photo by Jane Blue, Sacramento
THE PRESENCE
—Denise Levertov
To the house on the grassy hill
where rams rub their horns against the porch
and your bare feet on the floors of silence
speak in rhymed stanzas to the furniture,
solemn chests of drawers and heavy chairs
blinking in the sun you have let in!
Before I enter the rooms of your solitude
in my living form, trailing my shadow,
I shall have come unseen. Upstairs and down with you
and out across road and rocks to the river
to drink the cold spray. You will believe
a bird flew by the window, a wandering bee
buzzed in the hallway, a wind
rippled the bronze grasses. Or will you
know who it is?
______________________
First of all, thanks to Jane Blue for her beautiful photo! Last week I said, Think Tulips, and she did.
Then there's The Presence that's been lurking in my psyche since we moved house. Those of you who've had the patience to listen to me gripe about moving will be glad to know that I'm done with my bitching, at least for now. The Red Fox Underground poets of El Dorado County took mercy on Sam and me this weekend and performed a house-blessing, complete with sage and much good fellowship and poetry. Mary Field even brought bright yellow tulips! Thanks to them from Sam, me, Medusa and, of course, that wily Snake (and Lola and littlesnake). Here's a poem about transformation of such things; may your Monday be full of such transformations and the release of pure energy:
THE WINGS
—Denise Levertov
Something hangs in back of me,
I can't see it, can't move it,
I know it's black,
a hump on my back.
It's heavy. You
can't see it.
What's in it? Don't tell me
you don't know. It's
what you told me about—
black
inimical power, cold
whirling out of it and
around me and
sweeping you flat.
But what if,
like a camel, it's
pure energy I store,
and carry humped and heavy?
Not black, not
that terror, stupidity
of cold rage; or black
only for being pent there?
What if released in air
it became a white
source of light, a fountain
of light? Could all that weight
be the power of flight?
Look inward: see me
with embryo wings, one
feathered in soot, the other
blazing ciliations of ember, pale
flare-pinions. Well—
could I go
on one wing
the white one?
_______________________
This week in poetry:
•••Tonight (Monday, 1/22), 7:30 PM: Sacramento Poetry Center features Meg Withers and Truong Tran at HQ for the Arts, 25th & R Sts., Sac. Meg, who is currently working on her MFA at San Francisco State, is a poet, teacher, and mixed media artist from the San Francisco Bay Area who is also the author of Must Be Present to Win (Ghost Road Press, 2000) and a recent winner of the Open Windows award. Her work has appeared in New Millennium Writings, American River Literary Review, Nimrod, Poetry Now and others. Next Monday (1/29), SPC will feature Kimberly White and Michael Pulley.
•••Wednesday (1/24), 6-7 PM: Hidden Passage Books, 352 Main St., Placerville. Open-mike read-around; bring your own poems or those of a favorite poet to share with other poets and the skeleton in the floor, or just come to listen. We hope to see you there!
•••Also Weds., 10 PM-Midnight: Mics and Moods, Capitol Garage, 1500 K St., Sacramento. Features and open mic. $5; ages 21 and over. Info: 916-492-9336 or malikspeaks.com
•••Thursday (1/25), 8-11 PM: Vibe Sessions Open Mic at Cobbler Inn, 3520 Stockton Blvd. (next to Colonial Theater). $5, all ages.
•••Also Thursday (1/25), 8 PM: Poetry Unplugged at Luna's Cafe, 1414 16th St., Sac. Features and open mic before/after. Free. Info: 916-441-3931 or www.lunascafe.com.
•••Friday (1/26), 7 PM: Stockton Youth Advistory Commissioners (YAC) are sponsoring “By Word of Mouth”, an open mic for teens; others are most welcome to come out and support. Podesto IMPACT Teen Center, 725 N. El Dorado St., Stockton. Cost is $3. Poets interested in performing should e-mail lorienelms89@yahoo.com
•••Saturday, 9 PM: "The Show" Poetry Series features Ike Torres (Sac slam team), Izreal, and Damnyo Lee (L.A. slam team). Wo'se Community Center, 2863 35th St. (off 35th & Broadway). $5. Info: T.Mo at 916-455-POET.
•••Also, Saturday (1/27) is the deadline for Harvest International, an annual arts and literature magazine produced by Cal Poly Pomona. They’re looking for poetry, Short Poetry Fiction, Drama, Song Lyrics, Personal Essays, Analytical/Critical Essays, and Artwork (pen or ink drawings; no color artwork, please).
Topics:
• Psychological/ Physical/ Learning disabilities
• Gender Issues
• Culture
• War
• Poetry written in any language
• Personal Experiences/ Triumphs, etc.
Cash Awards:
Steve Whaley Poetry Prize
Other Voices Poetry Prize
Submit to: Professor Gill-Mayberry: bigillmayber@csupomona.edu
Jennifer Maldonado: jnmaldonado.harvest@gmail.com
Megan Carey: mecarey@csupomona.edu or:
Harvest International, c/o Harvest Editorial Board
Cal Poly University, English and Foreign Languages Department
3801 West Temple Ave., Pomona, CA 91768
_______________________
Last week, David Humphreys told us about a contest at The Stockton Record, which was looking for 55-Word "Tidbits". David won the contest, and here is his winning entry:
WHAT'S NOT THERE
—David Humphreys, Stockton
Don’t play what’s there, play what’s not there
is how Miles Davis said it cool as cashmere in
a leather lined limo on the way to the jet flying
to palm trees and a white sand beach blowing in
time to waves wondering where is the loveliness
who started this jam session to begin with?
________________________
Thanks, David, and thanks for the heads-up about the contest, even if you did run away with the $60 prize.....! Congratulations! (Sorry Medusa can't indent the last line.)
—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.)
