Bunny and Smudge
Photo by Patricia Wellingham-Jones
WILDLING
—Patricia Wellingham-Jones, Tehama
He's a wildling,
lives rough along the creek.
Escaped from neighbors
raising rabbits for dinner.
He hopped across the bridge
to our side, safe haven.
Letting only the neighbor's
four-year-old touch him,
he dances around my feet,
begs for more bunny pets.
___________________
Thanks, PWJ, for today's pics and poems about the adventures of DD the Neighbor Bunny and Smudge the Cat. Her second poem is X-rated, by the way.
Which reminds me of our new Snake publication. Our October road trips inspired a new Rattlesnake publication, WTF, to be edited by frank andrick. This 30-page, chapbook-style quarterly journal will primarily showcase the talents of readers at Poetry Unplugged at Luna’s Café, but anyone is welcome to submit. Deadline is Jan. 15 for a Feb. 19 premiere at Luna’s. Submission guidelines are the same as for the Snake, but send three poems (each one page or less in length), photos, smallish art or prose pieces (500 words or less) to fandrickfabpub@hotmail.com (attachments preferred) or, if you’re snailing, to P.O. Box 762, Pollock Pines, CA 95726. And be forewarned: this publication will be for adults only! so you must be over 18 years of age to submit.
PLAY TIME
—Patricia Wellingham-Jones
DD, the neighbor bunny, wants to play.
Only the cats are handy.
The black one sniffs down
her elegant nose, stalks away.
That leaves Smudge, the young rascal,
who even plays with dry leaves.
For ages, rabbit and cat
chased each other
around the yard.
Last week while I petted DD,
Smudge crowded in for her share.
Bunny boy hopped on her back,
started thrusting.
With a horrified squeak
Smudge disappeared
around the house.
Now when rabbit and cat play their games,
Smudge insists on a definite distance.
DD deposits pellets
at my door.
__________________
Photo by Patricia Wellingham-Jones
Speaking of appetites, our Seed of the Week is Oh, Those Appetites. Thanks to Taylor Graham for her response:
HOME ORDER
—Taylor Graham, Placerville
Look, but you won’t see Rattlesnake
hiding under rocks. Yet Hawk
will find him, along with Nuthatch
and Sparrow—their feathers scattered
in the field, songbirds
whose song couldn’t save them.
Avoid Skunk snuffling for grubs
in the dark, ground where it’s too rough
for mowing. But know
that a young dog with all his hungers
will come home again reeking
from running under a skunk-stripe moon.
Listen for Owl—can hear her
just before dawn, calling on the lives
of Gopher and Mouse?
Forget the traps and poisons.
Nature has her own way
of keeping house.
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Watch for Judy Taylor Graham's "Making Fun of Poetry" column in Snake 20, due out one week from today (December 10). Two more appetite poems, one from the Wascally Wangler who is so adacious this week as to publish two poems of her own. kk and various appetites are no strangers......
ALMOST
—Virginia Hamilton Adair
Under the almost deserted boardwalk
the sand had lost its daytime warmth.
She fingered the little welt of corduroy
cut off above his bony knee.
He lifted her hand to that forbidden zone
where his sex stirred like a captive creature
and they were both silent, too young
to know what to say or do.
In the cool sand they turned to each other
smelling cleanly of soap and popcorn
and their arms bound them together like timbers
for a raft and they rocked a little, as if on water.
Her knee pressed where her hand had been
and he groaned a little and their mouths met
in a strange dialogue without words.
Small quiet waves throbbed ashore
and her heart against his torn T-shirt.
He rolled away, his voice breaking,
"Let's run along the water's edge."
He was a little older than she—
a little wiser. And so they ran,
their sandy fingers locked together,
their bare feet pounding on the wet sand,
the splintery boardwalk steps, the road
back to the casino lights and music.
He and his folks would leave tomorrow.
She had two days still to dream.
