—Poetry and Visuals by Smith, Cleveland, OH
Sky fallen white
on cold ground
brand new coloring book
Moon round earth
earth round sun
sun through galaxy
galaxy galloping away
cosmos collapsing
Seek pre-dawn deer
fox, coyote
find frozen tracks
on cold ground
brand new coloring book
Moon round earth
earth round sun
sun through galaxy
galaxy galloping away
cosmos collapsing
Seek pre-dawn deer
fox, coyote
find frozen tracks
In the Soup
Rain drives earthworms
onto asphalt
the birds feast
Faint halfmoon in sky
looks like CGI
Spring Cleaning
Some eat
others get eaten
and round go round we go
The rich feast
while poor fade
to fighting weight
Yet right now
this very moment
it's a 3-deer day with 5 geese honking
Devil or Angel
Guru Gurdjieff
caught brown birds
and painted them yellow
to sell as canaries
to finance his expedition
to buy a book on spiritual truth
True or not
it's true
Who Indeed
SISYPHUS SERVED
Suns set. Love hunts. Finds form.
Feels fail. Suns rise. Love hurts.
Fails form. Fuels frail. Repeat.
This is the adventure,
the seeking,
the fear of finding finish.
Final find found me,
fine adventure continues
in loon moon liquid.
Human Menace
IN LINE OF LOGIC
Stopped sipping at the green of grass
as summer slipped to fall
and fell to winter.
The burdened light is heavy with intent,
its walking way a looking
over shoulder.
The past has neither hand nor hasp
yet grasps in mired path,
says "Told you".
Liftoff
THC content
is like IQ
sometimes less is more
Would I still be smoking dope
if I hadn't gone to HIGH school?
I'm a once-Christian
sloppy ex-Buddhist
One thing Pappy taught me
never piss off the wind
Don't complain about aging
you either wrinkle, or you rot
Hard to see the magic
when ugly crud accrues
This o so slow slide of dread
into contentment
If a tree falls across a forest
does sap ensue?
My ass knows the answer
but breath asks anyway
We keep darkness away
by creating, cheating
lying
One-Way
Burning dragon's blood to sweeten air
smoking sage to quiet mind
drinking chamomile to soothe soul
searching inner dark for plot's arc
looking for script
cameraman
director
suspecting none
yet one happy stumblebum
blessed with 3 unearned sweeties
cat, dog, wife
in luck-filled adventure-fueled
rainbow life of spice
nice
Candy Apple Now
Today’s LittleNip:
I'm a lousy lover
but give good woo
great out of the gate
after I catch em
I don't know what to do
—Smith
____________________
The Smith (Steven B. Smith) has landed today in the Kitchen and has fried up a tasty breakfast for us, and many thanks to him for that! He’s just the cook with the tools to do it, and we’re always grateful for his visits.
•••Today (Thurs., 4/21), 6:30pm, CSUS Festival of the Arts presents Gillian Conoley via Zoom: csus.zoom.us/j/83236444189/. Info: www.facebook.com/events/3196334120692625 AND/OR www.gillianconoley.com/.
•••Also today (Thurs. 4/21), 6-8pm: Sac. Poetry Center presents a special art opening and reception for National Poetry Month, featuring Closer, a group exhibit of “small art” by Sacramento-based artists who use small, often overlooked materials in their work. Each artist’s display includes a blank notebook for visitors to write small poems or other pieces of writing inspired by the art on view. SPC Gallery, 1719 25th St., Sacramento, CA.
•••Also today (Thurs., 4/21), 7-9pm: Poetry Night Reading Series in Davis presents Tess Taylor and Noah Warren at John Natsoulas Gallery, 521 1st St., Davis, CA. Open mic after the readers (one chosen text or three minutes). Host: Dr. Andy Jones. Please mask your vaccinated selves before entering the Gallery. Info: www.facebook.com/events/1763554323979418/?acontext={"event_action_history"%3A[{"mechanism"%3A"group_featured_unit"%2C"surface"%3A"g/.
____________________
—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.
Would you like to be a SnakePal?
All you have to do is send poetry and/or
photos and artwork to
kathykieth@hotmail.com. We post
work from all over the world—including
that which was previously published—
and collaborations are welcome.
Just remember:
the snakes of Medusa are always hungry—
for poetry, of course!