THE CROSS OF SNOW
—Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
In the long, sleepless watches of the night,
A gentle face—the face of one long dead—
Looks at me from the wall, where round its head
The night-lamp casts a halo of pale light.
Here in this room she died; and soul more white
Never through martyrdom of fire was led
To its repose; nor can in books be read
The legend of a life more benedight.
There is a mountain in the distant West
That, sun-defying, in its deep ravines
Displays a cross of snow upon its side.
Such is the cross I wear upon my breast
These eighteen years, though all the changing scenes
And seasons, changeless since the day she died.
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Longfellow would've been 199 years old today. Celebrate his birthday by going down to HQ at 25th and R Sts. in Sacramento to hear Mo Stoykoff read for the Sacramento Poetry Center, 7:30 pm. Other readings this week (that I know about—send more if ya have 'em):
•••Wednesday (3/1) Sacramento poet Kimberly White reads at The Sacred Grounds Cafe, the oldest continuously-held poetry reading in San Francisco. The Cafe is at the corner of Hayes and Cole Streets. Poetry is read every Wednesday starting at 7:30 pm. Come early for a hot meal, a glass of wine, and outstanding poetry. Info: JOELFALLON@aol.com.
•••Friday (3/3), The Other Voice in Davis presents Kathleen Lynch at 7:30 in the library of the Davis Unitarian Church at 27074 Patwin Road, Davis. This month's featured poet, Kathleen Lynch, is widely published and has won innumerable awards. Her chapbooks, How to Build an Owl and Alterations of Rising were awarded publication by Small Poetry Press as part of their Select Poet Series. Pudding House, in its invitational series, released Kathleen Lynch—Greatest Hits in 2002. Her poems have been included in many anthologies and appear in a long list of journals, among them: Poetry, Nimrod, Spoon River Poetry Review, Runes, and Northwest. Her most recent publication, The Hinge, released in February, 2006, was the winner of the 2004 Black Zinnias Prize in Poetry. Kathleen Lynch lives in Sacramento and works as a clay sculptor. She has also published B&W photographs, essays, and fiction. Friday's program opens with a presentation on Jane Kenyon by Betty Vlack.
•••Thursday, Poetry Unplugged at Luna's Cafe, 1414 16th St., Sac, presents poet/performers Ethnic Theatre Workshop from Sacramento City College, 8 pm.
•••Sunday night (3/5), attend an exhibition and readings to mark the 5th anniversary of the Poems-For-All Miniature chapbooks series! March 1-31, in cooperation with HQ partner Asylum Gallery, the Gallery will hold an exhibition of the over 500 miniature booklets published in the series in the last five years. You can view the tiny chapbooks during regular gallery hours, or while attending readings at HQ: Headquarters for the Arts, located at 1719 25th Street (25th & R Streets), Sac. This Sunday (3/5) at 8 pm at HQ, for example, attend a reading of poems by poets in the Poems-For-All Series along with a series of short films. Readers will feature Arthur Winfield Knight, Kit Knight, frank andrick, Joan Kruger, Rachel Savage and Richard Lopez. Also: Films from Levyfest: A Celebration of d.a. levy. Additional details: www.poems-for-all.com.
•••Also Sunday: before the Poems-For-All celebration, go hear Jeanine Stevens, whose rattlechap, The Keeping Room, was recently issued by Rattlesnake Press, at PoemSpirits in Room 11 at the Unitarian Universalist Society of Sacramento, 2425 Sierra Blvd. (1 block north of Fair Oaks Blvd, between Howe and Fulton Avenues), 6 pm. A native of Indiana, currently living in Northern California, Jeanine earned graduate degrees in Anthropology and Education, but her poetry is inspired by woodlands, valleys, the Sierra, folk music and adagio dancers. Her poems have been in Poesy, Tule Review, Tiger's Eye, Bardsong, and the Sierra Nevada College Review. The Indian Heritage Council released her earlier chapbook, Boundary Waters. In addition on Sunday night, co-host JoAnn Anglin will present a brief overview of the work of Lucia Perillo, McArthur Award-winning poet who writes on nature and illness. There is no charge to attend this monthly series. Snacks available. As always, bring a favorite poem or two, your own or by another, to read. Info: JoAnn, 916-451-1372, or Tom Goff or Nora Staklis, 916-481-3312.
Coming next week: Save Wednesday, March 8 for the release of Frank Taber's new rattlechap, Northwind on I-5, at The Book Collector, 1008 24th St., Sac, 7:30 pm. Also that night, pick up copies of littlesnake broadsides from frank andrick (Aurelia Occultica Lamantia—AOL) and Judy Halebsky (Almost Turning Over), as well as brand new issues of Snakelets and Rattlesnake Review. (Wow—I better get busy!). Then on Thursday (3/9), go down to Luna's (1414 16th St., Sac, 8 pm) for Poetry Unplugged and hear frank andrick read at 8 pm. That's gonna be quite a week for Snake people, starting with Jeanine's reading on Sunday (see above).
Also a week from Thursday (March 9): Cowboy Poet, radio personality and Raconteur Baxter Black will be in Sac, presented by the California Lectures Series at the Crest Theater on K Street. Info: 800-225-2277 or californialectures.org. I personally have a bit of a jones for cowboy poetry, and he has been quite a Force in the genre.
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THE SOUND OF THE SEA
—Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
The sea awoke at midnight from its sleep,
And round the pebbly beaches far and wide
I heard the first wave of the rising tide
Rush onward with uninterrupted sweep;
A voice out of the silence of the deep
A sound mysteriously multiplied
As of a cataract from the mountain's side,
Or roar of winds upon a wooded steep.
So comes to us at times, from the unknown
And inaccessible solitudes of being,
The rushing of the sea-tides of the soul;
And inspirations, that we deem our own,
Are some divine foreshadowing and foreseeing
Of things beyond our reason or control.
_______________________
—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.)