Claire J. Baker
MEMORY, AT A PET SHOP
—Claire J. Baker, Pinole
My dog grabs from lower shelf
a smoked treat.
"What IS this?" I ask a clerk.
"A cow's nose," she replies.
(My God, shades of Nazi Germany—
all parts put to use!).
Two weeks later, the nose half
devoured, I stare at flared
nostrils. They sniff at me
from the rug. Suddenly
my conscience burns. The Jews.
A child, what could I have done?
__________________
Thanks, Claire! Claire J. Baker’s award-winning work has appeared in The Writer, The Pen Woman, Bulletin of the Poetry Society of America, Pudding House anthologies, Blue Unicorn, Carquinez Poetry Review, Edgz, Haight-Ashbury Literary Journal, Street Spirit (a Quaker publication on homeless blues and social justice news), Brevities and, more recently, Rattlesnake Review. Claire studied briefly under Stanley Kunitz and more extensively under Kim Addonizio; has served as editor, contest coordinator and judge, featured reader and organizer; has eight books—two co-authored with Mary Rudge, First Poet Laureate of Alameda, CA. She lives ten miles north of Berkeley, her birthplace; is proud to claim Native American ancestry as a fifth generation Californian. She has successfully promoted poetry landmarks (bench, plaque, poet-tree, sundial, etc.) in Northern California, and for 20 years she has served on the Arrangements Committee for the venerable Berkeley Poets Dinner. Lately she has been enjoying short stories as a break from solid poetry. Watch for more of Claire’s poems and photography in Rattlesnake Review #19, due out in mid-September. (Deadline is August 15.)
Tom Goff, our Historian-in-Residence, sends us a poem with this comment: Here's a reference to a bit of news on the Internet. A 1,900-year-old chariot was just discovered, and I interpreted a bit freely the way it should have looked, and driven. As the poem suggests, it had four-wheel drive. The form is a tip of the cap to Bishop's "Wading at Wellfleet."
AT THE THRACIAN TOMB
(a recent archaeological discovery in Bulgaria)
—Tom Goff, Carmichael
The Thracian chariot built for a rich
man, king or overlord, in a ditch
is now discovered, team unhitched
forever. Now ghost horses play
about the wreck, with ghostly neighs.
Draw the transparent steeds away:
there’s nothing solid for them to lead;
it crumbled under the mudslide kneading,
softening of a tomb. Go feed,
observer, on the uselessness
of riches, and the total festival
of want more, must have. Bless
the man, he had to have four wheels.
Perhaps for stability: what heels
over, capsizes, isn’t what deals
death-blows in battle. Maybe warfare
saw this chariot’s owner far,
before the car crumbled to chars or scars.
Like Bishop’s deadly sea of blades,
this ornamented ambuscade:
protruding hubs with knives that flayed
unwary foes, unstrung and tricked.
(“Careful, Judah! He’s driving a picqued
chariot!”) But what lashes, flicks
out, leaves blood-stricken, something dire,
has ridden this Messala’s fire
into the Thracian clay or mire.
Now, with dentalwork tact and care,
brushing crumbs from the wheels and chair,
the whiskbroom lays the long-buried bare.
Now dead men’s dust motes shimmer in air.
__________________
Thanks, Tom. And today's is Philip Larkin's birthday—happy birthday, Phil!
TALKING IN BED
—Philip Larkin
Talking in bed ought to be easiest,
Lying together there goes back so far,
An emblem of two people being honest.
Yet more and more time passes silently.
Outside, the wind's incomplete unrest
Builds and disperses clouds about the sky,
And dark towns heap up on the horizon.
None of this cares for us. Nothing shows why
At this unique distance from isolation
It becomes still more difficult to find
Words at once true and kind,
Or not untrue and not unkind.
__________________
Today's LittleNip:
LET IT BE
—Claire J. Baker
In the changing skies
of circumstance
let us be as flocks of birds
guiding each other
by touching wings.
Photo by Claire J. Baker—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.......!
_________________
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.
