—Anonymous Photos of Bunches of Bunches-o’-Things
IN THE LAND OF MIXED MEANINGS
—Caschwa, Sacramento, CA
Opened up the dictionary for
help with a definition, and all
that was inside were flattened
leaves of unknown origin.
Attended an institution of
higher tuition, and got a third
degree burn when they sent
me the bill.
Why does the simple task of
installing a new vacuum cleaner
bag have to be so unclean?
Oleanders grow like unwanted
hair: after you cut them, they
grow back even more fully.
Whenever I see the words “Easy
Open” on a plastic or cardboard
container, I bring out my metal
toolkit.
Everyone knows about those
winged bugs we call flies. Logically,
there would also then be some
wingless bugs we would call “crawls”.
LOW LEGACY
—Caschwa
(seeded by the term “oblit” from
Joyce Odam’s Solidify, Medusa’s
Kitchen, October 15, 2019)
Was presidential in name only
acted with all the facts, logic,
and substance of flatulence
galore
swore an oath to uphold the
glorious Constitution, then
cherry-picked a couple points,
no more
adopted a defined purpose to
obstruct, confuse, and fully
obliterate all the good deeds
of yore
became Executive Team Leader
by making only his vote count
chose cabinet heads rotten to
the core
now investigations are pending
a new election is brewing
we have yet to see what is
in store
(seeded by the term “oblit” from
Joyce Odam’s Solidify, Medusa’s
Kitchen, October 15, 2019)
Was presidential in name only
acted with all the facts, logic,
and substance of flatulence
galore
swore an oath to uphold the
glorious Constitution, then
cherry-picked a couple points,
no more
adopted a defined purpose to
obstruct, confuse, and fully
obliterate all the good deeds
of yore
became Executive Team Leader
by making only his vote count
chose cabinet heads rotten to
the core
now investigations are pending
a new election is brewing
we have yet to see what is
in store
PAY US!
—Caschwa
(Response to Taylor Graham’s
“Consolation”, Medusa’s Kitchen
October 17, 2019)
We are comforted to know that when
automakers crash-test their products,
they use crash dummies instead of real
human beings
Once the autos reach the streets, if
there are still problems that should
have already been corrected, the
automakers are held liable for damages,
some huge
So how can power companies get away
with using real human beings as crash
dummies for staged power outage
situations that are not real emergencies?
That is like breaking into our homes and
local eateries, taking away all perishable
foods, and tossing them straight into the
dumpster under the pretense that this
will better prepare us for a real, bona fide
emergency situation
If power companies continue to insist on
using real human beings as crash dummies,
we should present them a bill for our
services that collectively is greater than the
expense of the safer option of converting to
underground power lines
(Response to Taylor Graham’s
“Consolation”, Medusa’s Kitchen
October 17, 2019)
We are comforted to know that when
automakers crash-test their products,
they use crash dummies instead of real
human beings
Once the autos reach the streets, if
there are still problems that should
have already been corrected, the
automakers are held liable for damages,
some huge
So how can power companies get away
with using real human beings as crash
dummies for staged power outage
situations that are not real emergencies?
That is like breaking into our homes and
local eateries, taking away all perishable
foods, and tossing them straight into the
dumpster under the pretense that this
will better prepare us for a real, bona fide
emergency situation
If power companies continue to insist on
using real human beings as crash dummies,
we should present them a bill for our
services that collectively is greater than the
expense of the safer option of converting to
underground power lines
HOLD YOUR BREATH
—Caschwa
Disaster
stocks falling even faster
the economy in slump:
Trump
Still waiting
trickling and percolating
no money yet reaching me,
gee!
Texas Ranger
charged crimes when cribs a danger
ICE takes babies from their bed,
dead
Mood hotter,
lead in our pipes and water
tax revenue not spent right:
blight
No allure
big sewer system failure
all the workers who were deft,
left
Disaster
stocks falling even faster
the economy in slump:
Trump
Still waiting
trickling and percolating
no money yet reaching me,
gee!
Texas Ranger
charged crimes when cribs a danger
ICE takes babies from their bed,
dead
Mood hotter,
lead in our pipes and water
tax revenue not spent right:
blight
No allure
big sewer system failure
all the workers who were deft,
left
The lions are back at the Sacramento Zoo
But I’m one who wishes I could free them
Just like the rest of the animals at the zoo
and just get rid of zoos along with circuses
and anything else that advertises animals as “entertainment"
The Sacramento Bee said the lions were “happy” in their new enclosure
“The only thing that separates you from lions now is an inch and a half of glass..”
said zoo spokeswoman Laurel Vincent
I wonder if such humans think captive-born big cats are just big pussycats
that their internal instincts won't realize they are supposed to be in the “wild”
and that they won’t rebel in being caged
It sickens me that they probably also keep them drugged
which is why they so often appear so docile
—Michelle Kunert, Sacramento, CA
__________________
A guy at work offered me some little chocolate donuts from a bag
I said “No thanks, I don’t think they’re vegan.”
