PERFECT GIFT
—David Humphreys, Stockton
Every generous act of giving, with every perfect gift, is from above, coming down from the place of lights, where there is no variation or shadow due to change.
—Book of James, 17:22
Today is our wedding anniversary,
102° and just as hot as the first
time I laid eyes on you and you served
lunch in the back garden and we
didn’t stop talking for three hours.
That was a long time ago down near
the linear accelerator with the golden
grass hills and dark green oaks that
have always reminded you of Africa
and lions sleeping in acacia thorn trees.
Outside now, the street noise has
grown like a river spilling over a dam
as they fill up the valley with houses,
time like a beard turned gray on the
happiest day of your life.
On Saturday four of us go to see Monet
at the Legion of Honor and then the
Gee’s Bend quilt color patterns of
saxophone jazz and then over to
Grace Cathedral to walk the tranquility
of the Labyrinth. You see Monet up closer
than you ever have, moving to see the different
mineral lights on the surface. It is like grains of sand,
each minute grain a complimenting bright crystal
color and how did he ever have the time for such
overwhelming detail?
Day of wonders, that might have been taken away
in an instant toxic barb in the heart,
larger than life itself, smiling as wide and lovely
as the day you said “I do.”
_______________________
Thanks, David! David Humphreys' poems will appear in Rattlesnake Review #11, due out beginning this Wednesday. (I say "beginning" because they get distributed as they come off the press, which takes about a week. Subscribers won't get theirs til next week.) David and Paula Schiel (remember ¡Zambomba! in Stockton?) will be reading at Our House Defines Art in El Dorado Hills this Friday; see below for details.
This is a busy week for area readings!
•••Tonight (9/11), 7:30 PM: Sacramento Poetry Center presents a reader TBA announced by Host Indigo Moor. SPC/HQ for the Arts, 25th & R Sts., Sac. Info: 451-5569. Free. Open Mic.
•••On Wednesday, Sept. 13, 7:30 PM, Rattlesnake Press will be releasing Fictional Character: The Ernie Poems by Phil Weidman at The Book Collector, 1008 24th St., Sac. Also being released that night: a littlesnake broadside, Potpourri, from Sacramento Poet Patricia A. Pashby. Refreshments and a read-around will follow; bring your own poems or somebody else’s. Free.
•••Wednesday (9/13), 5-8 PM: Be Davison Herrera and friends will be continuing a celebration of her husband, Jack's, 75th birthday with a COMET & STAR performance and exhibition of hand-painted poetry banners at Luna's Cafe, 1414 16th St., Sac. The gathering time is 5-8 PM, with WORD and music starting at 6.
•••Also Wed. (9/13), 10-midnight: Mahogany Poets presents Mics and Moods at Capitol Garage, 1500 K St., Sac. Features and Open Mic; 21 and older. $5. Info: 916-492-9336 or www.malikspeaks.com.
•••Thursday (9/14), 8 PM: Poetry Unplugged presents Marian Jones. Open mic before/after. Luna’s Café, 1414 16th St., Sac. Info: 441-3931 or www.lunascafe.com. Free.
•••Thursday (9/14), 8 PM: Vibe Sessions Neo-Soul Lounge with Flo-Real, guests and open mic for comedians, singers, poets. The Cobbler Inn, 3520 Stockton, Blvd., Sac. $5. 916-613-0776.
•••Friday (9/15), 7 PM: Our House Defines Art poetry reading features Stockton's David Humphreys of Poet's Corner Press and Paula Schiel. Free; an open mic follows. Our House Defines Art Gallery & Framing is located at 4510 Post St. in El Dorado Hills Town Center; from Sac., take the Latrobe exit off to the right (south) and turn left into the shopping center.
•••Friday (9/15)—NOT Sat. 9/16 as listed in Poetry Now—7:30 PM: The annual all-Spanish reading to celebrate Mexican Independence Day, sponsored by the Writers of the New Sun/Escritores del Nuevo Sol. Mariposa Hall, Rm. 1000, CSUS, 6000 J St., Sac. Come hear the poetry of two immortal poets of the Generation of 27: Rafael Alberti and Federico Garcia Lorca, as well as poems from Dr. Fausto Avendano and Mariela Santana; plus, you are invited to read your favorite poem in Spanish during the open mic. Donation $5/$3 for students/members, but no one turned away for lack of money. (NOTE: Campus parking is $2.75. Pay at self-serve kiosks in parking lots. Campus map: http://itweb.csus.edu/map/location3.htm)
•••Deadline is September 15 for a collection of poems and short essays for an up-coming book, proceeds to benefit people displaced by the bombings in Lebanon. Editor Kim Shuck says: We want work addressing displacement, the experience of being a refugee and the hope that this will end soon. If you are interested in participating, please send your poem or essay of about one page in length, plus a five-line bio to kshuck@tsoft.net.
