—Poetry and Photos by Taylor Graham, Placerville, CA
—And scroll down for Form Fiddlers’ Friday!!
SMALL MERCIES
August. 105 degrees in the shade
but there wasn’t any on that tall, bare south-
facing slope overlooking reservoir.
The missing man was likely in that cold-deep
blue, but water search was another team’s
job. We scented our dogs at point-last-seen
on shore; dogs just milled around. No matter,
our assignment was the mountain.
As we climbed, one sign of life: a golden
rattlesnake coiled in the only damp spot
among rocks of a dry creek bed. We kept on
climbing, hoping for a clue, a hint
of human presence, a whisper of breeze.
At the top, sound of tires grabbing gravel.
4WD pickup crested from the north. Orange
uniforms piled out with ice chest. Iced cans
of I don’t remember what, heavenly dark
as damp earth; cold-fizzy-sweet, it perked
us right up for the trek back down.
August. 105 degrees in the shade
but there wasn’t any on that tall, bare south-
facing slope overlooking reservoir.
The missing man was likely in that cold-deep
blue, but water search was another team’s
job. We scented our dogs at point-last-seen
on shore; dogs just milled around. No matter,
our assignment was the mountain.
As we climbed, one sign of life: a golden
rattlesnake coiled in the only damp spot
among rocks of a dry creek bed. We kept on
climbing, hoping for a clue, a hint
of human presence, a whisper of breeze.
At the top, sound of tires grabbing gravel.
4WD pickup crested from the north. Orange
uniforms piled out with ice chest. Iced cans
of I don’t remember what, heavenly dark
as damp earth; cold-fizzy-sweet, it perked
us right up for the trek back down.
WHAT’S GOING ON WITH THE FROGS?
I hang my mop on the back railing to dry
after I scrub my kitchen. I’ve learned to inspect
the mop carefully for tiny frogs—
Chorus Frogs, I’m told—who would swim out
of my mop when I dunked it in my water bucket.
Frog rodeo in the kitchen,
one tiny masked frog, sometimes two, leaping
all over the floor while I tried to save them
from my cat...
I can't guarantee you'll get frogs where you live.
Small ponds in our little canyon have been
pretty low this last decade.
I first found frogs in my mop at end of August
2015. This year it was the end of May.
What can this mean for the frogs?
I hang my mop on the back railing to dry
after I scrub my kitchen. I’ve learned to inspect
the mop carefully for tiny frogs—
Chorus Frogs, I’m told—who would swim out
of my mop when I dunked it in my water bucket.
Frog rodeo in the kitchen,
one tiny masked frog, sometimes two, leaping
all over the floor while I tried to save them
from my cat...
I can't guarantee you'll get frogs where you live.
Small ponds in our little canyon have been
pretty low this last decade.
I first found frogs in my mop at end of August
2015. This year it was the end of May.
What can this mean for the frogs?
LOOKING FOR ASPEN CARVINGS,
BLEATING FLOCK AND SHEEPHERDING DOG
for old-time Basque sheepherders of the Sierra
We’re driving upcountry to beat the heat
living nomadically, a bygone age
to leave the car, explore on off-road feet
a never-ending journey off the page
I’ve packed sandwiches and peaches, sun-tea
for transhumance, meadow and mountain range
the day will be everything it might be
with only the land and the seasons’ change
with UV exposure, hats and sunscreen
a 6-penny nail for carving one’s name
and the shadowing of aspen-leaf green
minutes, hours and weeks, each day much the same
imagine these mountains lonely as ice
a sheepherder is gone by summer’s end
memories captured with a click-device
did someone carve his name with dog as friend?
BLEATING FLOCK AND SHEEPHERDING DOG
for old-time Basque sheepherders of the Sierra
We’re driving upcountry to beat the heat
living nomadically, a bygone age
to leave the car, explore on off-road feet
a never-ending journey off the page
I’ve packed sandwiches and peaches, sun-tea
for transhumance, meadow and mountain range
the day will be everything it might be
with only the land and the seasons’ change
with UV exposure, hats and sunscreen
a 6-penny nail for carving one’s name
and the shadowing of aspen-leaf green
minutes, hours and weeks, each day much the same
imagine these mountains lonely as ice
a sheepherder is gone by summer’s end
memories captured with a click-device
did someone carve his name with dog as friend?
HAUNTED GROVE
A lull of breeze and insect buzz,
and aspen quakes as aspen does
above a wave of meadow grass
that muffles footfall as I pass, and time that was.
Marlborough cowboy is long gone
now sleeping somewhere under lawn—
but does his ghost patrol the place
and give no trespasser his grace, nor doe nor fawn?
Basque shepherd searches for his name
in heart of tree as if to claim
a home where once he summered sheep.
But where’s a thing that man may keep, that stays the same?
