—Poetry and Photos by Taylor Graham,
Placerville, CA
—And then scroll down for
Form Fiddlers’ Friday!!
OUR WILD ROAD
Anything but prepossessing, our little
country road. GPS gives the wrong directions
for finding us. Not so the storm.
Overnight a gray lake covered what used to be
road, driveway, field, fences. A slovenly
mess. Our ranch gate tipped slapdash blocking
the drive. Where to start?
No living soul in sight, only the spirit of water.
My token attempts at clearing mud/dead
leaves/branches.
A voice. A neighbor
and then another, another… what word
to describe the spirit of neighbors?
Anything but prepossessing, our little
country road. GPS gives the wrong directions
for finding us. Not so the storm.
Overnight a gray lake covered what used to be
road, driveway, field, fences. A slovenly
mess. Our ranch gate tipped slapdash blocking
the drive. Where to start?
No living soul in sight, only the spirit of water.
My token attempts at clearing mud/dead
leaves/branches.
A voice. A neighbor
and then another, another… what word
to describe the spirit of neighbors?
ONE WAY OF LOOKING AT IT
What’s a flood?
Walk out the door, feel your thoughts
dissolve in element
of which you’re composed.
Just keep moving
with the flow.
WATER SCRIPT
Even now, in flood, we’re slaves
to our connection to an outside world.
How will we get to town? With a shovel
I’d use for scooping ashes, I fill sandbags.
Thirteen to line our eroding driveway,
the remainder waiting while I scan
the creek. A tall tree uprooted, carried
downstream entangled with some neighbor’s
extension ladder. Zigzag wire from some-
one’s field-fence. Shiny metal on a water-
logged scrap of lumber—a brass plate?
There must be a story here, our histories
written in the water’s flow.
Even now, in flood, we’re slaves
to our connection to an outside world.
How will we get to town? With a shovel
I’d use for scooping ashes, I fill sandbags.
Thirteen to line our eroding driveway,
the remainder waiting while I scan
the creek. A tall tree uprooted, carried
downstream entangled with some neighbor’s
extension ladder. Zigzag wire from some-
one’s field-fence. Shiny metal on a water-
logged scrap of lumber—a brass plate?
There must be a story here, our histories
written in the water’s flow.
KERFUFFLE OF THE COMING YEAR
That was the poem prompt, I hear.
It’s too late, I fear.
My sandbags swept
down, leapt
into
the flood. It’s true,
the rain stopped for awhile.
Let’s try to kerfuffle a smile.
UNSETTLED LAND
You found the land of your dreams
between sunrise and sunset,
ridge
encompassed by nature. Not
a house in sight. You built your
dreamland.
What did the living land think
of that? You drove to town and—
mystery!—
back home you found nothing but
ashes and an iron pot.
Comprehensive
paid, you rebuilt. Again a trip
to town dissolved your home
overflowingly.
THIS SPECIES OF DAY
We woke to just a bluster—windy drizzle
hinting at more rain to come. Anxiety of
will-the-drive-crumble-into-creek
that’s now a torrent? Let the dog out and back
in. After she’s shaken her Shepherd coat
all over the house, consider this day. Sunday
means dog training. She’s sniffing my shirt
to make sure: Yes! It must still bear the scent
of past adventures. Her joy offsets my
second thoughts. We brave the drive, arrive
on-scene. The trail is laid, my dog’s in harness,
off we go. She makes her find. And so do I—
our quarry waits by a patch of fungus
newly erupted out of leaf-fall rot and lavish
weather. Species I never heard of: Winter
Russula, Golden Milkcap, Bleachy Entoloma,
Deceiver! Overhead, Red-shouldered Hawk
screams invisible to me in gray sky.
And just now, the overcast lets loose
its blessed—as we used to call it—rain.
Today’s LittleNip:
I WANT THIS T-SHIRT
—Taylor Graham
In rain-washed shades of liquid gray
and tatterdemalion letters:
our
RAIN DANCE
was
A BLAST!
