Snake-doodle by Brigit Truex, Placerville
PAINTING SUNSET
—Brigit Truex
The drone of voices is mostly
in the lower register,
a drowsy bee hum,
sound of a radio
in another room, unintelligible,
not especially annoying
until you notice it.
And I do. I can't
escape it. It flings itself
onto the beach, rolls up
the dunes, sinks into my mind
like water on sand.
No stopping it.
Even the sooty seabird
lurches away, scolding the
dim-witted talk. The gull soars free,
without a glance.
Against such, my easel is useless,
hobbled, three-legged.
The wooden paintbox isn't
much better. Lid ajar, the crimped
gradations of the prism
stuffed into tubes of silver-
gone-grey, swelling, impatient,
pushing into the lowering sun,
the air, salt-licked,
damp with desire.
Snatches of pesky, persistent
words "...But I digress..."
sound familiar, foreign.
Who talks that way,
anyway, I wonder
and bat the voices away.
Slowly, I open
my hand, palm up,
and cup the fallen sun,
its citron light dripping
like a broken egg,
running over the edges,
spreading on the
ultramarine sea
that is pulsing, insistent
as my heart.
_______________________
Thanks, Brigit! Rattlesnake Press will be releasing Brigit Truex's new rattlechap, A Counterpane Without, this Wednesday, FEBRUARY 14 (yes, Valentine’s Day), at The Book Collector at 7:30 PM. Refreshments and a read-around will follow; bring your own poems or somebody else’s. Also released that night will be I Brake for Wildflowers, a littlesnake broadside by Wendy Patrice Williams, and the latest issue of SNAKELETS, the journal of poetry from kids 0-12.
And while you're thinking Snake, get your poems in for the next issue of Rattlesnake Review (Lucky Issue #13!) by this Thursday, February 15. Send 3-5 poems plus artwork and photos to kathykieth@hotmail.com or P.O. Box 762, Pollock Pines, CA 95726. No bio/cover/simul-subs or prev-pubs, please.
This week in poetry:
•••Tonight (Monday, 2/13), attend the SPC Board meeting at 5:45 PM, then go to the Valentine’s Day reading (An Evening of Poetry Lovers) at 7:30 PM, hosted by Indigo Moor. Hear readings by notable local poetic couples: Nora Staklis & Tom Goff; Christina & Art Mantecon; Erik & Terryl; Laverne & Carol Frith. Come and read with (or to) your poetic soulmate!
•••Tuesday (2/13), 8:30 PM: Davis poet Hannah Stein reads at The Bistro. There is an open mike also, and sign ups will be between 8 and 8:30. The Bistro has a full menu and bar, so you might want to make an evening of it. Andy Jones of KDVS-FM is the host. The Bistro is located at 3rd and F Streets in Davis. There is no cover charge.
•••Weds. (2/14), 7:30 PM: Rattlesnake Press rattle-read at The Book Collector; see above.
•••Also Weds., 8 PM: The UC-Davis Creative Writing Program presents Emily Norwood, Gabrielle Myers, Crystal Anderson at Café Roma, 3rd & University Sts., Davis.
•••Thurs. (2/15) and Friday (2/16): Garrison Keillor is going to read "Chicken Killing" on "The Writer's Almanac" Feb. 15th and "My Methodist Grandmother Says" on "The Writer's Almanac" Feb. 16th. The poems, which are both from Mary Mackey's new collection, Breaking the Fever, are also going to be available on the American Public Radio website and in podcast. In the Bay Area the show will be playing at 9 AM on KALW (91.7 FM). If you like, you can hear them as early as Monday, Feb. 13, by checking out their website at Writer's Almanac web site. You can also get the schedule for other parts of the country since different stations play The Writer's Almanac at different times.
•••Friday (2/16), 7 PM: Our House poetry reading. Featured reader is William O'Daly, reading poems by Pablo Neruda as well as his own. His latest book of Neruda translations, Still Another Day, was a finalist for a 2006 Quill Award. An open mike follows. Our House Gallery & Framing is located at 4510 Post St. in El Dorado Hills Town Center; take the Latrobe exit south and turn left into the shopping center. There is no charge.
