HARRIETT
—Robert Lowell
A repeating fly, blueblack, thumbthick—so gross,
it seems apocalyptic in our house—
whams back and forth across the nursery bed
manned by a madhouse of stuffed animals,
not one a fighter. It is like a plane
dusting apple orchards or Arabs on the screen—
one of the mighty...one of the helpless. It
bumbles and bumps its brow on this and that,
making a short, unhealthy life the shorter.
I kill it, and another instant's added
to the horrifying mortmain of
ephemera: keys, drift, sea-urchin shells,
you packrat off with joy...a dead fly swept
under the carpet, wrinkling to fulfillment.
___________________
I won't give you the gory details of why we have a steady progression of flies in our house, but they're very much on my mind these days. Maybe because of that, I'm finding more and more poems about The Fly, so brace yourselves.
Escape tonight to The Show (hosted by Terry Moore @ Wose’ Community Center, 2863 35th Street, Sac.), featuring The Straight Out Scribes along with Jammin' Jay Lamont (BET Comedian), and Chamber 7 from Monterey. Donation is $5. Info (and to get on the email list): T.Mo at 916-455-POET or fromtheheart1@hotmail.com
Today is also the last day to register for the 5th Annual Pleasanton Poetry, Prose & Arts Festival which will be held on Saturday, April 1 at the CarrAmerica Conference Center, 4400 Rosewood Drive, Pleasanton. It's a full-day poetry event for writers of all ages, sponsored by the Pleasanton Cultural Arts Council (PCAC) and the City of Pleasanton. If you need to stay overnight, discounted hotel reservations are available. Festival brochure and registration form is on-line, available at: www.PleasantonArts.org.
Speaking of flies, tomorrow night (3/26) at 7 pm, Kabinet and frank andrick present an Alejandro Jodorowsky double-feature at HQ (25th & R Sts., Sac.): Fando and Lis, plus The Holy Mountain. frank says: If you attended our presentation last year of Kenneth Anger's "Lantern Cycle" then you know this won't be your usual run-of-the-mill screening—even by Kabinet's odd standards. Not only do you get two cinematic freak-out experiences. Oh no, there's more...
Between films, we will have Tarot Card readers on hand to offer readings to any and all in attendance. And while you're waiting to hear what the future has in store for you, we'll be offering you a choice selection of images and sounds from EL TOPO, Jodorowsky's amazing re-imagining of the Western.
But be warned: these aren't films for the faint of heart. Violence, nudity, and various bodily functions are the rule, rather than the exception. So no hard feelings if you feel these films might not be your cup of tea. But Jodorowsky's intention is less to shock than to SHAKE: to use the power of cinema to rouse people from their slumber and get them thinking about where we're at, how we got here, and where we're headed next. If anything, his films feel even more relevant today than they did when they were made some 30 or 40 years ago. He's a true cinematic savant, and this is sure to be a night to remember...
* PLEASE NOTE THE EARLY START TIME FOR THIS DOUBLE-FEATURE!!!
And as an added incentive to join us this Sunday, we'll have Kabinet calendars available, featuring not only the above screenings, but the schedule for the entire month of April as well.
____________________
Thanks, Francois! Back to my preoccupation with flies....
SHE ALWAYS PREFERRED FLIES
—Kathy Kieth, Fair Oaks
The chip-on-the-wing
'tudinous-ness of them—
go anywhere/land-on-
anything/suck-it-in-ness
stirring up the bad girl
in her: curiosity about
dead things: smelly
things: blood/guts/fecal
debris. The buzz they
carried from pile to
pile: colorful company
and dirty politics: blue-
bottled honesty, like
that metallic cobalt of
a sports car: grizzled:
hairy: guy she dated in
'62: a little greasy: a little
flip: a little wry. . .
______________________
PROGRESS AND RETROGRESSION
—Julio Cortazar
They invented a kind of glass which let flies through. The fly would come, push a little with his head and pop, he was on the other side. Enormous happiness on the part of the fly.
All this was ruined by a Hungarian scientist when he discovered that the fly could enter but not get out, or vice versa, because he didn't know what gimmick was involved in the glass or the flexibility of its fibers, for it was very fibrous. They immediately invented a fly trap with a sugar cube inside, and many flies perished miserably. So ended any possible brotherhood with these animals, who are deserving of better luck.
_______________________
—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.)