PROSPECTING
—A.R. Ammons
Coming to cottonwoods, an
orange rockshelf,
and in the gully
an edging of stream willows,
I made camp
and turned my mule loose
to graze in the dark
evening of the mountain.
Drowsed over the coals
and my loneliness
like an inner image went
out and shook
hands with the willows,
and running up the black scarp
tugged the heavy moon
up and over into light,
and on a hill-thorn of sage
called with the coyotes
and told ghost stories to
a night circle of lizards.
Tipping on its handle
the Dipper unobtrusively
poured out the night.
At dawn returning, wet
to the hips with meetings,
my loneliness woke me up
and we merged refreshed into
the breaking of camp and day.
_____________________________
Lots to do out of town this weekend—a beautiful one for traveling! Head over to Modesto this afternoon, where the Central California Art Association & Mistlin Art Gallery will sponsor a poetry reading/booksigning and reception at 4 pm (1015 J St., downtown Modesto). Gillian Wegner will be reading from her book, Lifting One Foot, Lifting the Other (In the Grove Press), and arriving from the Bay Area to join her are poets Helen Wickes (Lives of Clouds) and Murray Silverstein (Any Old Wolf) (both books forthcoming from Sixteen Rivers Press). All three poets were recently anthologized in Cloud View Poets (Arctos Press), which will be available for purchase and signing.
Then Sunday, ride over to Napa to hear Patricia Wellingham-Jones and Joel Fallon [see Monday's Kitchen] at Copperfields, 3900 Bel Air Plaza (Hwy 49 & Trancus St.), 3-5 pm.
And Monday the Sacramento Poetry Center presents John Amen at HQ (25th & R Sts., Sac.), 7:30 pm. John is the author of two books of poetry, and is founder and current editor of The Pedestal Magazine (www.thepedestalmagazine.com or www.johnamen.com). See the current Poetry Now for two of his poems.
Myself, I’m headed over to Oakland today for the 86th Annual Ina Coolbrith Circle National Poetry Day Banquet. As you probably know, Ina Coolbrith was the first Poet Laureate of California, and the Circle continues to meet and to sponsor poetry contests in her honor.
REFLECTIVE
—A.R. Ammons
I found a
weed
that had a
mirror in it
and that
mirror
looked in at
a mirror
in
me that
had a
weed in it
_____________________
WINTER SCENE
—A.R. Ammons
There is now not a single
leaf on the cherry tree:
except when the jay
plummets in, lights, and,
in pure clarity, squalls:
then every branch
quivers and
breaks out in blue leaves.
_____________________
MOUNTAIN TALK
—A.R. Ammons
I was going along a dusty highroad
when the mountain
across the way
turned me to its silence:
oh I said how come
I don’t know your
massive symmetry and rest:
nevertheless, said the mountain,
would you want
to be
lodged here with
a changeless prospect, risen
to an unalterable view:
so I went on
counting my numberless fingers.
______________________
—Medusa
Medusa encourages poets of all ilk and ages to send their poetry and announcements of Northern California poetry events to kathykieth@hotmail.com for posting on this daily Snake blog. Rights remain with the poets.