Sacramento Poetry Contest winners:
SPC President Bob Stanley writes: From an unprecedented flood of 350 entries, the 38 poems listed below were selected for the final round by a panel of judges. From these poems, Sacramento Poet Laureate Julia Connor picked the winners – the top three poems, plus 10 honorable mentions. Please come and read your pieces at the awards ceremony on April 9th at HQ for the Arts! RSVP at poetrynow@sacramentopoetrycenter.org
First Prize - $100 Cathleen Williams, Sacramento, for “Ferry”
Second Prize - $50 Marie Reynolds, Sacramento, for “Off-Season”
Third Prize - $25 Timothy Russell, Toronto, Ohio, for “Selected Poems”
10 Honorable Mentions - $10 Barnes & Noble Gift Cards:
Dewell H. Byrd, Eureka, for “Sparrows on Barbed Wire”
J. Patricia Connolly, New York City, for “Exile is it?”
Do Gentry, Sacramento, for “The Auction”
Thomas Goff, Carmichael (2 awards) for “To An Afflicted One” and
“Watercolors at Negro Bar”
Lara Gularte, Magalia, CA, for “A River Story”
Dianna Henning, Janesville, CA, for “Tremor”
Barbara Jennings-Link, Sacramento, for “Montana Wheat Field”
Theresa McCourt, Sacramento, for “Along the Canal”
Cathleen Williams, Sacramento, for “I drove past”
The following poets were Semi-finalists; their poems reached the final group of 38:
J. Patricia Connolly, New York City, for "Ash lad and gatherer" and "Fly in Amber"
Do Gentry, Sacramento, for "Travel Diary and Mirage: A Concise History of Optics"
Thomas Goff, Carmichael, for "Independence Trail"
Lisa Falls Hall, Lodi, for "A Dirty Trick"
Dianna Henning, Janesville, for "No Trouble in Graceland"
Francis Kakugawa, Sacramento, for "Sansei Woman"
Nancy Ling, Walpole, MA, for "Coming Unfrozen" and "Jasmine"
Ellaraine Lockie, Sunnyvale: "Translations from a Face-Lift" and "Walk With Earthworms"
Elena Minor, Los Angeles, for "Hymn No. 607" and "Creation"
Marie Reynolds, Sacramento, for "Crossing the Siskiyous"
Barbara Schweitzer, N. Smithfield, RI, for "Heart-shaped Rocks"
Craig Strauss, Sacramento, for "When He Stared into the Lake He Saw Nothing…"
Jean Tupper, Wrentham, MA, for "The Quarrel"
Christopher Watkins, Mt. Sinai, NY, for "Circulation"
Cathleen Williams for "swing dancers", "Proof", "Found", "Cheyenne" and "Harlem Jazz"
Megan Willis, Rocklin, for "The forest behind our houses…"
_______________________
SILHOUETTES
—Jeanine Stevens, Sacramento
In winter like this
how bare-boned—
stripped of cover
white arms of alder
protrude, glare
and glower. I squint
my eyes, hollows
open branches
black and wet
hissing in sparse
evening light, noisy
shapes reverse
Gestalt principles
of figure-ground
an after-image, halos
shadowing the sun
glass magic lanterns
—old silhouettes.
(Previously published in Pegasus)
_______________________
Thanks, Jeanine, for the shadow poem! For the rest of you, today's the last day: send me your poetry about shadows before midnight tonight, Monday, Feb. 12, and I'll send you a surprise poetry present. E-mail to kathykieth@hotmail.com, or snail to P.O. Box 762, Pollock Pines, CA 95726. Winter is the season of long shadows, after all...
And my apologies to Peggy Hill; I said her birthday was in February, but it's actually January 26.
—Medusa
Medusa encourages poets of all ilk and ages to send their POETRY, PHOTOS and ART, as well as announcements of Northern California poetry events to kathykieth@hotmail.com (or snail ‘em to P.O. Box 762, Pollock Pines, CA 95726) 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.)
