—Richard Zimmer, Sacramento
The Story Teller settled in his chair,
lit his pipe and asked his audience
what story they would like to hear.
He then told a tale of the Chinese poet
Li Po, who was reading a poem to the moon.
He leaned over to catch its reflection,
and fell into the Yellow River and drowned.
The Story Teller smiled, as he added—
Li Po then, was carried away on the back
of a dolphin, for a trip to join the Immortals.
_______________________
Thanks, Richard! Watch for more of Richard Zimmer's work in the outcoming Rattlesnake Review #12, which will be available starting this coming Wednesday night at The Book Collector (or winging your way if you are a contributor or subscriber).
Also this week (a busy Friday!):
•••Today (Mon. 12/11), Rattlechapper Susan Kelly-DeWitt will have a poem featured on Garrison Keillor's "Writer's Almanac”. Go to the following site to locate the poem: http://writersalmanac.publicradio.org/
•••Tonight (Monday, 12/11), 7:30 PM: Sacramento Poetry Center presents Mendocino County Poets Teresa Whitehall, Linda Noel, and Devreaux Baker. HQ for the Arts, 25th & R Sts., Sac. Info: 916-979-9706. Or heck—get there at 5:45 PM for the Poetry Center Board meeting—the public is invited.
•••Also tonight (12/11), 8 PM: The Moody Blues Poetry Series meets at A Taste of Laguna (Southern cuisine), 9080 Laguna Main, in Laguna. $5.
•••Tuesday (12/12), 8:30 PM: Bistro 33 Poetry Series meets in Historic Davis City Hall, 226 F St. (3rd & F) in Davis. Open mic follows.
•••Weds. (12/13), 7:30 PM: The Finklemans will be premiering their new SnakeRings SpiralChap, Poems in Two Voices, a collection of their two-voice poems and Joe's art, at The Book Collector, 1008 24th St., Sac. The readers will also be accompanied by flute and percussion! Also premiering that evening will be Grace Notes, a littlesnake broadside by Bob Stanley, and Bob will be on hand to read from that, too; plus, new issues of Rattlesnake Review and the teen journal, VYPER, will be there in a free for all free-for-all! Refreshments and a read-around will follow; bring your own poems or somebody else's and join us for the Rattlesnake Press Holiday Extravaganza.
•••Also Weds. (12/13), 10 PM-midnight: Mics and Moods features New York Slam Poet Jamie Kilstein at Capitol Garage, 1500 K St., Sac. Open mic.
•••Thurs. (12/14), 8-11 PM: Vibe Sessions at Cobbler Inn, 3520 Stockton Blvd. (next to Colonial Theater). $5, all ages, open mic.
•••Friday (12/15), 7:30 PM: Hope & Humor & Unsafe Topics (A Poetry Reading by Luke Warm Water) will be presented by Los Escritores Del Nuevo Sol at La Raza Galeria Posada (LRGP), 1024 22nd Street, Sac. American Indian Poet Luke Warm Water, an enrolled member of the Oglala Lakota tribe, was born and raised in Rapid City, South Dakota. Many of his poems contain unsafe topics; they have perspectives of racial issues past and present, along with adult themes and content. But his poems also have a sense of hope and a thread of humor—often dark humor. Since 2000, Luke has featured at poetry venues throughout the U.S. and in Europe. He also won several Poetry Slams from Oregon to Germany. Recent publication credits include: Drumvoices Revue, Cold Mountain Revue and Red Ink. In 2005, Luke released his latest collection of poems, entitled On Indian Time, along with his animated short film, Iktomi And The Food Stamp Incident. Luke is an activist for Indigenous people's rights, especially in the cause to help end the unjust incarceration of American Indian activist Leonard Peltier. His latest book and short film (on DVD) will be available for sale. Also, information brochures will be available on Leonard Peltier. This reading is sponsored by Writers of the New Sun / Escritores del Nuevo Sol. a writing group founded in 1993. Its philosophy is similar to the philosophy of LRGP, which serves to foster, preserve and present the best of Chicano/Latino and Native American culture. Info at www.escritoresdelnuevosol.com
•••Friday (12/15), 7 PM: Our House Poetry Series features Mary Field and Taylor Graham. Open mic follows. Our House Gallery & Framing is located at 4510 Post St. in El Dorado Hills Town Center; take the Latrobe Road exit south and turn east into the shopping center. There is no charge.
