Feeding the Snakes

WATCHING SABINE IN SUNLIGHT
Sophie-Charlottenstr. 21 Berlin, 1962
—Elsie Whitlow Feliz, Sacramento

From the window of our kitchen—
actually this is our bathroom—I am

cooking breakfast on the hot plate.
Dishes drain over the bathtub. I can see

Frau Kamps-Smith's garden: the green
lawn, the yellow tulips, and gray stones.

Her granddaughter, Sabine, golden hair,
six, and barefoot, waiting for someone

to open the faucet, so she can race her
paper boat in the rushing rapids of a silver

river flowing under warm sun, over
the rocks, into the dark green pool

where reeds and lilies grow, and the
large frog watches us from his corner.

(first appeared in Poets' Forum Magazine, 2006)

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Thanks, Elsie! Tomorrow (Friday, 1/19) at 7 PM, Our House Poetry Series will feature Elsie Whitlow Feliz and Don Feliz. Our House Gallery is in the El Dorado Hills shopping center; take the Latrobe exit south and turn left into the Center, then turn left again at the stop sign. Open mic after the features. Here's a poem from Don:

FOREST VISION
West Berlin, 1961
—Don Feliz, Sacramento

At sunrise in Berliner Forest among legions
of fallen leaves and a company of fellow
soldiers some of us saw a vision in bands
of sunlight between distant trees and shadows

floating two meters high a white billowy shape
coming nearer it showed long blond hair tied
with a bright ribbon then a horse the color of
trees and of its rider’s breeches and boots

riding elegantly on her beautiful steed the vision
became something new an aristocrat among her
subjects subdued sons of a conquering nation
watched her dissolve back into a white vision

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Tonight:

•••Thursday (1/18), 8 PM: Poetry Unplugged at Luna's Cafe, 1414 16th St., Sac. features Beth Lisick, Michelle Tea, and Tara Jepsen traveling to Luna's from San Francisco, to be joined by local lit-wonders Becca Costello, Rachel Leibrock, and Rachel Gregg. Open mic before/after. Free. Info: 916-441-3931 or www.lunascafe.com.

•••Also Thurs., 8-11 PM: Vibe Sessions at Cobbler Inn, 3520 Stockton Blvd. (next to Colonial Theatre). Open mic, all ages, $5.


Homer and The Bee:

Check out today's "Metro" section of The Sacramento Bee for an article about Sacramento's Kathryn Holhwein and her on-going mission to bring Homer's poetry around the world.

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Corvallis Pal (and ex-Sacramentan) Be Davison Herrera sends two poems, the first about moving:

endless sympathy over moving
as extraction makes so many
decisions hopelessly entangled
with the spirit of the old place
lost, caving like soil removed for
new plantings, whole fresh
responses demanded and lord!
the decisions required all over
again and then again

You got that right, Be! I'm still paralyzed by all those decisions. Where to put the cookie sheets, when there are no cupboards big enough? Take this bowl to the thrift or keep it? And what about all those books......!

Coincidentally, Medusa posted a William Stafford poem yesterday. Be writes: Here's a quatrain (Herrera style) which is part of a "Spirit of Place" poetry exhibition at our local library honoring William Stafford's birthday:

snowflakes
clarify sound
but only for
ears tuned to butterfly
wings

Thanks for these, Be! We've managed to post almost all local and semi-local poetry this week, which is Medusa's ultimate goal. So keep 'em coming! The Snakes of Medusa are always hungry......

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—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.)