—Poems and Photos by James Lee Jobe, Davis, CA
Mountain woke up in the morning, alive with beings and sunshine. Tree stretched her leafy arms to the sky and blew a clear musical note into the air. Stream busily made his way down to the river, and so eventually to the ocean. Time was eaten for breakfast and the taste was like diamonds that shimmered and sparkled. That day was a delight, and they all are, if you want them to be, if only you allow them to be.
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Truly hot, 105 degrees. On the oaks, not one leaf stirs. No breeze at all. Even the squirrels just sit there. An afternoon moon today, moon rise is at 2:32 PM. The sun will make the moon sweat. I do not envy the moon its job.
We leave the porch-light on at night, but I am not sure why. No one is coming. This light weakens at sunrise, as if the lamp itself is tired from its long hours of labor. And something in the air tastes of change at dawn. Whatever this is, it doesn’t require my permission. I turn the light off and put on some coffee. All the while the entire planet has been spinning, as it does throughout all the years of our lives. Think of that.
South Yuba River, several days of rain. To watch the racing water churn through the rock canyon and splash under the old Highway 49 bridge is to see power in its purity. The river is strong enough to wash out a freight train and yet it is really carrying life to the Sacramento Valley far below. My goodness, what a wonder, this world.
I live here on the surface of the planet like any other beast. I cook the flesh and eat it, often tearing the pieces apart with my bare hands. Sometimes I even growl when I eat. I admire the owl and the hawk and the birds of prey, they live in the moment and what they kill, they eat. Time passes like the stars crossing the sky, like the layers of a vast onion, peeled away slowly, one at a time. Does the wind know my name? Of course not, don't be foolish. The wind is here to bless these things, to bless everything I have ever told you, with its blustery kiss.
Morning. City Park. Davis, California. The glows of the long and dry valley summer fill me with power. The touch of grass on skin. Warmth. I know the trees, I know the flowers. The flush of blood and sweat and energy. And from my bare feet, roots. And from my flesh, leaves. The universe offers her hand to me. And this time I am finally ready to take it.
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Today’s LittleNip:
That I might awaken to the blessing of knowing my own true nature, and be able to use this knowledge to help others and to help the planet. This I pray.
—James Lee Jobe
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Our thanks and good morning to James Lee Jobe for some thoughts about autumn! Today is a busy day for poetry events in our area, beginning at 9:30am at Sac. Poetry Center with Frederick Foote and guests (plus open mic) featured at Writers on the Air. In the afternoon at 2pm, Straight Out Scribes and Gary Gos host Creative Minds #4 at GOS Art Gallery on Del Paso Blvd. in Sacramento. Also at 2pm, Poetic License poetry read-around meets at the Placerville Sr. Center on Spring St.
Then later today, at 5pm, head down to Sac. Poetry Center for the premiere of Episode 2 of Drop in with Frank, a film about the life and times of Sacramento poet Frank Andrick. Check out www.facebook.com/events/509383649869930 for details and the schedule, which also includes showings of Episode 1. 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… “and from my bare feet, roots”…
—Photo by James Lee Jobe
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.