IN THE MEADOW
from 4 lines of Jim Harrison’s “Complaint”
Song, I am unused to you—
so green this morning, so fresh
and lush in thin blue air,
so far from our lowland homes
when you come
on a breeze through leaves
that shake not with fear
but it seems rapture
your voice is behind trees
maybe the fox who won’t be seen
except as shadow drawing
its questions across sunlight
calling another by my name
I’ve almost forgotten
since names don’t seem to matter
among grasses and fallen logs.
Today’s LittleNip:
DRY CANYON
—Taylor Graham
Feathery as flight
yellower than fallen stars
not quite touching ground—
what are these flowers blooming
between pavement and bare rock?
_______________________
Big thank-yous to Taylor Graham today for her fine poems and those photos of the foothills! She has sent us poems in forms: the Double Exposure (“Looking for Aspen Carvings”); the Florette (last Friday’s Fiddlers’ Challenge) “Haunted Grove”; the Glosa (“In the Meadow”); an Englyn Milwr (“Englyn Milwr?”—with apologies to Medusa); and a Tanka “Dry Canyon”). She says she did a Bits & Pieces, too, but will hold it till next week. She also says that the Double Exposure is supposed to have odd lines in bold, and even lines in regular, but she likes the looks of regular and italics better... Call it a variation. Thanks for these forms, Taylor, giving us food for thought, and no apologies to Medusa needed. She loves the attention!
And now it’s time for . . .
FORM FIDDLERS’ FRIDAY!
ENGLYN MILWR?
—Taylor Graham
What’s in Medusa’s Kitchen?
The stew is bubblin’, itchin’—
so grab a spoon & pitch in!
A pantoum or a sonnet,
some free verse on a bonnet,
an etheree or nonet…
A word is savory spice
maybe fiery, maybe nice,
a good smart shake should suffice.
Come join the feast, guest or cook.
Have a taste, a sniff, a look,
see if it’s fit for a book.
____________________
Thanks for this, Taylor; it ought to be Medusa’s theme song! A word is, indeed, savory spice; I long to end one of the first lines with "bitchin'". All the forms she mentioned are referenced in Medusa’s Form Finder down at the bottom of this post, by the way.
Now 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.)
Claire Baker has sent us a Found poem today, pieced together from lines which she “found” on NPR. Summer and camping are on her mind:
FOUND POEM, NPR
There are
two hundred
species of
fireflies
when
one tiny
alluring
lantern is
enough to
light up all
of childhood’s
summers.*
*Remembering
Bethesda, Md.
_______________________
Carl Schwartz (Caschwa) has sent us two poems today. His first is a Bits & Pieces, a form of his own invention which he shared with us last week. But he had a problem, which he has shared with us. He writes:
“Noah Webster and I were in battle over [how many syllables certain words have, such as the word, ‘oil’]. Listening to how others speak, my ears tell me to pronounce stand-alone words like “oil” “coil” or “boil” as if a perfect rhyme for “royal”, so I’ve been programmed to give it 2 syllables. But I don’t want to start any fires in the Kitchen, so I revised the [seventh] line to include another syllable.”
Yes, Caschwa, that’s an age-old question, which remains unanswered. . . Oil? Oy-yal? Or Oy-ee-ull? Makes my brain hurt.
Anyway, here is Carl’s Bits & Pieces poem:
BLINDFOLDED MARCHING BAND
—Caschwa, Sacramento, CA
is it too soon to play?
not in tune, anyway
the drum major keeps time
with his pager’s shrill chime
tuba player ready
no error, rock steady
his valve oil drips madly
tips a smile, worn sadly
slide trombone blares away
while unwanted hairs stay
bright sun hits new cornet
four valves, one to forget
percussion lost, booming
new drum head cost looming
“Noah Webster and I were in battle over [how many syllables certain words have, such as the word, ‘oil’]. Listening to how others speak, my ears tell me to pronounce stand-alone words like “oil” “coil” or “boil” as if a perfect rhyme for “royal”, so I’ve been programmed to give it 2 syllables. But I don’t want to start any fires in the Kitchen, so I revised the [seventh] line to include another syllable.”
Yes, Caschwa, that’s an age-old question, which remains unanswered. . . Oil? Oy-yal? Or Oy-ee-ull? Makes my brain hurt.
