Those Ponies Express

 

Pony Handoffs, 2021 Pony Express Re-Ride

—Poetry and Photos by Taylor Graham, Placerville, CA

 

SUNSET SNIPPETS

Pony Express Re-Ride 2021

Two golden Haflingers haltered,
picking bits of hay from slow-feeder nets,
raise heads to sample air or airwaves

while 2 riders on the ground
+ 1 ham monitoring the Pony’s progress
regroup for a photo-op with saddled horses

& I’m catching snippets of rider-talk—
some off-road stretch of mountain, no moon—
trust old Roman to find the way;

glad there’s 2 of them this evening,
riding the county roads, shoulder & asphalt,
commuter traffic, it’s safer in pairs

& I’m catching deep reflections
from the well of Rocko’s eye,
picking bits of lore & remembrance

& a golden horse whinnies
into western distance, sun setting
on unseen horse & rider on approach. 

 

 

 

 

 

WAYSTATION

Old
gray barn
listens still
for hoof-beats, slap
of leather mailbag on saddle—away! 

 

 

 

 

 

JOINING THE RIDE

The Pony passes
and along the field’s fenceline
4 bay horses canter
unsaddled, leading the way
tails high, jubilant, running. 

 

 

 

 

 

SHADES OF BLUEBIRD

For weeks, nothing. Then
a dry-grass nest in the box.
Then I counted four blue eggs.
This sky-blue morning, deeper
blue in the box—don’t disturb. 

 

 

 

 

 

NO PLUNGING—NO WADING

There are no covered bridges here.
Water, when it comes, is not profligate,
does not wet the abutments.
Children may scream for ice cream,
but we practice stoicism as the mercury rises.
The dog who loved to roll in the grass
lies spread-eagle on linoleum.
We don’t ask about the journey’s end.
All things will pass in a trickle
over the rocky ford. 

 

 

 

 

 

TURKEY SPA

Field of dry stalks
where turkey walks
heedless of hawks—
strolling along

from fence to heap
of ash asleep
since winter’s keep—
since woodstove’s song.

What’s that dust-cloud,
floating gray shroud?
The turkeys crowd,
an ash-bath throng! 

 

 

 

 

 

Today’s LittleNip:

CLOUD’S-WOOL SCARF
—Taylor Graham

Poufy white, as if
knit by a child not precise
with her new stitches—
from this hilltop, see cloud-lace
unravel across June sky.

___________________

Our thanks to Taylor Graham, who says she sends us “mostly tankas this time, but also a Tetractys (“Waystation”) and a Rhupunt (“Turkey Spa”)”.

The Pony Express rides again!—and Taylor has sent us poems and photos about that annual re-creation. For more info about this year’s ride, go to tahoesouth.com/attractions/the-pony-express-rides-again/.

And now it’s time for . . .


FORM FIDDLERS’ FRIDAY!    

 

It’s time for more contributions from Form Fiddlers, in addition to those sent to us by Taylor Graham! Each Friday for awhile, there will be poems posted here from some of our readers using forms—either ones which were mentioned on Medusa during the previous week, or whatever else floats through the Kitchen and the perpetually stoned mind of Medusa. If these instructions are vague, it's because they're meant to be. Just fiddle around with some forms and get them posted in the Kitchen, by golly! (See Medusa’s Form Finder at the end of this post for links to definitions of the forms used this week.)

Taylor Graham sent us several Tankas this time (poets.org/glossary/tanka), and Carol Louise Moon sent us a couple, as well: 

 

 

 

 

 

TANKA VIII
—Carol Louise Moon, Placerville, CA

Mom’s jewelry box
moonstone ring, crystal bead brooch
sorority pin
gold pendants—more questions than
answers in velvet darkness


(prev. pub. in Poetry Soup, 2021)

 

 

 

 

pine-coned boughs bob and
bounce off my tile roof making
childhood memories—
summer days with my sister
bouncing on yard trampoline

 

—Carol Louise Moon

 

 

 

 

Joyce Odam has sent us an Italian Sonnet, which some say is the same thing as, or a slight variation on, a Petrarchan Sonnet (www.poetryfoundation.org/learn/glossary-terms/sonnet). So if you look around, you’ll see varied opinions on what constitutes an Italian Sonnet. I say let's just enjoy Joyce’s smooth poem:


GRAIL
—Joyce Odam, Sacramento, CA

Oh, how I want, and find I cannot have,
I who would challenge everything that binds.
Every restriction, every pitfall, finds me
back at some beginning, nothing to grab
but hands that slip away. A curse, a laugh,
escapes my mouth, for that far shining blinds
me still, and my persistence winds its
dull way forward—and its dull way back.

