Deep Furrows

THE GARDENER'S LONG RED FINGERNAILS
—nila northSun

i didn't have them yesterday

but a special occasion suggested i

consider their importance for

the end of my fingers

as an effective means of gesturing

& looking genteel



my husband forked ovder the credit card

after i said

they'd be great for stroking his balls

but it also means

i can't "work" in the garden

or in the house

i can barely even type this



& even when the asian girl worked feverishly

under hot lights to file, sand, polish & shape

i told her i couldn't wait to get them off,

already like lead weights on my fingers,

that as soon as the event was over

i would take great delight in snapping

the hardened turtle shells with my teeth



she said, "ohhhhhh,

i'm working this hard so you can break them

in 4 days?

they will last at least 2 weeks"

i felt bad

okay, okay

i will try to be a lady of leisure for 2 weeks



my man should have deep furrows

in his back by then.

_______________________

nila northSun, of Shoshone-Chippewas descent, is the daughter of renowned Native American activist Adam Fortunate Eagle—one of the more prominent figures in the 1969-1971 Indian takeover of Alcatraz. She is identified with the Native American Renaissance of the 1970s and 1980s; her poem, "moving camp too far" remains a sentinel work of the period. northSun has published three volumes of poetry: a snake in her mouth; Small Bones, Little Eyes; and Diet Pepsi and Nacho Cheese; and authored After the Drying Up Of the Water: A Tribal History, a history of the Paiute-Shoshone tribe. She lives on the Stillwater Indian Reservation in Fallon, Nevada, where she works as a grant writer. Her poems bridge family history and traditional tribal identity with the challenges of being a contemporary American woman. nila's latest book, Love at gunpoint, will be released by R.L. Crow Publications this Fall. Here is another of her poems; watch for more in Snake 11.

_______________________

CUSTOMER SERVICE
—nila northSun

there's a slip of paper here
that says 'customer service'
but it's not an 800 number
& i think what the hell
PAY for the privilege to complain?
hell no
but i look at the phone
& think

my time
is better put to use
by dialing up god
i mean GOD itself
& sure i could tell it
i'm thankful for my blessings
but i'm kinda goddamn mad
about a lot of things
& i have just a mind
to read it the riot act
when
the phone magically rings
& i think "whoops"
then "good" it should be
using its own dime to call me
but
it's my husband
saying he locked himself out of his truck
& would i come down and bring a spare set
see God
see how it is?
i guess we don't always need you.

_______________________

EKPHRASIS: Poets Responding To Art: An Invitational Exhibition

By invitation, several visual artists will hang their works on September 2, and hand-selected poets will spend the next month writing poetic responses to the art. The poetry that results will hang alongside the art from October 6-29; the exhibition will be open weekends at Big White House Winery & el Sol Winery, 6800 Greenville Rd., Livermore Tasting Room, 12-4:30 PM (weekends). This event is being produced by Connie Post, City of Livermore Poet Laureate, and Linda Ryan, with thanks to the City of Livermore, Big White House Winery, el Sol Winery, and Way Up Art & Frame.

Special Events: September 9, 1-4:30 PM (Visual Art Reception); October 6, 5-7 PM (Ekphrasis Sneak Preview); October 7, 1-4:30 PM (Ekphrasis Reception).

Visual Artists will include John Beahm, Katie Caulk, Elaine Drew, Trish Fenton, Bettie Goosman, Angela Johal, Diana Marion, Carolyn Ramsey, Erika Richert, Lisa Rigge, Ron Rigge, Nancy Saltsman, Lynne Shephard, Barbara Stanton, Nova Starling, Norma Webb, and Claudia Willis.

Poets: Suzanne Bruce, Robert Eastwood, Liz Fortini, Joan Garcia, Deborah Grossman, Ronna Leon, Arlene Mandell, Martha Meltze, Connie Post, Sandy Stillwell, Caroline Sanchez, Sherry Sheehan, Robert Shelby, Marnelle White, and Sacramento poets Kimberly White and Kimi Julian.

Watch for reminders of the special events, which will showcase the final results of this project.

________________________

Speaking of R.L. Crow Publications, Publisher Bill Gainer sends us poems, too; watch for more of his in Snake 11, or check out his rattlechap, To Run With the Savages, available at The Book Collector or from Bill or myself.


PAYING THE MUSE
—William S. Gainer, Grass Valley

You gave it what was once

worth less—

your youth

and now you watch them—

the young ones,

do the same.

You want to reach out,

pull them close

say

stop.

But, who would listen

to an old man?

not even you

when you were once

one of them.

_______________________

SOMEBODY
—William S. Gainer, Grass Valley

There's that day,

that one day,

that you're the best

you're ever going to be.

For some it comes early,

then you spend the rest of your days

on that long slide

to the bottom.



For others, it comes late.

You've clawed your way

to the top.

They look at you

like you're somebody.

You never want to let go.

You know,

you'd tear the hearts out of the angels

to make it last

just a little longer.



For the rest of us,

there isn't much.

When it comes,

it's no-big-deal.

The grocery clerk

still doesn't stop,

turn her head and say,

"Hey man,

you're looking sharp."

And the gal at the bank,

the teller,

forgets your name

for the hundredth time.

And if the guy

from the power company

is coming to turn you off,

it'll be late on a Friday,

too late

to make a call.

They'd leave you

shivering in the dark,

till Monday.



It's not

that you're a loser,

it's just that

they never let you win.

Not even

on that day,

that one day

when you're the best

you're ever going to be.

_______________________

Thanks, Bill and nila! Watch for nila's book, Love at gunpoint, which will be released this Fall.

—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.)