(for sea-sick Freddy,
on his way home)
—Ruth Harrison, Waldport, OR
I stood my watch, I was sposed to get relieved
Oh, I stood my watch, I was sposed to get relieved
But the Colonel didn’t like me, he seemed cold and peeved.
He sent me to the galley, but the galley was closed;
I went back to him, slightly tippy-toesed.
He sent me away, I passed out on the hatch;
Hypoglycemia’s got me, a real bad batch. ...
Forty-five minutes and the crewman came by—
He said are you all right, I said where am I.
Vomit two hours, felt dry and bare,
Got down to my berth among strangers there,
Had the dry heaves for—seemed like weeks
Bunk mate brought hot broth—no one else speaks.
Slept two days, only opened my eyes
When a buddy called with a voice of surprise
Harrison, come up—come and see—
Statue of Liberty wasn’t looking at me.
I saw her backside, a curving line—
That old Bartholdi, he shaped her just fine;
I was glad to see her, however she stood
Old stone lady really looked good.
______________________
Thanks, Ruth!
Hardpan: A Journal of Poetry is a new biannual journal coming from Modesto poets debee loyd, Karen Baker, and Gordon Preston. Deadline for its first issue is Jan. 6, 2006, to premiere in March, 2006. Send poems to PO Box 1065, Modesto, CA 95353 (hardpanpoetry@sbcglobal.net). Include name, address, e-mail, phone, and SASE. The editors promise to respond within 42 days! Send $15 for one year’s subscription. No previously-published work, please.
Tiger’s Eye: A Journal of Poetry has a contest deadline of February 28. Guidelines: tigerseyejournal.com, or click on the link to the right of this post. Mail entries (3 poems, $10, SASE) to Tiger’s Eye, PO Box 2935, Eugene, OR 97402. ALSO: The Tiger’s Eye gals would like to see your work space! Send b&w photos (preferably, though color will be accepted), and Colette and JoAn will choose one photo for a future cover of the journal. They say, “Don’t clean up the mess; just show it like it is.”
Tomorrow (Friday 12/9), The Other Voice meets at 7:30 pm in the library of the Davis Unitarian Church (27074 Patwin Road, Davis). The featured poets are JoAnn Anglin, Nora Staklis, and Tom Goff, who together lead the monthly PoemSpirits readings at the Unitarian Universalist Society of Sacramento. Open Mic follows, so bring along a poem to share... perhaps a favorite poem of light. (Info: Allegra 530-753-2634 or Betty 530-753-1432.)
No Second Saturday reading at The Book Collector this month.
(found poem, Janine M. Benyus, The Field Guide to Wildlife Habitats, p. 175)
—Ruth Harrison
Look for Great Basin Spadefoots
hunting for insects at night
or heading for breeding pools after a rain.
Dry periods or winters are spent
in underground burrows,
enveloped in a cocoonlike layer
of dead skin. ... Some observers claim
you can get a spadefoot to surface
by stomping on the ground
above its burrow. The skin ... is
relatively smooth and covered
with glands that excrete
a peppery-tasting, musty-smelling substance.
Look for eggs attached to stalks of vegetation
in the quiet waters of temporary pools
or in slow streams. The top of the mass
is dark olive, the bottom silvery-white.
Two jelly envelopes protect each egg.
The countdown starts
at the moment of fertilization.
Listen for a series of low-pitched,
throaty, rapid wa-wa-was.
________________________
—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. Previously-published poems are okay for Medusa’s Kitchen, as long as you own the rights. (Please cite publication.)