On What Planet

Saturn and Some of Her 62 Moons

(Anonymous Photo)

ON WHAT PLANET
—Kenneth Rexroth (1905-1982)

Uniformly over the whole countryside 


The warm air flows imperceptibly seaward; 


The autumn haze drifts in deep bands 


Over the pale water; 


White egrets stand in the blue marshes; 


Tamalpais, Diablo, St. Helena 


Float in the air. 


Climbing on the cliffs of Hunter’s Hill 


We look out over fifty miles of sinuous 


Interpenetration of mountains and sea. 

Leading up a twisted chimney, 


Just as my eyes rise to the level 


Of a small cave, two white owls 


Fly out, silent, close to my face. 


They hover, confused in the sunlight, 


And disappear into the recesses of the cliff. 

All day I have been watching a new climber, 


A young girl with ash blond hair 


And gentle confident eyes. 


She climbs slowly, precisely, 


With unwasted grace. 


While I am coiling the ropes, 


Watching the spectacular sunset, 


She turns to me and says, quietly, 


“It must be very beautiful, the sunset, 


On Saturn, with the rings and all the moons.” 

______________________

—Medusa, reminding you to celebrate poetry today by attending Mosaic of Voices at the Avid Reader on Broadway, 2pm, featuring Cathy Arellano and Sarah Jiménez.

 Sorry I didn’t hear about it sooner, but 

Blue Nile Press’s Sacramento Black Book Fair 

continues today; see sacramentoblackbookfair.com/index.php 

for another way to celebrate poetry!

Photos in this column can be enlarged by clicking on them once,
then click on the X in the top right corner to come back
to Medusa.