Oh, how I pity me—woe after woe—
longing, for what it’s worth, does not teach much.
I lick my wounds and wish it were not so,
for still the need continues to aspire
beyond reality’s elusive touch—
and at the end, there is only this desire.

 

 

 

 

Caschwa (Carl Schwartz) wrote a Rhupunt (last Friday’s Fiddlers’ Challenge)—a whole chain of them, in fact:


INCHWORM WINS RACE
—Caschwa, Sacramento, CA

millipedes crawl
slow if at all
thousand legs tall
preoccupied

army of ants
lines up to dance
given no chance
but to abide

turkey can’t choose
good walking shoes
terrible twos
cast it aside

lowly inchworm
tiny but firm
groomed with new perm
wins race with pride 

 

 

 

 

About this next poem, Caschwa writes: “With so many dizzy, spinning, political arguments in the air, thought it was time for a Rondo. So here is my Catena Rondo poem.”

 

HOW MUCH IS ENOUGH?
—Caschwa

it used to be a simple majority
though exceptions came out of the woodwork
and built an argument that worked for a few
it used to be a simple majority

though exceptions came out of the woodwork
crying foul, terrible breach, we can’t have this!
do not attempt to disrupt power and money
though exceptions came out of the woodwork

crying foul, terrible breach, we can’t have this!
don’t ever mess with the top one percent
they will whine and pout and turn mean
crying foul, terrible breach, we can’t have this!

don’t ever mess with the top one percent
the living soul of royalty we vanquished
so we could proudly raise our own flag
don’t ever mess with the top one percent

the living soul of royalty we vanquished
and replaced with consent of the governed
most of whom didn’t have stock options
the living soul of royalty we vanquished

and replaced with consent of the governed
it used to be a simple majority
we showed royalty the exit door
and replaced with consent of the governed

it used to be a simple majority
though exceptions came out of the woodwork
and built an argument that worked for a few
it used to be a simple majority

 

 

 

 

This next poem is an Englyn Penfyr, a form sent by Taylor Graham last week which inspired Caschwa to try one:


PROPHESY
—Caschwa

we know all Hell is going to break loose
because it already has
and we’re not just talking jazz

Juneteenth is now federal official
more folks will participate
in voting, marking their slate

innuendos will not keep them at home
we are all in the same pack
united states, coming back

 

 

 

 

And here is a Haiku chain from Caschwa which was inspired by Medusa’s Seed of the Week (“Taking the Plunge”):

 

EAT, REPEAT
—Caschwa

all shades of friendship
graze in the valley of gray,
welcoming color

from scorching heat, to
golden brown toast, nothing is
lost in the darkness

apricots picked fresh
right from the tree, several
making a good snack

buckets of friendship,
gifts of loving Earth, given
to neighbors for smiles

__________________

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!

__________________

FIDDLERS’ CHALLENGE!  

See what you can make of this week’s poetry form, and send it to kathykieth@hotmail.com! (No deadline.) This week's challenge:

Diamante: www.shadowpoetry.com/resources/wip/diamante.html

__________________

MEDUSA’S FORM FINDER: Links to poetry forms mentioned today: 
 

•••Catena Rondo: poetscollective.org/poetryforms/catena-rondo OR www.writersdigest.com/write-better-poetry/catena-rondo-poetic-forms
•••Diamante: www.shadowpoetry.com/resources/wip/diamante.html
•••Englyn Penfyr: www.writersdigest.com/write-better-poetry/englyn-penfyr-poetic-forms
•••Haiku: www.shadowpoetry.com/resources/haiku/haiku.html
•••Rhupunt: www.writersdigest.com/write-better-poetry/rhupunt-poetic-form
•••Sonnet, Italian: www.poetryfoundation.org/learn/glossary-terms/sonnet
•••Tanka: poets.org/glossary/tanka
•••Tetractys: www.shadowpoetry.com/resources/wip/tetractys.html

__________________

—Medusa

 

 

 

–Public Domain Cartoon

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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.

 

Yee-Haw!