He looked confused at me rejecting his generous kindness
Then I said “Besides, it reminds me of a ’70’s Saturday Night Live sketch I saw—
I suspect it was “little chocolate donuts” that did in comedian John Belushi,
not the drugs
—Michelle Kunert
Just like the rest of the animals at the zoo
and just get rid of zoos along with circuses
and anything else that advertises animals as “entertainment"
The Sacramento Bee said the lions were “happy” in their new enclosure
“The only thing that separates you from lions now is an inch and a half of glass..”
said zoo spokeswoman Laurel Vincent
I wonder if such humans think captive-born big cats are just big pussycats
that their internal instincts won't realize they are supposed to be in the “wild”
and that they won’t rebel in being caged
It sickens me that they probably also keep them drugged
which is why they so often appear so docile
—Michelle Kunert, Sacramento, CA
__________________
A guy at work offered me some little chocolate donuts from a bag
I said “No thanks, I don’t think they’re vegan.”
He looked confused at me rejecting his generous kindness
Then I said “Besides, it reminds me of a ’70’s Saturday Night Live sketch I saw—
I suspect it was “little chocolate donuts” that did in comedian John Belushi,
not the drugs
—Michelle Kunert
LIZARDS AT PARTIES
—Joseph Nolan, Stockton, CA
A lizard
Hangs it tail
Into the wind.
It likes to
Feel the venting
Of air
Moving
Over skin.
It wags its tail;
It sends its tongue
Into air,
To taste the scene!
It’s only acting
Naturally,
For a lizard,
But some object
Most strenuously,
To tongues in air,
Un-seemingly,
And terribly obscene,
But that’s how
Lizards are!
If you don’t like it,
Don’t invite them
To your parties.
A lizard
Hangs it tail
Into the wind.
It likes to
Feel the venting
Of air
Moving
Over skin.
It wags its tail;
It sends its tongue
Into air,
To taste the scene!
It’s only acting
Naturally,
For a lizard,
But some object
Most strenuously,
To tongues in air,
Un-seemingly,
And terribly obscene,
But that’s how
Lizards are!
If you don’t like it,
Don’t invite them
To your parties.
BLACK HOLES AND THE EVENING NEWS
—Joseph Nolan
If you think the universe is real,
Think about black holes.
Black holes can suck in stars,
And frequently do.
Gravity-waves are splashed out into space
When a star meets its
So-un-star-like demise.
We feel them
Beneath our skin—
The disappearance of stars,
The assault of a gravity-wave,
Like a smashing into a tunnel’s ramparts,
Subterranean,
A long, slow death on the
Five-minute ride to a hospital,
That took an hour-and-a-half to make,
The cameras off,
So well-planned,
The broken seatbelt
In the near-new Mercedes,
The driver, drunk off his ass,
But no-one noticed,
He seemed O.K.,
The way there was
No chance of escape!
If a black hole is big enough
It can suck in a galaxy,
Or,
One-galaxy-at-a-time,
Even a universe,
Easy as that!
Nothing left for the TV news.
If you think the universe is real,
Think about black holes.
Black holes can suck in stars,
And frequently do.
Gravity-waves are splashed out into space
When a star meets its
So-un-star-like demise.
We feel them
Beneath our skin—
The disappearance of stars,
The assault of a gravity-wave,
Like a smashing into a tunnel’s ramparts,
Subterranean,
A long, slow death on the
Five-minute ride to a hospital,
That took an hour-and-a-half to make,
The cameras off,
So well-planned,
The broken seatbelt
In the near-new Mercedes,
The driver, drunk off his ass,
But no-one noticed,
He seemed O.K.,
The way there was
No chance of escape!
If a black hole is big enough
It can suck in a galaxy,
Or,
One-galaxy-at-a-time,
Even a universe,
Easy as that!
Nothing left for the TV news.
BLACK-HOLES
—Joseph Nolan
Black-holes
Show no
Souls,
Live on
Doles
From stars
They suck in.
No way to win
When you’re too close
To an overdose
Of gravity.
Oh! What’s over there?
Where even stars
Are
Unprepared
For something
Darker
Than the darkest
Shadow,
That will not yield to light,
But sucks it in.
Against a black hole
Even light can’t win!
Black-holes
Show no
Souls,
Live on
Doles
From stars
They suck in.
No way to win
When you’re too close
To an overdose
Of gravity.
Oh! What’s over there?
Where even stars
Are
Unprepared
For something
Darker
Than the darkest
Shadow,
That will not yield to light,
But sucks it in.
Against a black hole
Even light can’t win!
CALLED UPON FOR LIGHT
—Joseph Nolan
Eventually,
We must turn into friends;
No matter how strong the fire,
Or how bright the spark,
Its fuel must burn up.
It’s how we greet
A cooler dark.
Cooler, but
Still warmer
To touch
Than stars so
Distant, bright.
We clamor,
And don’t falter,
When called upon
For light.
____________________
Today’s LittleNip:
THE REASONABLE URGE DOCTRINE
—Caschwa
She says: Honey, it’s your turn to do the dishes tonight.
He hears: Come to bed with me now!