—Brigit Truex
The drone of voices is mostly
in the lower register,
a drowsy bee hum,
sound of a radio
in another room, unintelligible,
not especially annoying
until you notice it.
And I do. I can't
escape it. It flings itself
onto the beach, rolls up
the dunes, sinks into my mind
like water on sand.
No stopping it.
Even the sooty seabird
lurches away, scolding the
dim-witted talk. The gull soars free,
without a glance.
Against such, my easel is useless,
hobbled, three-legged.
The wooden paintbox isn't
much better. Lid ajar, the crimped
gradations of the prism
stuffed into tubes of silver-
gone-grey, swelling, impatient,
pushing into the lowering sun,
the air, salt-licked,
damp with desire.
Snatches of pesky, persistent
words "...But I digress..."
sound familiar, foreign.
Who talks that way,
anyway, I wonder
and bat the voices away.
Slowly, I open
my hand, palm up,
and cup the fallen sun,
its citron light dripping
like a broken egg,
running over the edges,
spreading on the
ultramarine sea
that is pulsing, insistent
as my heart.
_______________________
Thanks, Brigit! Rattlesnake Press will be releasing Brigit Truex's new rattlechap, A Counterpane Without, this Wednesday, FEBRUARY 14 (yes, Valentine’s Day), at The Book Collector at 7:30 PM. Refreshments and a read-around will follow; bring your own poems or somebody else’s. Also released that night will be I Brake for Wildflowers, a littlesnake broadside by Wendy Patrice Williams, and the latest issue of SNAKELETS, the journal of poetry from kids 0-12.
And while you're thinking Snake, get your poems in for the next issue of Rattlesnake Review (Lucky Issue #13!) by this Thursday, February 15. Send 3-5 poems plus artwork and photos to kathykieth@hotmail.com or P.O. Box 762, Pollock Pines, CA 95726. No bio/cover/simul-subs or prev-pubs, please.
This week in poetry:
•••Tonight (Monday, 2/13), attend the SPC Board meeting at 5:45 PM, then go to the Valentine’s Day reading (An Evening of Poetry Lovers) at 7:30 PM, hosted by Indigo Moor. Hear readings by notable local poetic couples: Nora Staklis & Tom Goff; Christina & Art Mantecon; Erik & Terryl; Laverne & Carol Frith. Come and read with (or to) your poetic soulmate!
•••Tuesday (2/13), 8:30 PM: Davis poet Hannah Stein reads at The Bistro. There is an open mike also, and sign ups will be between 8 and 8:30. The Bistro has a full menu and bar, so you might want to make an evening of it. Andy Jones of KDVS-FM is the host. The Bistro is located at 3rd and F Streets in Davis. There is no cover charge.
•••Weds. (2/14), 7:30 PM: Rattlesnake Press rattle-read at The Book Collector; see above.
•••Also Weds., 8 PM: The UC-Davis Creative Writing Program presents Emily Norwood, Gabrielle Myers, Crystal Anderson at Café Roma, 3rd & University Sts., Davis.
•••Thurs. (2/15) and Friday (2/16): Garrison Keillor is going to read "Chicken Killing" on "The Writer's Almanac" Feb. 15th and "My Methodist Grandmother Says" on "The Writer's Almanac" Feb. 16th. The poems, which are both from Mary Mackey's new collection, Breaking the Fever, are also going to be available on the American Public Radio website and in podcast. In the Bay Area the show will be playing at 9 AM on KALW (91.7 FM). If you like, you can hear them as early as Monday, Feb. 13, by checking out their website at Writer's Almanac web site. You can also get the schedule for other parts of the country since different stations play The Writer's Almanac at different times.
•••Friday (2/16), 7 PM: Our House poetry reading. Featured reader is William O'Daly, reading poems by Pablo Neruda as well as his own. His latest book of Neruda translations, Still Another Day, was a finalist for a 2006 Quill Award. An open mike follows. Our House Gallery & Framing is located at 4510 Post St. in El Dorado Hills Town Center; take the Latrobe exit south and turn left into the shopping center. There is no charge.
