—Public Domain Photo Courtesy of Joseph Nolan, Stockton, CA
QUICK FIXES
—Sue Crisp, Shingle Springs, CA
A little duct tape here,
a little duct tape there.
Is there anything duct
can’t repair?
Use it for whatever inspires,
handgrips on pliers, tape
together wires.
Use your imagination
for your next creation.
Enter a duct tape contest,
show them your best,
you may come home with
a Blue Ribbon on your chest.
LIBERTY
—Sue Crisp
A freedom from captivity or control.
It’s always been America’s goal.
There times those liberties abuse
take their tole on our heart, body,
and sole.
Liberty, our nations most precious
gift of all-together we conquer,
divided, we fall.
As long as we can get along,
together, we can keep our
country, Liberty Strong.
BROKEN
—Sue Crisp
Remember the heat of our passion, desire,
two hearts beating as one? Hearts on fire
The blazing romantic year too soon passed
us by, and we watched our flames of passion
flicker, then die.
Now only cold ashes, broken remains of our
once burning hearts, scattered to the wind, in
useless broken parts.
TREE OF LIFE
—Sue Crisp
The Tree of Life, our heart’s desire,
to give us a living history,
as we push toward the future, we see
the tree sends out branches, two, three.
Our lives move forward, as the tree grows,
sometimes the roots are injured
by discontented blows.
Soon it begins to divide, to save its life,
it’s once solid branches, diseased by strife.
No longer one, each half clings to its own,
neither half wanting to be alone.
The Tree of Life broken, each
branch reaps what it has sown.
—Sue Crisp, Shingle Springs, CA
A little duct tape here,
a little duct tape there.
Is there anything duct
can’t repair?
Use it for whatever inspires,
handgrips on pliers, tape
together wires.
Use your imagination
for your next creation.
Enter a duct tape contest,
show them your best,
you may come home with
a Blue Ribbon on your chest.
—Public Domain Photo Courtesy of Sue Crisp
LIBERTY
—Sue Crisp
A freedom from captivity or control.
It’s always been America’s goal.
There times those liberties abuse
take their tole on our heart, body,
and sole.
Liberty, our nations most precious
gift of all-together we conquer,
divided, we fall.
As long as we can get along,
together, we can keep our
country, Liberty Strong.
—Public Domain Photo Courtesy of Sue Crisp
BROKEN
—Sue Crisp
Remember the heat of our passion, desire,
two hearts beating as one? Hearts on fire
The blazing romantic year too soon passed
us by, and we watched our flames of passion
flicker, then die.
Now only cold ashes, broken remains of our
once burning hearts, scattered to the wind, in
useless broken parts.
—Public Domain Photo Courtesy of Sue Crisp
TREE OF LIFE
—Sue Crisp
The Tree of Life, our heart’s desire,
to give us a living history,
as we push toward the future, we see
the tree sends out branches, two, three.
Our lives move forward, as the tree grows,
sometimes the roots are injured
by discontented blows.
Soon it begins to divide, to save its life,
it’s once solid branches, diseased by strife.
No longer one, each half clings to its own,
neither half wanting to be alone.
The Tree of Life broken, each
branch reaps what it has sown.
—Public Domain Photo Courtesy of Sue Crisp
IN LOVE
—Douglas Polk, Kearney, NE
eyes so beautiful and naive
profess a love,
only imagined,
too young to know, or experience a love,
so complex,
and layered,
the heroic adored,
even though
the love was never heroic,
only fulfilling needs,
both physical,
and emotional,
but the young eyes,
beautiful and naive enough to believe
the truth, otherwise.
—Original Artwork by Douglas Polk
SKINNY DIPPING
—Douglas Polk
in the waters pure as creation,
naked and vulnerable,
I held you,
and felt your body melt into mine,
we were one,
the warm waters caressing our bodies,
in love,
listening to the soothing song of the flowing river,
expressing the joy to the universe.
—Original Artwork by Douglas Polk
HOME
—Douglas Polk
the place, nowhere,
in the middle of sand and sky,
I found God,
there were no trumpet blasts,
or angelic voices,
only a soft whisper
in the soul,
saying, "I am home",
and among kin,
residing through the eons.
He is here.
