—Poetry and Photos by Taylor Graham, Placerville, CA
—And scroll down for Form Fiddlers' Friday!
OUR WEATHER
Smoke weights the air in our lungs
as if by some dire decree
unstated but divined.
The end of lies.
Twilight turns the fire-sky to char.
For companionship, all around
silence
until, from ponderosa’s crown,
a raven speaks.
This is no dream,
only our world as we’ve made it.
Smoke weights the air in our lungs
as if by some dire decree
unstated but divined.
The end of lies.
Twilight turns the fire-sky to char.
For companionship, all around
silence
until, from ponderosa’s crown,
a raven speaks.
This is no dream,
only our world as we’ve made it.
WHAT THE PEPPER TREE KNOWS
School just started—late this year,
already autumn, and hybrid because
of pandemic. Fire season’s in full
combustion as if it were November—
climate change? We argue causes
and who’s to blame. The pepper tree
grows full with peppercorns.
A tree doesn’t debate truth vs lies,
it changes its colors
and bears its berries for birds.
FIELD TRIP GONE WRONG
That account you read on internet, a visit to remnants of a Gold Rush heyday town —you had to see for yourself. A long winding road through foothills then a long climbing ridge between deep canyons. You found a rebuilt one-room schoolhouse and a little fire station. Old remnants? A dirt road, rutted wheel-well-deep behind a Closed sign. How about the pleasant field trip, was it a lie? You double-check. Oh. That was 17 years ago,
as through the ages
weather goes on with its own
storm-driven field trips.
SEPTEMBER’S EQUINOX
Let’s walk outside and listen, look
for so-long hidden living corm,
for water in a secret nook—
our prospects for a coming storm.
We’ve read the writing in the creek—
by flooding gouged in cuneiform,
an ancient script in which we seek
our prospects for a coming storm.
Oppressive summer, now it’s fall
hoping a first-rain might transform
the land that harks for winter’s call,
our prospects for a coming storm.
Let’s walk outside and listen, look—
our prospects for a coming storm.
CONNECTION UNSTABLE
On the monitor, faces
freeze and voices change places
with a plucked guitar—
musical graces
instead of language
in grammar-laces.
Chaotic discourse.
Outside, the world’s unfrozen—
blue sky I might have chosen.
WALKING SOLO
A wild turkey walks
our land, hen who stalks
and peers as if she’s searching
for family lost
or fences she’s crossed,
or a place of belonging—
this one turkey hen.
I remember when
there were 2 hens, 5 turklings
who’d all peck and scuff
for acorns, enough
for all. One lone hen’s searchings….
A wild turkey walks
our land, hen who stalks
and peers as if she’s searching
for family lost
or fences she’s crossed,
or a place of belonging—
this one turkey hen.
I remember when
there were 2 hens, 5 turklings
who’d all peck and scuff
for acorns, enough
for all. One lone hen’s searchings….
Today’s LittleNip:
SPIDERWEAVE
—Taylor Graham
spiderweb festooned
with flyaway blue-oak leaves—
late September’s fall
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Our thanks to Taylor Graham on this end-of-the-week posting of her fine, autumnal poems and photos! The forms she has sent us today include a Kyrielle Sonnet (“September's Equinox”); a Sandwiched by Sevens (“Connection Unstable”); an Alouette (“Walking Solo”), plus a Haibun and a Haiku.
And now it’s time for FORM FIDDLERS’ FRIDAY!
_______________________
FORM FIDDLERS’ FRIDAY!
In addition to Taylor Graham's forms today, Carol Louise Moon has sent us an excellent chain of Tankas:
FOUR TANKAS
—Carol Louise Moon, Placerville, CA
marina dock
harbor seals
haul out and bed down
heron croaks
begging nighttime quiet
* * *
baobab myth:
hyenas invented
upside-down bottle-tree
“roots” growing
deep into sky
* * *
Spanish galleon
Argonaut’s grave
gives up ghost and gold—
gulls’ ground nests
speckled eggs hidden
* * *
Revise! Revise!
so I edited my poem
once again…
garden time well-spent
pulling weeds
—Carol Louise Moon, Placerville, CA
marina dock
harbor seals
haul out and bed down
heron croaks
begging nighttime quiet
* * *
baobab myth:
hyenas invented
upside-down bottle-tree
“roots” growing
deep into sky
* * *
Spanish galleon
Argonaut’s grave
gives up ghost and gold—
gulls’ ground nests
speckled eggs hidden
* * *
Revise! Revise!
so I edited my poem
once again…
garden time well-spent
pulling weeds
—Public Domain Illustration
Caschwa (Carl Schwartz) has been inspired and prolific this week, starting with some EIO’s that Carol Louise Moon created and introduced us to last Friday:
ABDICATION, PLEASE (EIO)
—Caschwa, Sacramento, CA
Edward VIII was king for a short time
in the United Kingdom, of course
events and he could never quite rhyme,
itchy tail on the wrong end of a horse
of course
ABDICATION, PLEASE (EIO)
—Caschwa, Sacramento, CA
Edward VIII was king for a short time
in the United Kingdom, of course
events and he could never quite rhyme,
itchy tail on the wrong end of a horse
of course
ENDLESS (EIO chain)
—Caschwa
endless recitation of Rumi quotations
infinite workshops and panels
extra busy in ardent discussions
ideal material for annals
offer to share my nice flannels
expression raw even out on dirt trail
indisputably lacking poetic justice
evil foreign object lodged under my nail
is pain’s master, not just an apprentice
oh, why must our frailty be the menace?
