Nothing is Alien to Love!

Photo by Bob Dreizler

THE QUIET GLADES OF EDEN
—Robert Graves

All such proclivities are tabulated—
By trained pathologists, in detail too—
The obscener parts of speech compulsively
Shrouded in Classic Latin.

But though my pleasure in your feet and hair
Is ungainsayable, let me protest
(Dear love) I am no trichomaniac
And no foot-fetichist.

If it should please you, for your own best reasons,
To take and flog me with a rawhide whip,
I might (who knows?) surprisedly accept
This earnest of affection.

Nothing, agreed, is alien to love
When pure desire has overflowed it baulks;
But why must private sportiveness be viewed
Through public spectacles?

Enough, I will not claim a heart unfluttered
By these case-histories of aberrancy;
Nevertheless a long cool draught of water,
Or a long swim in the bay,

Serves to restore my wholesome appetite
For you and what we do at night together:
Which is no more than Adam did with Eve
In the quiet glades of Eden.

__________________

Thanks to Bob Dreizler for the photo! For more of Bob's unique work, which uses no Photoshop or other manipulations, go to http://photo.net/photos/bdreizler/. And watch for more of his work here in the Kitchen and in the upcoming issue of Rattlesnake Review—deadline for which, by the way, is this coming Sunday! Check below for submissions guidelines.

Well, it's Valentine's time again, and poets will be out in full force. Look at yesterday's post for all the readings this week! It's Tuesday, too; time for a Seed of the Week. Let's go with the obvious: Love is Heaven, Love is Hell.

Meanwhile, let's catch up on some previous submissions, one from Sibilla Hershey, and three nocturnes from Mitz Sackman. But first, Barbara March writes:


Surprise Valley Poetry Prize!

The Surprise Valley Poetry Prize is underway! So far our monthly winners have been from Lexington, Massachusetts (January) and Eugene, Oregon (February). A monthly winner and runner-up are published in the Modoc Independent News, a community newspaper in northeastern California with a readership of 4,000. Julia Connor will name the grand prize winner at the end of the year. Visit www.modocforum.org for submission guidelines.

__________________

Did someone mention Julia Connor??? Don't forget the rattle-read tomorrow night, when Rattlesnake Press will release Julia's new chapbook, Oar, along with a littlesnake broadside from Josh Fernandez (In The End, It’s A Worthless Machine); and the premiere of our new Rattlesnake Reprints, featuring The Dimensions of the Morning by D.R. Wagner, which was first published by Black Rabbit Press in 1969. That’s tomorrow, February 11, at The Book Collector, 1008 24th St., Sacramento, 7:30 PM. Refreshments and a read-around will follow; bring your own poems or somebody else’s.

__________________

MY FATHER’S HANDS
—Sibilla Hershey, Davis

I watched my father’s hands shake
As he read the letter
That ended his employment
A sorry job at that
Putting trash on the curb
Sweeping the stairs.

What did I know of old age
Then pipetting solutions
In the lab with steady hands
Recording work neatly
In a notebook spread
Open on the lab bench

Until years later when
In the middle of the kitchen
An open container of pea soup
Slipped from my hands.

_________________

NIGHT'S DARK MESSENGER
—Mitz Sackman, Murphys

Nightmare
I ride my horse
Of fears
Face them
Move through
The terrors
Night fears
Are day worrys
In new garb
Fears of loss
Fears of capture
Wanting to know
My way through
Not accepting
Having to float
With no guarantees
My life through
This sea of confusion
Nightmares
Tell me
When I am not facing
My truth
Straight on
Palpitations warn me
To be aware of feelings
Daily work
Must be done
To clear the deep unknown
We live more deeply
Than we imagine
We skate the surface
In the day
Night reality
Is different
Honor the difference
Honor nightmares
They are deep teachers

__________________

NIGHT STALKERS
—Mitz Sackman

The night is a place of joining shadows
Worlds meet in the twilight and dark
Where the hard edge of boundaries fade
And small ideas of life and non-life disappear
Life's heart swims into oneness with the universe
The veils between worlds grow thinner at night
And dreamers move between
Leaving day bodies behind to guard their beds
As spirit soars beyond ordinary limits
The mountains sing and the trees dance
As the light of day gives way to the moonlit silver glow
My dancing spirit
Takes flight and moves up to the hills for its own version
Of night life
I stalk the meadows in the form of a owl
Rodent judgement on the wing
I glide to the trees
And survey my realm
Silently whistle to the ground again
I leave the owl and become the wolf
Tread quietly through the wood
I have sleek gray companions now
To share my night's adventure
Their eyes glow with excitement
The dark begins to glow with hints of day to come
My spirit comes back home to a sunlit world

___________________

NIGHT'S CONFUSION
—Mitz Sackman

Chaotic dreamspace
Filled with confusion
Images from all over my life
What is the meaning
Trapped in incoherence

My nightly sacrament
Something I ate
Need to get up
My unconscious
Wailing at me

Chaos triggers thoughts
All over the map
Why this tumble of images
Unorganized posse of the soul
Why me
Why now

Awaken with a ringing head
Mind overflows
Septic framework
Shake my head
Coffee calls me

Hours later
Midst flurry of the day
Dream space nibbles
Corners of my mind

Pattern intangible
Colors flame
Thread appears
Follow the path
To coherence

__________________

Remember: Love is heaven; love is hell!

__________________

Today's LittleNip:

Girl cat, so
thin on love
and barley.

—Basho

__________________

—Medusa


SnakeWatch: What's New from Rattlesnake Press:

Rattlesnake Review: The latest issue (#20) is currently available at The Book Collector, or send me two bux and I'll mail you one. Deadline for RR21 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; let us know if your submission is for the Review or for Medusa, or for either one.

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. Pick up a copy at The Book Collector or write to me and I'll send you one. Free!

Coming in February: On Weds., February 11, Rattlesnake Press will be releasing a new rattlechap from Sacramento's Poet Laureate, Julia Connor (Oar); a littlesnake broadside from Josh Fernandez (In The End, It’s A Worthless Machine); and the premiere of our new Rattlesnake Reprints, featuring The Dimensions of the Morning by D.R. Wagner, which was first published by Black Rabbit Press in 1969. That’s February 11 at The Book Collector, 1008 24th St., Sacramento, 7:30 PM. Refreshments and a read-around will follow; bring your own poems or somebody else’s.

And on February 19, the premiere of our new, free Poetry Unplugged quarterly, WTF, edited by frank andrick, will be celebrated at Luna's Cafe, 1414 16th St., Sacramento, 8 PM. (For those of you just tuning in, Poetry Unplugged is the long-running reading series at Luna's Cafe.)


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, or any other day!): 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.