Deliberate Poetry

—Photo by Ann Privateer

IN THE ROUGH
—Ann Privateer, Davis

Broken glass confetti
gleams in gravel
along the railroad tracks

a persistent whistle
the tumbling sound
of wheels far off

remind me of a man
I knew whose fantasy
was to make love

in the underpass
as a train sped
overhead.

The Doppler effect
the rise, crescendo, and fall
screeches past.

My English teacher said,
end your story with a train
wreck; me, I like smashed glass.
 

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STORM BIRDS

—Taylor Graham, Placerville

The clouds use their own language, speaking down
to Blackbird peck-pecking at scraps from street
to gutter. First-rain splatters on the town,
sets tin-roof crows to flying. Drops repeat
on ripple-sidewalk, multiplying feet
running for shelter. Images transform
with every shudder of ionic storm,
and then lightning leaves just one sudden trace
that brightens into clearing. Sun-rays swarm,
Blackbird so briefly rainbow-touched with grace.

Ceramic Plate poem

Collaboration between Viola Weinberg and 
Stephen Dean Holsapple
[Click/pic to enlarge]

VAGUE
—Olga Blu Browne, Sacramento

How long is a moment?
How far away is time?

Distance is the soul of
forgiveness.

Where memories are vague
and soft as the night's breeze.

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LOST IN WORDS
—Olga Blu Browne
 
Love does not remember me,
locked in time, lost in words.

Told of shadows and the shape
of death...

Memory is the key to a soul
that dwells in yesterday.

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DELIBERATE

—Olga Blu Browne

Merely another memory, etched
in pen.

Deliberate thoughts, deliberate
poetry.

Softly whispered into the
universe.

Silence broken, breath is the
sacrifice. SHsssss.

(first pub. in Brevities)

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Our thanks to today's contributors! The ceramic plate poems are from a series of Viola Weinberg's called "How Love Turned Out"—short poems (20 words) on the theme; then the plates were done in collaboration with artist Stephen Dean Holsapple. Interesting, yes?

Thanks also to Trina Drotar for the tip about Mary Mackey's PEN Oakland award (see the green board at the right of this). Trina writes that she will be performing a story about food, along with several other Sacramento writers (including Mary Ellen Burns) tonight at The Avid Reader Sacramento, 7pm. A story about food... Hmmm...

Tomorrow is a busy poetry day; be sure to check out the blue board (below the green board) for a look at the readings you have to choose from.

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Today's LittleNip:

Pottery, like fine poetry, cannot age.

—B.Z. Niditch

__________________

—Medusa

Ceramic Plate poem

Collaboration between Viola Weinberg and 
Stephen Dean Holsapple

[Click/pic to enlarge]