“expert advice” said the bill to be paid
invoice due now, no excuses
emergency room did render aid
if we disregard all those bad bruises
one disproves how long this amuses
* * *
Here, Carl has combined the EIO and the Acrostic:
MERGER
—Caschwa
every time we get an original
idea hot air fills the balloon and
evolves our ego backwards spiral
into a number of second-hand
observations not at all new but canned
—Caschwa
endless recitation of Rumi quotations
infinite workshops and panels
extra busy in ardent discussions
ideal material for annals
offer to share my nice flannels
expression raw even out on dirt trail
indisputably lacking poetic justice
evil foreign object lodged under my nail
is pain’s master, not just an apprentice
oh, why must our frailty be the menace?
“expert advice” said the bill to be paid
invoice due now, no excuses
emergency room did render aid
if we disregard all those bad bruises
one disproves how long this amuses
* * *
Here, Carl has combined the EIO and the Acrostic:
MERGER
—Caschwa
every time we get an original
idea hot air fills the balloon and
evolves our ego backwards spiral
into a number of second-hand
observations not at all new but canned
Next we have a couple of Octos from Carl:
THE BRIDGE IS OUT
—Caschwa
the bridge is out ahead of us
posted warning signs aplenty
too many will never return
I packed a lunch to watch the show
one after another just falls
too many will never return
posted warning signs aplenty
the bridge is out ahead of us
* * *
SEPARATE GLYPHS
—Caschwa
it must have been some cuneiform
long before pyramids were built
had Parts List and “Before you start”
there were determinatives, too
and of course some classifiers
had Parts List and “Before you start”
long before pyramids were built
it must have been some cuneiform
THE BRIDGE IS OUT
—Caschwa
the bridge is out ahead of us
posted warning signs aplenty
too many will never return
I packed a lunch to watch the show
one after another just falls
too many will never return
posted warning signs aplenty
the bridge is out ahead of us
* * *
SEPARATE GLYPHS
—Caschwa
it must have been some cuneiform
long before pyramids were built
had Parts List and “Before you start”
there were determinatives, too
and of course some classifiers
had Parts List and “Before you start”
long before pyramids were built
it must have been some cuneiform
Assyrian Cuneiform
And finally, the mighty Ottawa Rima:
TIME FOR A HERO
—Caschwa
enough of the criminal politicians
dicing up democracy like it is meat
rallies are staged to support superstitions
under-the-table deals meet stinky bare feet
just stop breathing to control such emissions
they cheat and they lie, then they lie and they cheat
somewhere there is money to fund all those whims
until it runs clear out and life itself dims
_____________________
Many thanks to our SnakePals for their brave fiddling! Would you like to be a SnakePal? All you have to do is send poetry—forms or not—and/or photos and artwork to kathykieth@hotmail.com. We post work from all over the world, including that which was previously-published. Just remember: the snakes of Medusa are always hungry—for poetry, of course!
_____________________
NEW FEATURE: Fiddlers’ Challenge!
TIME FOR A HERO
—Caschwa
enough of the criminal politicians
dicing up democracy like it is meat
rallies are staged to support superstitions
under-the-table deals meet stinky bare feet
just stop breathing to control such emissions
they cheat and they lie, then they lie and they cheat
somewhere there is money to fund all those whims
until it runs clear out and life itself dims
_____________________
Many thanks to our SnakePals for their brave fiddling! Would you like to be a SnakePal? All you have to do is send poetry—forms or not—and/or photos and artwork to kathykieth@hotmail.com. We post work from all over the world, including that which was previously-published. Just remember: the snakes of Medusa are always hungry—for poetry, of course!
_____________________
NEW FEATURE: Fiddlers’ Challenge!
Argonelle: Any number of 5-line stanzas (quintains); syllable count 2-6-8-8-6; rhyme scheme a-b-c-c-b. (poetscollective.org/poetryforms)
_____________________
MEDUSA’S FORM FINDER: Links to poetry forms mentioned today:
•••Acrostic: literarydevices.net/acrostic
•••Alouette: www.shadowpoetry.com/resources/wip/alouette.html
•••Argonelle: poetscollective.org/poetryforms
•••EIO: a five-line poem where the ends of lines rhyme in the scheme of A,B,A,B,B. The beginning words of each line begin with E,I,E,I,O. (Carol Louise Moon)
•••Haibun: www.writersdigest.com/write-better-poetry/haibun-poems-poetic-form
•••Haiku: www.shadowpoetry.com/resources/haiku/haiku.html
•••Kyrielle Sonnet: www.shadowpoetry.com/resources/wip/kyriellesonnet.html
•••Octo: poetscollective.org/poetryforms/octo
•••Ottava Rima: www.writersdigest.com/write-better-poetry/ottava-rima-poetic-form
•••Sandwiched by Sevens: 7,7,5,5,5,5,5,7,7, rhyme scheme aaxaxaxbb (Carl Schwartz)
•••Tanka: poets.org/glossary/tanka
______________________
—Medusa
And don’t forget our Seed of the Week, “Orange”!
—Public Domain Illustration
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.