•••Deadline is also 9/15 for The Monterey Poetry Review, which is seeking submissions of poetry from writers who live in, or who have former or present ties to, the four counties of Monterey, Santa Cruz, San Benito and Santa Clara. Guidelines: Submit up to 6 poems, a short bio of several sentences, and a photo, and full contact info. All these must be submitted before poems will be considered by the editorial board. Email submissions are preferred. Send to: montereypoetryreview@gmail.com (or snail mail to: M. Lee, Editor, PO Box 5885, Monterey, CA 93944). Open to all styles, forms and lengths. Articles can be about current poetry venues, poets, interviews, reviews of recent books, or the craft of writing. Ads can also be sent in, preferably by Sept. 15 but no later than Sept. 30. They print and distribute 3,000 copies in four counties and are growing in area distribution in San Jose, SF and other cities. Cost for any size ad: $6.00 per square inch. Advertise your upcoming events (mid-Nov. 2006—Feb. 2007) books, chapbooks, business, business card, favorite charity.
•••Saturday (9/16), 2-6 PM, drive up to Murphys to hear over 80 artists reading and playing to celebrate the new 188-page Vol. 5 of the anthology, Manzanita: Poetry and Prose of the Mother Lode and Sierra. Free. Open mic. Kautz Ironstone Winery; come early to meet writers, schmooze, wine-tasting, and have lunch.
•••Saturday (9/16), The Underground Poetry Series features Felicia McGee and Black Men Expressing Tour, plus open mic. Underground Books, 2814 35th St. (35th & Broadway), Sac., 7-9 PM. $3. If you would like to be a featured poet at future events, please contact Terry Moore at 916-455-POET.
•••Sat. (9/16), 10-5 PM: The Central Valley Antiquarian Booksellers Assoc. presents The Antiquarian Book Fair at the Scottish Rite Temple, 6151 H St., Sac. Thousands of rare books for sale from 60 dealers. $5 (under 18 free w/adult); there's a $1-off coupon in last week's Sac. News & Review. Info: 530-613-8421.
•••Sun. (9/17), 1-5 PM: The Carmichael Library's reopening celebration, 5605 Marconi Av., Carmichael. Muriel Johnson, Cal. Arts Council Director, will be the keynote speaker. Free family activities, tours, refreshments. Info: 916-264-2920.
•••Sun. (9/17), 5 PM: Be Davison Herrera writes: INCLUSIONISTS, a 1000-member notion of literary, performing and visual artists on five continents, proudly announces the names of the “third wave of poets” to be nominated into the Sacramento International Poetry Hall of Fame. Join us on Sunday, September 17, during the Gala Banquet of the 6th Biennial Conference of the Vietnamese International Poetry Society (VIPS) at the Rice Bowl Banquet Hall, 2378 Florin Rd., Sac., to honor these leaders of 21st Century poetry and practice of WORD: Graciela Ramierez, Los Escritores del Nueva Sol; Lawrence Washington Brooks, ZICA; Le Trong Nghia, VIPS; Phil Goldvarg (In Memoriam); Sinh Quang Le, VIPS; Staajabu, Straight Out Scribes (east); V.S. Chochezi, Straight Out Scribes (west).
The Hall of Fame was inaugurated during the first Sacramento International Poetry Festival (SIPF) in 1999, with support from the Multi-Cultural Center at California State University, Sacramento and members of the Poet Laureate Committee of the Sacramento Metropolitan Arts Commission. The first members were Ethel Ballard, Luke Breit, Carol and LaVerne Frith, Be Davison Herrera and Jose Montoya. At the second SIPF in 2001, the baton was picked up by the Sacramento Poetry Center, Urban Voices, and wide community involvement to support the addition of Traci Gourdine, B.L. Kennedy and Joe Montoya to the Hall of Fame. This year’s third installation is supported by the International Exchange For The Arts, a California non-profit, public benefit corporation, and INCLUSIONISTS worldwide. Tickets for the banquet are $25. For more information about this event, about this weekend's International Poetry Festival, the sponsors, or the S.P.I.F. and its members, please contact raritie8@aol.com or call 541-752-0705.
______________________
Yikes! Looks like the season is getting into full swing! Have I missed anybody?
Today, D.H. Lawrence would've been 119 years old. My favorite poem of his is, of course, "The Snake", but here is a different sample:
WINTER IN THE BOULEVARD
—D.H. Lawrence
The frost has settled down upon the trees
And ruthlessly strangled off the fantasies
Of leaves that have gone unnoticed, swept like old
Romantic stories now no more to be told.
The trees down the boulevard stand naked in thought
Their abundant summer wordage silence, caught
In the grim undertow; naked the trees confront
Implacable winter's long, cross-questioning brunt.
Has some hand balanced more leaves in the depths of the twigs?
Some dim little efforts placed in the threads of the birch?—
It is only the sparrows, like dead black leaves on the sprigs,
Sitting huddled against the cerulean, one flesh with their perch.
The clear, cold sky coldly bethinks itself.
Like vivid thought the air spins bright, and all
Trees, birds, and earth, arrested in the after-thought,
Awaiting the sentence out from the welkin brought.
________________________
—Medusa
Medusa encourages poets of all ilk and ages to send their poetry, photos and art, 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.)