on the Way to Calvary,” Crocker Art Museum)
What happens on the way to Calvary
stays on the way to Calvary. Savior in gray,
outline only, beaten at by the ingrates,
Roman soldiers perhaps, but anonymous
enough to take or give the rap
for all of us. Why, the one on the right
is an egg on the neck of a nude; he seems
more interested in the style points he gets
by raising the beating arm contrapposto
across his torso and way, way up. Is this
a dominance posture passed down from fallen angels?
The left-side trooper makes like a bow, the top half
the scourge-wielding right fist, the bottom that
right-foot kick into the Holy One’s kidney. Into, for
that kickboxer’s thrust plows across the line of His
transparent flank, wants to take soundings
inside the Body. Woe to us who color or sketch,
children never innocent when crossing the line.
A sword, sling, or rope in the left fist might be stabbing;
more likely, leash-steadying the Victim’s waist
the better to plant that kick just kicked,
that forever-aiming stripe on the back. Yet, what
with that foot already gone in, the job’s done:
absurd, the kicks this degenerate duo aim
at the door, just as the skin door flings open
of itself, and so the job was, is, and shall be
never done. So balanced in their derangement,
these two would batter away, utterly without sense
of the futility, announced in the Christ face
that’s already a cheekbone face, a skull scribble,
but a risen face, an awake face, a ghost they can
neither kick nor unkick: draped in a love
to them inscrutable, just as they’re naked,
embodiments obvious, hot past the point
of illegible in hate, dyslexic in the work
of inscribing hate, just as they’re the illiterates
of love: in the fleshy solids, the red chalk
contours and spurts of bully-bluster,
the lineaments of learning,
horrifically disabled.
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Thanks, TG! Watch for Tom Goff's Historian-in-Residence column coming up in Rattlesnake Review #19, due out in mid-September. The deadline looms to get your own poems/photos/art/whatevers in: August 15!!
David Humphreys Memorials:
•••Thursday (8/7), 2 PM: A celebration of David Humphrey's life will be held at St. Anne's Episcopal Church, 1020 W. Lincoln Road, Stockton. Later this fall, a reading will be held to celebrate his work and the work of many of the poets he published.
In addition, Brad Buchanan writes: We're actually going to publish David's last poem in the next issue of The Tule Review (which we're going to dedicate to David), and we're looking for people to write poems or short pieces about David as a sort of tribute. No immediate time frame, but the sooner the better. Send them to buchanan@saclink.csus.edu or Lydia Fox at lkfox@pacific.edu.
Gouirand workshop this fall:
Rae Gouirand writes: My Creative Nonfiction workshop this fall meets on Sunday nights, and rotates between the homes of various participants in Davis (which has proven to be a really comfortable arrangement). This workshop will continue to be a dynamic, high-intelligence community of writers—the focus is on fostering new work and gathering thoughtful feedback from a supportive, invested workshop. We will meet all fall, from September 14–December 21 (skipping Thanksgiving weekend), from 7-9 PM. The course fee of $200 will include some reading materials, and there will be a couple of additional books to buy (information will follow about the titles and where you can possibly find them used)—probably one or two full-length works and an anthology. Participants present new work for group discussion every few weeks, and exercises inspired by the weekly readings provide constant opportunities for exploration and creative development.
The interest in this workshop now far exceeds the number of spaces I can offer. Beginning this fall, the enrollment for this workshop will be capped to control group size and focus. Please register ASAP if you know you want to join us. Your spot in the group is not guaranteed until I have confirmed your registration, but once your registration is confirmed, the class fee will be due and your spot will be considered filled. Please note that if you decide to cancel your registration after you've paid the class fee, a refund will be issued only if I can find a suitable group member to fill your spot. I've decided on this policy to help minimize the number of writers who are turned away from this workshop for whom spots open up too late (following late cancellations). I hope that this policy will stabilize the entire registration process.
To register, email me, Rae Gouirand (rgouirand@gmail.com), and include your name, home address (if you live in Davis and may potentially host), email, phone number, and a note about whether you can host one or more meetings. (This requires nothing more than some spots to sit and perhaps the use of some mugs: we'll work out details about dates, etc., after registrations are confirmed.) If you're a new registrant, please also include a short paragraph about your writing goals (or current projects) and why you're interested in joining the workshop. I may ask to see a writing sample or have some additional questions to ask—none of them intimidating—just so I can get a sense of what you'd add to the group. (Please note that for the next month I will be in residence at the Vermont Studio Center and checking email only intermittently. I'll begin confirming registrations later in the month. If you have additional questions, please let me know.)
Seed of the Week:
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Margaret Ellis Hill sends us two responses to Seeds of the Week from the past; one is another sex poem, and one is a "found" poem from last week, this one based on coupons. Thanks, Peggy! Peggy's work also regularly appears in Rattlesnake Review.
A MATTER OF PHYSICS
—Margaret Ellis Hill, Wilton
The phenomenon of resonant frequency
can be explained using a crystal wine glass
resting on a sponge-like base.
I notice the humming when
a wet finger circles the rim.
The clear tone indicates the starting
off on a new journey. (Watch
tea vibrate in a china cup.)
In sympathetic excitement
the sound intensifies.
When the measured pitch becomes more
than the amplitude of vibration,
an explosion occurs. This demonstration
makes perfect sense.
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ENDLESS COUPON MADNESS, or SIDE BY SIDE
—Margaret Ellis Hill
(a found poem)
Cold weather ensembles
Magic stud setting tool
flat fold colander
clever clasps
The Bruce Lee Kung Fu Legend DVD’s
musical moments
CDs for babies
hummingbird calendars
Austrian crystal stretch bracelets
Insta dip
Tiny peanut butter candies
gas pump replicas
Skin cremes
old Cowboy movies
Unisex down slippers
7 in 1 Casino games palm player
Genuine fleece running horses blanket
spinning shower brushes
deviled egg holder
door draft guards
Healing Powers of garlic, vinegar and oil
tractor clock
Elvis magnets
advanced sexual techniques video
A telescopic multipurpose duster
Penny collection
suede cases for thirty-six credit cards
gorilla tape
Wolf portraits
die cast scale model Shelby cars
musical teapots
enzymatic drain cleaner
The Vidalia Chop Wizard
toilet cleaning systems
wrist blood pressure taker
set of colorized quarters
CDs of most loved hymns
Betty Boop playing cards
Book of Church chuckles
ceramic hurricane candle holders
A motorized coin bank
cat pins with genuine stone eyes
Mouse salt and pepper shakers
military wall clocks
Book of Uncommon cures
scratch remover
waterfall soap savers
lingerie mesh bags
Long-handled angled scissors
large print dictionary
LED lit, magnifying eyebrow tweezers
grease bullets—
each item for $4.99
four monthly installments—plus
the million dollar prize winning ticket bonus
guaranteed.
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Today's LittleNip:
The most essential gift for a good writer is a built-in shockproof shit-detector.
—Ernest Hemingway
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—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 Thirteen Poems, a new chapbook from Patrick Grizzell; #2 in Katy Brown's series of blank journals (Musings2: Vices, Virtues and Obsessions); a littlesnake broadside (Wind Physics) from Jordan Reynolds; 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.......!
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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.