__________________
KING OF THE DRIVE-THRU
—Kathy Kieth, Pollock Pines
Sleek and chubby from too many
french fries, he struts over the land-
scaped lawn, master of his fast-
food empire. Today an old ice cream cup
gets careful cleaning as he keeps a sharp
lookout for lettuce tossed by after-
school teens, bits of bun dropped by sloppy
toddlers. Keen black eyes dart
left and right as he crosses the drive-
through lane, headed for half a cheese-
burger abandoned on the curb. Interlopers
of whatever size are efficiently
dispatched. For he is the King of the Quick
Meal, Niche-Master of the five-for-a-dollar
burger joint. Know him for how clever
he is: one smart fella who makes one fine
living: know him as
Fast-Food Crow.
__________________
Today's LittleNip:
In your light I learn how to love.
In your beauty, how to make poems.
You dance inside my chest,
where no one sees you,
but sometimes I do,
and that sight becomes this art.
—Rumi
__________________
—Medusa
SnakeWatch: What's New from Rattlesnake Press:
Rattlesnake Review: Deadline for the current issue (#20) has passed (it was Nov. 15); that issue is currently rattling around in the SnakePit and will be released at The Book Collector reading on December 10, then mailed to contributors and subscribers in mid-December. Next deadline is February 15: send 3-5 poems, smallish art pieces and/or photos (no bio, no cover letter, no simultaneous submissions or previously-published poems) to kathykieth@hotmail.com or P.O. Box 762, Pollock Pines, CA 95726. E-mail attachments are preferred, but be sure to include all contact info, including snail address. Meanwhile, the snakes of Medusa are always hungry!
New for November: Now available at The Book Collector, or from the authors, or through rattlesnakepress.com (or—heck—just write to me and I'll send 'em to you): a new rattlechap from Red Fox Underground Poet Wendy Patrice Williams (Some New Forgetting); a littlesnake broadside from South Lake Tahoe Poet Ray Hadley (Children's Games); our 2009 calendar from Katy Brown (Beyond the Hill: A Poet’s Calendar) as well as Conversations, Vol. 4 of B.L. Kennedy’s Rattlesnake Interview Series, featuring conversations with Luke Breit, Gail Rudd Entrekin, Traci Gourdine, Taylor Graham, Noel Kroeplin, Rob Lozano, Crawdad Nelson, Monika Rose, Will Staple, Mary Zeppa and nila northSun. And don't forget to pick up your copies of B.L. Kennedy's new SpiralChap of his poetry and art, Luna's House of Words, as well as the anthology of poets, art and photos, La Luna: Poetry Unplugged from Luna's Cafe, edited by frank andrick.
Also available (free): littlesnake broadside #46: Snake Secrets: Getting Your Poetry Published in Rattlesnake Press (and lots of other places, besides!): A compendium of ideas for brushing up on your submissions process so as to make editors everywhere more happy, thereby increasing the likelihood of getting your poetry published. Write to me and I'll send you one. Free!
Coming in December: Join us at The Book Collector on Wednesday, December 10, for the release of a new chapbook from Danyen Powell (Blue Sky Flies Out); a littlesnake broadside from Kevin Jones (Low-Rent Dojo), and a brand-new issue of Rattlesnake Review (#20)! That's at 7:30 PM, 1008 24th St., Sacramento. Refreshments and a read-around will follow; bring your own poems or somebody else's.
Coming in January: The Snake will be snoozing during January; no releases or readings. But our October road trips inspired a new Rattlesnake publication, WTF, to be edited by frank andrick. This 30-page, chapbook-style quarterly journal will primarily showcase the talents of readers at Poetry Unplugged at Luna’s Café, but anyone is welcome to submit. Deadline is Jan. 15 for a Feb. 19 premiere at Luna’s. Submission guidelines are the same as for the Snake, but send three poems (each one page or less in length), photos, smallish art or prose pieces (500 words or less) to fandrickfabpub@hotmail.com (attachments preferred) or, if you’re snailing, to P.O. Box 762, Pollock Pines, CA 95726. And be forewarned: this publication will be for adults only! so you must be over 18 years of age to submit.
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 SOWs; 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 and in-between! 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.