____________________
Taylor Graham brings tales of flooding and more rain, and thanks for that!Forms TG has used include three Word-Can Poems (“Our Wild Road”; “Water Script”; “This Species of Day”); a Seox (“One Way of Looking at It”); a Pendulum (“Kerfuffle of the Coming Year”); and a Pobot (“Unsettled Land”). The last three are all Triple-F Challenges from last week.
TG and Katy Brown will be facilitating a workshop at Wakamatsu Farm in Placerville this Sunday; click UPCOMING NORCAL EVENTS at the top of this column for details about this and other future poetry events in the NorCal area—and keep an eye on this link and on the Kitchen for happenings that might pop up during the week. While you’re there, check out the call for submissions for the 2023 Voices anthology.
For info about El Dorado County poetry events, go to Western Slope El Dorado poetry on Facebook: www.facebook.com/ElDoradoCountyPoetry or see El Dorado County Poet Laureate Lara Gularte’s Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/groups/382234029968077/. Poetry is Gold in El Dorado County!
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, there will be poems posted here from our readers using forms—either ones which were sent to 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 challenges— Whaddaya got to lose… ? If you send ‘em, I’ll post ‘em! (See Medusa’s Form Finder at the end of this post for resources and for links to poetry terms used in today’s post.)There’s also a newly dusted-off page at the top of Medusa’s Kitchen called, “FORMS! OMG!!!” which expresses some of my (take ‘em or leave 'em) opinions about the use of forms in poetry writing, as well as listing some more resources to help you navigate through Form Quicksand. Got any more resources to add to our list? Send them to kathykieth@hotmail.com for the benefit of all man/woman/poetkind!
Last Week’s Ekphrastic Challenge
That fluffy white cat
should know better
than to sit in the snow
with that kid
whose glasses are in
spin cycle in the
washing machine.
That cat will be
a snowman’s head.
—Nolcha Fox, Buffalo, WY
* * *
FAMILIAR
—Stephen Kingsnorth, Coedpoeth, Wrexham, Wales
With furry fawns and woollen frills,
in powdered snow, no cat flap thrills,
for simple joys, in shaker chills—
it should be Appalachian hills.
But can we cope, land waiting spring,
please, Davy Crockett, no one sing—
for feline careless, not her thing—
thick pile wound round, skin leggings cling.
The scarf reflects bright red lipped smile
if not in shade, curvature style,
though suspect purr, as lad no guile,
but come hex, moonshine, yet awhile?
These tales bring shivers down the spine,
familiar scene, witch dark design,
Ariel view above the pine,
babe in the woods, a pantomime.
May, yet this kid scapegoat the old,
as queen tops pole, the winter sold,
a pattern type that breaks the mould,
custom corrupting, new unfold?
His wrap may sound some rhythm beat—
though headdress not a raccoon treat—
but if our artistry is meet
and fit—kid, coat, cat pic needs heat.
* * *
Here is a Pendulum from Carl Schwartz (Caschwa):
AWKWARD, THAT
—Caschwa, Sacramento, CA
there are popular TV shows
where it’s anything goes
ready or not
we’re caught
facing
and embracing
the tears of a mother’s
death at the hands of another
* * *
And a Seox chain:
—Caschwa, Sacramento, CA
there are popular TV shows
where it’s anything goes
ready or not
we’re caught
facing
and embracing
the tears of a mother’s
death at the hands of another
* * *
And a Seox chain:
DRAWING STRAWS
—Caschwa
Ann Brynes Smith
had nothing better to do
so her first choice was to
choose by drawing straws
that didn’t work
out too well
***
—Caschwa
Ann Brynes Smith
had nothing better to do
so her first choice was to
choose by drawing straws
that didn’t work
out too well
***
very short
just straight, no flexible bend
unsatisfactory
too much air in there
each sip denied
try again
* * *
An Ars Poetica from Stephen Kingsnorth:
just straight, no flexible bend
unsatisfactory
too much air in there
each sip denied
try again
* * *
An Ars Poetica from Stephen Kingsnorth:
MARK EROTEME
—Stephen KingsnorthToo tightly write, my guilt I’m told—
though formal style scribes fault am told—
bewilderment, compression caused,
with strict economy of words,
and rhythm clipping excess terms,
impressionism as required,
fresh minted coins in my realm,
new sterling currency proposed.