Anyway, here is Carl’s Bits & Pieces poem:
BLINDFOLDED MARCHING BAND
is it too soon to play?
not in tune, anyway
the drum major keeps time
with his pager’s shrill chime
tuba player ready
no error, rock steady
his valve oil drips madly
tips a smile, worn sadly
slide trombone blares away
while unwanted hairs stay
bright sun hits new cornet
four valves, one to forget
percussion lost, booming
new drum head cost looming
______________________
Carl also sent us a Senryu chain, based on what he calls the “SOPW” (Medusa’s Past Seed of the Week—"Small Mercies"):
SUPER MEGA MARKET
—Caschwa
oceans of items
shipped in from around the world
sorted, priced, and shelved
load your shopping cart
with all kinds of this and that
then you pay and pray
billions and billions
of items are sold daily
mistakes will occur
but how could they not?
this calls for some biblical
mercy and restraint
studies have found that
forgiveness and compassion
cost less than strict law
true scales of justice
ensure that your fruit is fresh
or your money back
and they take a big chance
on the customers as well
hoping they’ll return
SUPER MEGA MARKET
oceans of items
shipped in from around the world
sorted, priced, and shelved
load your shopping cart
with all kinds of this and that
then you pay and pray
billions and billions
of items are sold daily
mistakes will occur
but how could they not?
this calls for some biblical
mercy and restraint
studies have found that
forgiveness and compassion
cost less than strict law
true scales of justice
ensure that your fruit is fresh
or your money back
and they take a big chance
on the customers as well
hoping they’ll return
__________________
Many thanks to today's 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 (take your pick, do one or both):
•••Double Exposure: www.writersdigest.com/write-better-poetry/double-exposure-poetic-forms
•••Englyn Milwr: www.writersdigest.com/write-better-poetry/englyn-milwr-poetic-forms
__________________
MEDUSA’S FORM FINDER: Links to poetry forms mentioned today:
•••Bits & Pieces: seven 3-line stanzas; the first is 3 lines of 1 syllable per line, each stanza growing by 1 syllable until the last one has 7 syllables per line. (The more adventurous can add more stanzas.) The first 2 lines of each stanza rhyme, and for stanzas 1-6, at least the last word of line 3 enjambs with what follows. (Carl Schwartz)
•••Double Exposure: www.writersdigest.com/write-better-poetry/double-exposure-poetic-forms
•••Englyn Milwr: www.writersdigest.com/write-better-poetry/englyn-milwr-poetic-forms
•••Etheree: www.thepoetsgarret.com/2008Challenge/form22.html
•••Florette: www.shadowpoetry.com/resources/wip/essence.html
•••Free Verse: www.poetryfoundation.org/learn/glossary-terms/free-verse OR www.merriam-webster.com/words-at-play/thirteen-ways-of-looking-at-a-poem/free-verse
__________________
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 (take your pick, do one or both):
•••Double Exposure: www.writersdigest.com/write-better-poetry/double-exposure-poetic-forms
•••Englyn Milwr: www.writersdigest.com/write-better-poetry/englyn-milwr-poetic-forms
__________________
MEDUSA’S FORM FINDER: Links to poetry forms mentioned today:
•••Bits & Pieces: seven 3-line stanzas; the first is 3 lines of 1 syllable per line, each stanza growing by 1 syllable until the last one has 7 syllables per line. (The more adventurous can add more stanzas.) The first 2 lines of each stanza rhyme, and for stanzas 1-6, at least the last word of line 3 enjambs with what follows. (Carl Schwartz)
•••Double Exposure: www.writersdigest.com/write-better-poetry/double-exposure-poetic-forms
•••Englyn Milwr: www.writersdigest.com/write-better-poetry/englyn-milwr-poetic-forms
•••Etheree: www.thepoetsgarret.com/2008Challenge/form22.html
•••Florette: www.shadowpoetry.com/resources/wip/essence.html
•••Free Verse: www.poetryfoundation.org/learn/glossary-terms/free-verse OR www.merriam-webster.com/words-at-play/thirteen-ways-of-looking-at-a-poem/free-verse
•••Found Poem: www.writersdigest.com/personal-updates/found-poetry-converting-or-stealing-the-words-of-others OR poets.org/glossary/found-poem
•••Glosa, Glose, Gloss: poetscollective.org/poetryforms/glosa-glose-or-gloss OR www.writersdigest.com/write-better-poetry/glose-or-glosa-poetic-forms
•••Nonet: www.writersdigest.com/write-better-poetry/nonet-poems-poetic-form
•••Pantoum: www.shadowpoetry.com/resources/wip/pantoum.html
•••Senryu: www.masterclass.com/articles/how-to-write-senryu-poems#quiz-0
•••Sonnet Forms: blog.prepscholar.com/what-is-a-sonnet-poem-form
__________________
—Medusa
•••Glosa, Glose, Gloss: poetscollective.org/poetryforms/glosa-glose-or-gloss OR www.writersdigest.com/write-better-poetry/glose-or-glosa-poetic-forms
•••Nonet: www.writersdigest.com/write-better-poetry/nonet-poems-poetic-form
•••Pantoum: www.shadowpoetry.com/resources/wip/pantoum.html
•••Senryu: www.masterclass.com/articles/how-to-write-senryu-poems#quiz-0
•••Sonnet Forms: blog.prepscholar.com/what-is-a-sonnet-poem-form
__________________
—Medusa
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.
clicking on them once, then clicking on the x
in the top right corner to come back to Medusa.