Sacramento Poetry Contest winners:
SPC President Bob Stanley writes: From an unprecedented flood of 350 entries, the 38 poems listed below were selected for the final round by a panel of judges. From these poems, Sacramento Poet Laureate Julia Connor picked the winners – the top three poems, plus 10 honorable mentions. Please come and read your pieces at the awards ceremony on April 9th at HQ for the Arts! RSVP at poetrynow@sacramentopoetrycenter.org
First Prize - $100 Cathleen Williams, Sacramento, for “Ferry”
Second Prize - $50 Marie Reynolds, Sacramento, for “Off-Season”
Third Prize - $25 Timothy Russell, Toronto, Ohio, for “Selected Poems”
10 Honorable Mentions - $10 Barnes & Noble Gift Cards:
Dewell H. Byrd, Eureka, for “Sparrows on Barbed Wire”
J. Patricia Connolly, New York City, for “Exile is it?”
Do Gentry, Sacramento, for “The Auction”
Thomas Goff, Carmichael (2 awards) for “To An Afflicted One” and
“Watercolors at Negro Bar”
Lara Gularte, Magalia, CA, for “A River Story”
Dianna Henning, Janesville, CA, for “Tremor”
Barbara Jennings-Link, Sacramento, for “Montana Wheat Field”
Theresa McCourt, Sacramento, for “Along the Canal”
Cathleen Williams, Sacramento, for “I drove past”
The following poets were Semi-finalists; their poems reached the final group of 38:
J. Patricia Connolly, New York City, for "Ash lad and gatherer" and "Fly in Amber"
Do Gentry, Sacramento, for "Travel Diary and Mirage: A Concise History of Optics"
Thomas Goff, Carmichael, for "Independence Trail"
Lisa Falls Hall, Lodi, for "A Dirty Trick"
Dianna Henning, Janesville, for "No Trouble in Graceland"
Francis Kakugawa, Sacramento, for "Sansei Woman"
Nancy Ling, Walpole, MA, for "Coming Unfrozen" and "Jasmine"
Ellaraine Lockie, Sunnyvale: "Translations from a Face-Lift" and "Walk With Earthworms"
Elena Minor, Los Angeles, for "Hymn No. 607" and "Creation"
Marie Reynolds, Sacramento, for "Crossing the Siskiyous"
Barbara Schweitzer, N. Smithfield, RI, for "Heart-shaped Rocks"
Craig Strauss, Sacramento, for "When He Stared into the Lake He Saw Nothing…"
Jean Tupper, Wrentham, MA, for "The Quarrel"
Christopher Watkins, Mt. Sinai, NY, for "Circulation"
Cathleen Williams for "swing dancers", "Proof", "Found", "Cheyenne" and "Harlem Jazz"
Megan Willis, Rocklin, for "The forest behind our houses…"
_______________________
SILHOUETTES
—Jeanine Stevens, Sacramento
In winter like this
how bare-boned—
stripped of cover
white arms of alder
protrude, glare
and glower. I squint
my eyes, hollows
open branches
black and wet
hissing in sparse
evening light, noisy
shapes reverse
Gestalt principles
of figure-ground
an after-image, halos
shadowing the sun
glass magic lanterns
—old silhouettes.
(Previously published in Pegasus)
_______________________
Thanks, Jeanine, for the shadow poem! For the rest of you, today's the last day: send me your poetry about shadows before midnight tonight, Monday, Feb. 12, and I'll send you a surprise poetry present. E-mail to kathykieth@hotmail.com, or snail to P.O. Box 762, Pollock Pines, CA 95726. Winter is the season of long shadows, after all...
And my apologies to Peggy Hill; I said her birthday was in February, but it's actually January 26.
—Medusa
Medusa encourages poets of all ilk and ages to send their POETRY, PHOTOS and ART, as well as announcements of Northern California poetry events to kathykieth@hotmail.com (or snail ‘em to P.O. Box 762, Pollock Pines, CA 95726) 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.)