Doggerel rhymes I keep at bay,
as limericks, despite the laughs;
density not to cause offence,
despite response, you’ll think me thick;
like parable, told not to see—
a retrospect on harvest, weak,
this story form to puzzle ears,
invites revisit, questioning.
My task, not passing wisdom’s gems,
some bauble hanging neck with string,
but search the facets under glass,
learn how stone cut, the carat strength
and move beyond the glitter stage.
I hope to leave print eroteme—
that I progress if look it up,
a worthwhile way, life’s teaching root.
* * *
Claire Baker brings us some sad news; she writes, “Richard Angilly passed on Dec. 17, 2022. He was the president of The Coolbrith Circle for over 30 years. Natica Angilly is showing amazing courage in attempting to continue on with her life and creative projects. You may know that she is a dancer and a choreographer, and has her own dance company and has been my friend for 30 years.” Richard and Natica founded Artists Embassy International, which sponsors the annual Dancing Poetry Contest that many of our NorCal poets enter (and win prizes in!) each year. Here is Claire’s Stepping Stones Elegy:
SHE ORDERS RICHARD’S
DEATH CERTIFICATE
in condolence Natica Angilly
Now
tears are
gathering.
She lets them slide
salted down both cheeks,
a fifty-year marriage.
—Claire J. Baker, Pinole, CA
___________________
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!
___________________
TRIPLE-F CHALLENGES!
•••Scallop: www.poetrymagnumopus.com/topic/1882-syllabic-forms-found-in-pathways-for-the-poet/#veltanelle
AND/OR a Septanelle:
•••Septanelle: www.poetrymagnumopus.com/topic/1882-syllabic-forms-found-in-pathways-for-the-poet/#veltanelle
•••See also the bottom of this post for another challenge, this one an Ekphrastic photo.
•••And don’t forget each Tuesday’s Seed of the Week! This week it’s “Stranded”.
____________________
MEDUSA’S FORM FINDER: Links to poetry terms mentioned today:
•••Ars Poetica: www.poetryfoundation.org/learn/glossary-terms/ars-poetica
•••Ekphrastic Poem: notesofoak.com/discover-literature/ekphrastic-poetry
•••Elegy: https://poets.org/glossary/elegy
•••Pendulum: www.poetrymagnumopus.com/topic/1882-syllabic-forms-found-in-pathways-for-the-poet/#veltanelle
•••Pobot (Carl Schwartz): Tercets, each with the last line being one word comprised of 1, 2, 3, 4, and then 5 syllables.
•••Scallop: www.poetrymagnumopus.com/topic/1882-syllabic-forms-found-in-pathways-for-the-poet/#veltanell
•••Seox: www.poetrymagnumopus.com/topic/1882-syllabic-forms-found-in-pathways-for-the-poet/#veltanelle
•••Septanelle: www.poetrymagnumopus.com/topic/1882-syllabic-forms-found-in-pathways-for-the-poet/#veltanelle
•••Stepping Stones (Claire J. Baker): Syllables 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6
•••Word-Can Poem: putting random words on slips of paper into a can, then drawing out a few and making a poem out of them.
For more about meter, see:
•••www.studiobinder.com/blog/what-is-iambic-pentameter-definition-literature
•••www.pandorapost.com/2021/05/examples-of-iambic-pentameter-tetrameter-and-trimeter-in-poetry.html
•••nosweatshakespeare.com/sonnets/iambic-pentameter
•••www.thoughtco.com/introducing-iambic-pentameter-2985082
•••www.nfi.edu/iambic-pentameter
____________________
—Medusa
See what you can make of the above
photo, and send your poetic results to
kathykieth@hotmail.com/. (No deadline.)
***
—Photo Courtesy of Public Domain
For upcoming poetry happenings in
Northern California and otherwheres,
click on
UPCOMING NORCAL EVENTS
in the links at the top of this page.
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.
