Hence the name, STRAWberries...
—Photos by Caschwa, Sacramento, CA
A MILLION MILES
—Michael H. Brownstein, Chicago, IL
You wake to a million miles of something,
but your fingers do not know what this something is,
nor does your nose or your eyes.
Your tongue full of morning paste and so it remains ignorant.
What of your ears? Did they hear something?
This is the problem: A million miles is a million miles.
For reasons unknown something goes nowhere and everywhere.
One thing is certain though—it did wake you up.
—Michael H. Brownstein, Chicago, IL
You wake to a million miles of something,
but your fingers do not know what this something is,
nor does your nose or your eyes.
Your tongue full of morning paste and so it remains ignorant.
What of your ears? Did they hear something?
This is the problem: A million miles is a million miles.
For reasons unknown something goes nowhere and everywhere.
One thing is certain though—it did wake you up.
UNDECIDED
—Caschwa
What is the best word with which to begin a poem?
“What” is the best word with which to begin a poem.
The best word with “which” to begin a poem is “what”.
The best word to begin a poem with is “What which”.
Word with which what to the poem is best begin a.
THE PROMISE AND CHALLENGE
OF THE AGE OF A$$ ITCH (AI)
—Caschwa
(liberal modification of an excerpt from
“Executive Briefing”, McKinsey Global
Institute, October 2018)
Despite periods of significant scientific
advances in the six decades since, AI
has often failed to live up to the hype
that surrounded it. Decades were spent
trying to describe human itching precisely,
and the progress made did not deliver on
the earlier excitement. Since the late
1990s, however, technological progress
has gathered pace, especially in the past
decade. Machine-learning algorithms have
progressed, especially through the
development of deep itching and
reinforcement-learning techniques based
on neural networks.
***
I have had AI
for longer than I can say,
relief’s within reach
__________________
YOUR LOSS, OUR PROPERTY
—Caschwa
Indians had lived here for countless years
before our ancestors had even discovered
this continent. They honored the land most
highly as God’s gift, not as property to be
exploited and developed to attain the highest
and best real estate use.
Then came the invasion from Western
Europe of colonists, settlers, frontiersmen,
priests, all hell bent on appropriating this
new land for their own purposes, until today
when we too often hear:
“Speak English only!!!
When in America you
must speak our language!”
HOWDY, NEIGHBOR
—Caschwa
(Response to “Toy Drive” by Ryan Quinn Flanagan,
Medusa’s Kitchen, February 13, 2019)
Who would steal away money collections or toys
that were intended to benefit little children?
On this side of the border that would clearly be some
of our very own elected officials with good salaries and
per diems, who daily delve into accounts set up for
specific public purposes duly approved by the voters,
only to use the funds for a quite different, sometimes
totally personal purpose…
Our very own elected officials with good salaries and
per diems, who steal tiny babies from the loving arms
of desperate mothers escaping unspeakable abuse in
their homeland to seek safety and shelter in the Land
of the Free…
Our very own elected officials with good salaries and
per diems, who laughingly regard all the persons and
estates of the citizens of this great nation as if they
were mere disposable plastic pieces on a game board...
They don’t campaign that
they’re in it for the money,
but watch how they spend!
__________________
A RECIPE FOR BOILING OVER
—Caschwa
Start with a big cauldron of hot tempers
stir in hands and arms firmly clasped around firearms,
top with old confederate flags raised in pride, and
simmer with communities firmly gated and slammed
shut to keep out certain “low-lifes”
invite hostile foreign nations to help serve the meal,
and for dessert, give the top 1% a giant tax break.
AN ANGRY OLD MAN
—Ian Copestick, Stoke on Trent, England
I remember as an angry young man
The outrage that I felt
I'm angrier now at the hand
That I have been dealt
Thrown onto the scrapheap
By a government that doesn't care
A life lived constantly on the cheap
A life on benefits, going nowhere
They say unemployment's going down
And wages are rising
I can't find a job in this town
And don't see any on the horizon
The many keep slaving for the few
And believing the lies they're fed
I think I'll go to church, kneel before the pew
And pray things are better once I'm dead
Yes, what can I do as an angry old man
Perhaps it's better if I wait
And sneak onto the seating plan
Behind those pearly gates
SHIFTING EXPECTATIONS
—Joseph Nolan, Stockton, CA
Rules slip sideways
Under our feet,
Imperceptibly,
Absent rapt attention
To the finer details
Of shifting contours
Of what is expected,
And later, demanded.