___________________
Medusa’s our name, and eclectic’s our game! A big thank-you to today’s contributors on a Monday, as we mix it up in preparation for another week of poetry!…
…Poetry which begins at Sac. Poetry Center tonight with Alamgir Hashmi, Alan Soldofsky plus open mic, 7:30pm at 25th & R Sts., Sacramento. Then on Thursday at 7pm, Crocker Art Museum presents Open Poetry Night: In Tribute to painter/poet Frank LaPena, plus spoken word and original poems by participants. 216 O St., Sacramento. And of course Thursday is Poetry Unplugged at Luna’s Cafe and Juice Bar in Sacramento at 8pm, with featured readers and open mic.
Friday and Saturday will be very busy days, beginning at Hart Sr. Center on J Street in Sacramento with Poetry Appreciation Class with Marie Taylor, this month about Edgar Allen Poe, 1pm. Cost is $5; call 916-808-5462 to register. At 6pm, Carol Lynn Stevenson Grellas, Kathleen McClung, and Eileen Malone will read at Sac. Poetry Center, hosted by Bob Stanley. Then at 7pm, Speak Up: The Art of Storytelling and Poetry presents poems and stories on the theme of “Ghosted” at the Avid Reader on Broadway in Sacramento. All of that this coming Friday!
Saturday, Oct. 26, is Sacramento Poetry Day! This official proclamation was made by then-Mayor Anne Rudin in 1986. To see Patrick Grizzell’s description of how it all came to be, go to www.facebook.com/patrick.grizzell/posts/10208638162724506/.
Saturday will also be busy, as Writers on the Air presents Black Women Tell Tales beginning at 9:30am at Sac. Poetry Center, featuring Stephanie Bray, Brenda Davis, Gladys Wilburn, and Geraldine Walker plus open mic. Then, down in Stockton at 1:30pm, Flor y Cantos: Celebration of Poetry, Song and Dance will take place at Haggin Museum on N. Pershing Av. And at 2pm, Creative Minds meets at GOS Art Gallery on Del Paso Blvd. in Sacramento, and Poetic License poetry read-around meets in Placerville at the Sr. Center on Spring Street. (The suggested topic for this month is “forgetfulness”, but all subjects are welcome.) 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.
Interested in workshops? Check the green box at the right for a listing of local ones which will be held this week and/or later.
—Medusa, celebrating another wild week of wonderful words ~
Eventually,
We must turn into friends;
No matter how strong the fire,
Or how bright the spark,
Its fuel must burn up.
It’s how we greet
A cooler dark.
Cooler, but
Still warmer
To touch
Than stars so
Distant, bright.
We clamor,
And don’t falter,
When called upon
For light.
____________________
Today’s LittleNip:
THE REASONABLE URGE DOCTRINE
—Caschwa
She says: Honey, it’s your turn to do the dishes tonight.
He hears: Come to bed with me now!
___________________
Medusa’s our name, and eclectic’s our game! A big thank-you to today’s contributors on a Monday, as we mix it up in preparation for another week of poetry!…
…Poetry which begins at Sac. Poetry Center tonight with Alamgir Hashmi, Alan Soldofsky plus open mic, 7:30pm at 25th & R Sts., Sacramento. Then on Thursday at 7pm, Crocker Art Museum presents Open Poetry Night: In Tribute to painter/poet Frank LaPena, plus spoken word and original poems by participants. 216 O St., Sacramento. And of course Thursday is Poetry Unplugged at Luna’s Cafe and Juice Bar in Sacramento at 8pm, with featured readers and open mic.
Friday and Saturday will be very busy days, beginning at Hart Sr. Center on J Street in Sacramento with Poetry Appreciation Class with Marie Taylor, this month about Edgar Allen Poe, 1pm. Cost is $5; call 916-808-5462 to register. At 6pm, Carol Lynn Stevenson Grellas, Kathleen McClung, and Eileen Malone will read at Sac. Poetry Center, hosted by Bob Stanley. Then at 7pm, Speak Up: The Art of Storytelling and Poetry presents poems and stories on the theme of “Ghosted” at the Avid Reader on Broadway in Sacramento. All of that this coming Friday!
Saturday, Oct. 26, is Sacramento Poetry Day! This official proclamation was made by then-Mayor Anne Rudin in 1986. To see Patrick Grizzell’s description of how it all came to be, go to www.facebook.com/patrick.grizzell/posts/10208638162724506/.
Saturday will also be busy, as Writers on the Air presents Black Women Tell Tales beginning at 9:30am at Sac. Poetry Center, featuring Stephanie Bray, Brenda Davis, Gladys Wilburn, and Geraldine Walker plus open mic. Then, down in Stockton at 1:30pm, Flor y Cantos: Celebration of Poetry, Song and Dance will take place at Haggin Museum on N. Pershing Av. And at 2pm, Creative Minds meets at GOS Art Gallery on Del Paso Blvd. in Sacramento, and Poetic License poetry read-around meets in Placerville at the Sr. Center on Spring Street. (The suggested topic for this month is “forgetfulness”, but all subjects are welcome.) 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.
Interested in workshops? Check the green box at the right for a listing of local ones which will be held this week and/or later.
—Medusa, celebrating another wild week of wonderful words ~
Medusa’s advice to you for this week…
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