—Original Artwork by Douglas Polk
KITCHEN DAYS
—Joseph Nolan
There was crazy
In the kitchen.
There was madness
All day long.
Hardly a quiet moment,
A parade of jesters
In patched-up jeans
Or trousers,
With a woman at the sink,
With a better education
And ability to think
Circles around
The randomly-gathered,
With a pot of coffee to drink
And a floating haze
As thick as clouds at dusk.
With so many
Coming and going,
Across domestic stage,
We’d get an education
From two rocking-chairs,
Set in either corner,
Watching actors,
Over-turning pages,
Incidentally,
With only marginal interest.
—Joseph Nolan
There was crazy
In the kitchen.
There was madness
All day long.
Hardly a quiet moment,
A parade of jesters
In patched-up jeans
Or trousers,
With a woman at the sink,
With a better education
And ability to think
Circles around
The randomly-gathered,
With a pot of coffee to drink
And a floating haze
As thick as clouds at dusk.
With so many
Coming and going,
Across domestic stage,
We’d get an education
From two rocking-chairs,
Set in either corner,
Watching actors,
Over-turning pages,
Incidentally,
With only marginal interest.
—Public Domain Photo Courtesy of Joseph Nolan
ZEN AND NOTHINGNESS
—Joseph Nolan
I was growing unattached to nothingness.
They say non-attachment is a virtue.
When nothingness interpenetrates nothingness,
Nothing is left.
You are left with nothing.
There is nothing
To eschew
About nothingness.
You could ask
For more
Or less
Of nothingness,
But what good
Would that do?
You’d still be left
With nothing
But nothingness,
Throwing mind and reason,
All askew.
No need to renew
If all, indeed, is nothingness.
Nothing to curse or bless
In the middle of infinite nothingness-
No need to stress
It’s always been like this,
I guess?
—Public Domain Photo Courtesy of Joseph Nolan
THE VACUUM SAID
—Joseph Nolan
The vacuum said,
“I was here before there was air.
I’ll be here when air is gone.
As you reach out for new friendship,
I inform that friendship is rare,
As is care
That lasts very long,
That grows very strong,
Since bodies fall into weakness
And opinions tend to be wrong.”
—Public Domain Photo Courtesy of Joseph Nolan
YOUR OLD, FORGOTTEN FRIEND
—Joseph Nolan
In this little box over here,
In the back of your closet floor
Underneath your
Last week’s laundry
Hidden behind a heavy door,
I overflow
In silence.
I’ll be here
When you need me.
You only need
To open the heavy door,
Find out where I’m hidden,
In the back of your
Undone laundry,
Pull me out,
Dust me off,
Greet me with
A laugh and scoff
And ask me how I’ve been—
Your old, forgotten friend.
—Public Domain Photo Courtesy of Joseph Nolan
LET ME CHANGE FOR DINNER
—Caschwa
when I ask this, it
means quite the opposite of
what you are thinking
had quite enough of
allowing food stains to mar
my best finery
no, I’m going to change
into some attire that will
not see public eye
before I cook, serve,
or eat those baby back ribs
I’ll be as ready
as a grease monkey
in grungy pants and smeared shirt,
wearing a big smile
I’ll be ready in a minute ~ !
—Public Domain Photo
—Public Domain Photo
HAYDN STRING QUARTET, Op. 76, No 3, 'Emperor'
—Caschwa
The Lindsays
These are among the finest Haydn quartet recordings to be heard in years, performances which will quickly establish themselves as classics of the genre. They are consistently a degree more refined in texture and control of dynamic, while the ensemble is more polished.
