his hand and pen
he will be good but
God knows when
—Abraham Lincoln
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Presidents' Day (and Black History Month): A time to celebrate Lincoln's poetry. Well, okay, he was known for other things as well, but the man apparently did put pen to paper now and then for the occasional spot of verse:
To Linnie—
A sweet plaintive song did I hear,
And I fancied that she was the singer—
May emotions as pure, as that song set a-stir
Be the worst that the future shall bring her.
And I fancied that she was the singer—
May emotions as pure, as that song set a-stir
Be the worst that the future shall bring her.
—Abraham Lincoln
____________________
To Rosa—
You are young, and I am older;
You are hopeful, I am not—
Enjoy life, ere it grow colder—
Pluck the roses ere they rot.
Teach your beau to heed the lay—
That sunshine soon is lost in shade—
That now's as good as any day—
To take thee, Rose, ere she fade.
—Abraham Lincoln
______________________
There are lots of web sites with his poetry on them; the one I'm quoting here today is http://www.loc.gov/rr/program/bib/prespoetry/al.html. According to them, There has been recent news that a poem entitled "The Suicide's Soliloquy," published in the August 25, 1838 issue of the Sangamo Journal, may have been written by Lincoln. While many scholars believe Lincoln is indeed the author of the poem, consensus has not yet been reached. The announcement of the poem's possible author first appeared in the 2004 Spring newsletter of the Abraham Lincoln Association. The text of the poem, along with the introduction that precedes it in the Sangamo Journal, follows below.
THE SUICIDE'S SOLILOQUY.
The following lines were said to have been found
near the bones of a man supposed to have committed
suicide, in a deep forest, on the Flat Branch of the
Sangamon, some time ago.
Here, where the lonely hooting owl
Sends forth his midnight moans,
Fierce wolves shall o'er my carcase growl,
Or buzzards pick my bones.
No fellow-man shall learn my fate,
Or where my ashes lie;
Unless by beasts drawn round their bait,
Or by the ravens' cry.
Yes! I've resolved the deed to do,
And this the place to do it:
This heart I'll rush a dagger through,
Though I in hell should rue it!
Hell! What is hell to one like me
Who pleasures never know;
By friends consigned to misery,
By hope deserted too?
To ease me of this power to think,
That through my bosom raves,
I'll headlong leap from hell's high brink,
And wallow in its waves.
Though devils yell, and burning chains
May waken long regret;
Their frightful screams, and piercing pains,
Will help me to forget.
Yes! I'm prepared, through endless night,
To take that fiery berth!
Think not with tales of hell to fright
Me, who am damn'd on earth!
Sweet steel! come forth from our your sheath,
And glist'ning, speak your powers;
Rip up the organs of my breath,
And draw my blood in showers!
I strike! It quivers in that heart
Which drives me to this end;
I draw and kiss the bloody dart
My last—my only friend!
________________________
•••Tonight, hear the Straight Out Scribes read at the Sacramento Poetry Center, HQ, 25th & R Sts., Sac., 7:30 p.m. The Scribes need no introduction; this mother-daughter duo packs a powerful punch of the spoken word variety, and will be appearing several places in town during the next few months—including at Rattlesnake Press’s Second Birthday Party on April 12 at The Book Collector, 1008 24th St., Sac!—at which time The Snake will be releasing broadsides for both of these dynamic lady-poets.
•••Weds. (2/22), celebrate Washington’s birthday with a trip up to Placerville for the Hidden Passage Poetry read-around from 6 to 7 p.m. at Hidden Passage Books, 352 Main St. in Placerville. It's an open-mic read-around, so bring your own poems or those of a favorite poet to share, or just come to listen.
•••Or stay in town Weds. for the Mahogany Urban Poetry Series, 9 pm. Sweet Jamaican Restaurant, 1704 Broadway, Sac. Info: 916-492-9336. Cover, $5.
•••Thursday (2/23): Poetry Unplugged, 8 pm at Luna’s Café, 1414 16th St., Sac. Judy Halebsky will be reading, among others. Judy will have copies of her new littlesnake broadside, Almost Turning Over, to pass out—more about that later! Info: 916-441-3931. You can also catch Judy reading at a music and art event in Davis on Friday the 24th. It starts at 4pm and is at Cafe Roma, 233 3rd Street in Davis.
•••Speaking of Luna’s, it’s not too late to catch the Art Luna and Ann Tracy display of photography and digital mixed media at Asylum Gallery in HQ, 25th & R Sts., Sac. The show continues on Saturdays and Sundays until February 26. Info: asylumgalleryathq@yahoo.com. The gallery, by the way, is looking for new artist members. Basic requirements are that artists pay monthly dues and agree to gallery-sit. Info: 530-295-1067.
•••Friday (2/24), Former Sacramento Poet Laureate Dennis Schmitz reads at the Art Foundry Gallery, 1021 R St., Sac., 8 pm. Partially funded by Poets & Writers; $5 contrib. requested.
•••Saturday (2/25), “The Show” presents One Tough Poet, Tshaka Muhammad, Pastor Alonzo Morris and open mic, 7-9 pm, Wo’se Community Center, 2863 35th St., Sac. (off 35th & Broadway), $5.
•••Also Saturday, the Central Valley Haiku Club will meet from 2-3 pm. at the Citrus Heights Barnes & Noble, 6111 Sunrise Blvd. Citrus Heights. Info: 916-853-1511.
•••Sunday (2/26), Straight Out Scribes will perform poetry and stories for children ages 4-10 as a part of the Int’l House Storytelling Program, 2-3 pm in the Int’l House Community Room, 10 College Park, Davis. Info: 530-758-4196. Int’l House is an independent, nonprofit community organization; its purpose is to promote respect and appreciation for all peoples and cultures.
Anything else this week? Lemme know…
_________________________
Abraham Lincoln is my nam[e]
And with my pen I wrote the same
I wrote in both haste and speed
and left it here for fools to read
—Abraham Lincoln
Lincoln's last documented verse was written July 19, 1863, in response to the North's victory in the Battle of Gettysburg:
Verse on Lee's Invasion of the North
Gen. Lee's invasion of the North written by himself—
In eighteen sixty three, with pomp,
and mighty swell,
Me and Jeff's Confederacy, went
forth to sack Phil-del,
The Yankees the got arter us, and
giv us particular hell,
And we skedaddled back again,
And didn't sack Phil-del.
___________________
—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.)