How to know
If it is O.K.
Not to call,
To be
Out of reach,
Not to own
A cell phone?
___________________
MOVING INTO ANANDA
—Joseph Nolan
Jnana will surrender to bhakti;
Chit will move into ananda.
Sat will come first,
Then chit,
Then ananda,
And all play together
In your heart and your mind.
Truly felt emotion
Is stronger than thought
And will run through
Your canyon
Like water from a broken dam
Sweeping away maya.
It happens quickly.
Be ready!
ALMOST HER
—Joseph Nolan
Do I look like
The one you wanted?
Do I walk like her,
Talk like her
Moan in the same tone
As she did
And give you what you wanted
From the one you wanted
In a generically,
Replaceable sort of way
As though
I were
Almost her?
____________________
LET IT GO AND SMILE!
—Joseph Nolan
As we grow older
We realize
We are being chewed up
And spit out
Into the ash-heap of history.
Not that there is
Anything wrong with that.
At some point,
They called time
On Babe Ruth
Lou Gehrig
And Joe Dimaggio.
That’s just the way it goes.
At a certain point,
You just have to let it go
And smile!
___________________
Today’s LittleNip:
WHAT WOULD WE DO?
—Joseph Nolan
The universe is so big!
Biggest and getting bigger,
It’s the biggerest, biggerest U.
It’s a long way to U!
Longerest, longerest-long
Longing, longing and longing-longer
It’s the longerest, longerest U
From me to you.
From U to you.
What would we do?
If you weren’t U?
____________________
Good morning and our thanks to today’s contributors, including Chicago’s Michael H. Brownstein, whose poetry volume, A Slipknot Into Somewhere Else: A Poet's Journey To The Borderlands Of Dementia, was recently published by Cholla Needles Press (2018). I notice that Cholla Needles is also publishing a book called Medusa Memories by poet Noreen Lawlor; see more about it, including a Medusa poem, at www.amazon.com/Medusa-Memories-Noreen-Lawlor/dp/1796217247/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=cholla+needles&linkCode=sl2&linkId=4e27e79263da02c56d6910e962ff7501&qid=1551635574&refinements=p_n_feature_browse-bin%3A2656022011&s=books&sr=1-1&tag=eartaste-20&unfiltered=1/.
Poetry in our area tonight begins at Sac. Poetry Center, 7:30pm, with Rob Esperanza and Ike Torres, plus open mic, 25th & R Sts., Sac. Tomorrow features Poetry Off-the-Shelves in El Dorado Hills at the library on Silva Valley Pkwy., 5-7pm; or ride down to Modesto for Queen Bean’s March Poetry Night open mic from 7-10pm (sign-ups at 6:30pm), 1126 14th St. in Modesto.
SPC workshops this week include Tuesday Night Workshop for critiquing of poems at the Hart Center (27th and J Sts.) on Tuesday, 7:30-9pm (call Danyen Powell at 530-681-0026 for info); and MarieWriters Generative Writing Workshop at SPC for writing poems, facilitated this week by Ann Michaels, 6-8pm.
Wednesday morning from 9:30-10:30am, cross the Causeway and head over to Philz Coffee (521 2nd St.) for Coffee w/Writers, Poets, & Literature & Language Instructors; bring your poetry, essays, books in manuscript form or published, for chatting and coffee with other writers.
Thursday in Sacramento brings Poetry Unplugged at Luna’s Cafe and Juice Bar, with featured readers and open mic, 8pm, 1414 16th St. Also at 8pm, Poetry in Davis presents Joshua McKinney plus open mic at the John Natsoulas Gallery, 521 1st St. in Davis.
This weekend, SPC’s Random Friday presents Ladies of the Knight (plus open mic) on Friday at 6pm. And the Second Sat. Art Reception at SPC will host Sable & Quill’s 10th anniversary, with art and poetry from 5-8pm. Scroll down to the blue column (under the green column at the right) for info about these and other upcoming poetry events in our area—and note that more may be added at the last minute.
—Medusa (Celebrate Poetry!)
Michael Brownstein’s new book is available at
Photos in this column can be enlarged by
clicking on them once, then clicking on the x
in the top right corner to come back to Medusa.