I brought my kazoo
and auditioned for a part
they had no trouble
promptly reaching a
unanimous decision
to not include me
and I worked so hard
to produce the very best
nasal kazoo sounds
sometimes, no matter
what you do, naysayers slap
you where it hurts most
—Public Domain Photo Courtesy of Joseph Nolan
TRICKLE DOWN
—Caschwa
he had not always been a full time
Republican, but when Ronald Reagan
said people should pull themselves up
by their bootstraps, he boarded that
train for the long haul
then one day at the train station, his
black face grinning, he reached down
to pull up his bootstrap and someone
cried out “gun!” and then several
security officers shot him in the back
they left him to bleed out on the floor
cursing him for causing such a mess
calling him every foul name in the book
and several too raunchy to be printed
they didn’t bother so see if he had family
and so the trickle down theory had
double-underline zero to do with daily
economic matters, and everything to do
with instilling fear in the hearts and minds
of “Black Lives Matter” protesters
—Caschwa
he had not always been a full time
Republican, but when Ronald Reagan
said people should pull themselves up
by their bootstraps, he boarded that
train for the long haul
then one day at the train station, his
black face grinning, he reached down
to pull up his bootstrap and someone
cried out “gun!” and then several
security officers shot him in the back
they left him to bleed out on the floor
cursing him for causing such a mess
calling him every foul name in the book
and several too raunchy to be printed
they didn’t bother so see if he had family
and so the trickle down theory had
double-underline zero to do with daily
economic matters, and everything to do
with instilling fear in the hearts and minds
of “Black Lives Matter” protesters
—Public Domain Photo Courtesy of Joseph Nolan
QUICK CRUCI-FIXES
—Caschwa
Greater love has no man,
than that he lay down his
futures trading funds to
buy quick crucifixes
using a standardized
legal agreement to
buy or sell something at
a predetermined price
at a specified time
in the future, between
parties not known to each
other, all for our sins
no one can resist such
golden commodities
well infused with meaning
they will sell like pancakes
—Public Domain Photo Courtesy of Joseph Nolan
LEFT WITH DUST
—Caschwa
convenience tools
can lighten your load with those
heavy, daily chores
excess writing can
be edited down to read
like a good novel
exquisite cuisine
must still be apportioned to
a proper serving
unfeeling stone can
be whittled away until
fine art emerges
but do not chisel
investment portfolios
where balance is key
_____________________
Today’s LittleNip(s):
SNACK TIME
—Caschwa
googelly, goggelly
Salmon are wonderful
friends you can talk to, but
I have a hunch
don’t sit too closely, ‘cause
danger is lurking near
big pterodactyls will
eat you for lunch
* * *
NOT IN AMERICA
—Caschwa
higgety jiggety
not in America
this isn’t happening
please make it stop
different due process
standards are coloring
unconstitutional
murder by cop
* * *
MAYBE NOT
—Caschwa
can we ever stop
cruel and unusual crimes
with punishments that
fall short of qualifying
as cruel and unusual?
________________________
Thanks to today’s poets for weaving their words so deftly, and for photos and artwork to keep us all on track! Mondays have such variety in the Kitchen that it makes my head spin (in a good way, of course). These colorful poems come from a variety of sources: recent Seeds of the Week, current events, politics, pandemics and the personal. One wonders if “Kitchen Days” is how Joseph Nolan sees life in Medusa’s Kitchen. Well, he’s not far wrong, except for the part about the cook's “… ability to think/Circles around/The randomly-gathered…” I’m spinning in circles, alright, but not that kind ~
Sacramento poet Jennifer O’Neill Pickering writes that her new book of poetry, Fruit Box Castles: Poems From a Peach Rancher’s Daughter is available for pre-order from Finishing Line Press at www.finishinglinepress.com/product/fruit-box-castles-poems-from-a-peach-ranchers-daughter-by-jennifer-oneill-pickering/. Congratulations, Jennifer!
Sac. Poetry Center uses Zoom for weekly readings and workshops. For more info, go to www.sacramentopoetrycenter.com/. Also this week, on Friday at 7:30pm, there will be a video poetry reading on Facebook by Davis Poet Laureate James Lee Jobe at james-lee-jobe.blogspot.com and/or www.youtube.com/jamesleejobe/.
For more about El Dorado County poetry events, check Western Slope El Dorado Poetry on Facebook at www.facebook.com/ElDoradoCountyPoetry/.
____________________
—Medusa, still trying to tame them snarky snakes ~
—Public Domain Photo
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.
Would you like to be a SnakePal?
All you have to do is send poetry and/or
photos and artwork to
kathykieth@hotmail.com.
The snakes of Medusa are always hungry!
clicking on them once, then clicking on the x
in the top right corner to come back to Medusa.
Would you like to be a SnakePal?
All you have to do is send poetry and/or
photos and artwork to
kathykieth@hotmail.com.
The snakes of Medusa are always hungry!