•••Bob Stanley, President of Sacramento Poetry Center, writes: Friday, December 15 is our day to wrap presents for customers and garner donations at Barnes and Noble (Sunrise), 9 AM-11 PM. We are looking for volunteers to spend a few hours wrapping. (This is different from “rapping,” which used to mean talking intently with others, but now has a more rhythmic connotation.) Brad Buchanan is keeping track of who will be there when—probably afternoon and evening will be the busiest times—so please let him know what you can do. If you have questions, you can contact Brad at buchanan@saclink.csus.edu. Please help if you can, and bring a friend!
•••Saturday (12/16), 7-9 PM: Underground Poetry Series presents Mario Ellis Hill, Jamie Kilstein, Born 2B Poets and Bloom Beloved, plus open mic. Underground Books, 2814 35th St. (off Broadway), $3.
_______________________
A couple of deadlines this Friday:
•••Deadline is 12/15 for this year’s Sacramento Poetry Center’s Poetry Contest; judge will be Sacramento Poet Laureate Julia Connor. First prize $100, second prize $50, third prize $25, ten honorable mentions ($10 gift certificates from Barnes & Noble). Entry fee $3 per poem. Send your poems to SPC 2006 contest, 1719 25th Street, Sacramento, CA 95816. Winners will be notified in January, featured in Poetry Now, and invited to read at a special reading at SPC. Please submit one anonymous copy of each poem along with a cover sheet listing titles, first lines and contact information.
•••Friday (12/15) is also the next deadline for Song of the San Joaquin, a quarterly publication of the Poets of the San Joaquin chapter of the Calif. Federation of Chaparral Poets, Inc. Song of the San Joaquin accepts submissions of poetry having to do with life in the San Joaquin Valley of California. This area is defined geographically as the region from Fresno to Stockton, and from the foothills on the west to those on the east. Send typed manuscripts to: Cleo Griffith, Editor, Song of the San Joaquin, PO Box 1161, Modesto, CA 95353-1161. Please include a self-addressed, stamped envelope (SASE) for return of unused poems and/or notification of acceptance. Be sure your return envelopes have the right amount of postage. Notification time may range from three weeks to three months. Send up to three poems per issue, name and contact information on each poem. E-mail submissions accepted. Please send a three to five line bio. For more information e-mail ssjq03psj@yahoo.com. For samples of poetry from previous issues: www.ChaparralPoets.org/SSJarchives.html. Photographs and art-work may be submitted for consideration for use on the cover, but should be identified as valley scenes. Sample copies of past issues may be obtained for $4.50. Beginning with the Winter Issue 2006, Vol. III, No. 1 a single issue will be $5.00, the annual subscription $18. Send to address above. Make checks out to Song of the San Joaquin.
a survival guide
—dawn dibartolo, sacramento
the world is full of assholes
and it drains me being one of them.
~*~
i shall never love again,
for to do so would be
admitting that i still believe
and i'm far too jaded for such things.
~*~
"i don't care" can guide me
thru the valleys of other's indecision
but can't lead me toward
the fullness of my own soul.
~*~
to bathe oneself in the
fiery spit-sweat-tears-and-cum
of one's own past
makes for the newborn organism,
each day, the phoenix
rising from one's own
sea of mirrors ~
for mirrors never lie.
~*~
trust no one ~ not even yourself ~
and leave nothing to chance
~ inherit only decisiveness
and make a lifetime of your choices.
~*~
and in the unavoidable fades-to-black,
fight hard to keep the color as it dies
because, trust me,
you'll want to remember soon enough.
________________________
november, 5:13 p.m.
—dawn dibartolo, sacramento
the air is biting cold
and the moon is rising tainted,
consuming a horizon
that's murky, at best.
and it happens that
the freeway i'm on
goes on into the center.
and then its just me and the moon,
and the hundreds of swarming cars
don't exist ~
i'm being called into perfection.
the freeway goes on forever
and isn't moving,
and the darkness is reaching for me,
pulling into my center,
and i'm thinking, there are those
i've tried so hard to love,
and loved so very hard,
in good times, in bad,
and in way past done,
that cannot hear me.
i've screamed from the top of my pain
and been silenced.
there are those i've loved
whose womb cradled my expression
into art ~
and all art is born of a love
for something ~
and been hand-fed my own waste
in the name of righteousness.
and,
there are those i've loved
that are not perfect at all,
yet, our love is
~ perfection ~
so i know i'm fully capable
of the deed,
yet the sepia shade of the moon
alludes otherwise, pulling,
and suddenly i'm losing ground
and giving in to gravity again.
_______________________
Thanks, Dawn! Watch for more of dawn dibartolo's work in Rattlesnake Review #12 (an even dozen!)—did I mention it was coming out this Wednesday...?
—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.)