NO ESCAPE
—Salvatore Amico M. Buttaci, Princeton, W. VA.
You said you would track me down,
Dive into the dark shadow of me,
Mimic my gestures, salute and denounce,
Beg and give away to beggars.
I will not escape you, you said,
No matter how hard I try to vanish
From your sight, but I try nonetheless
To hammer my life into a fine thinness.
Still you find me, walk the surface of me,
Spitefully dance down my body,
Pursue me in the gray melancholic kingdoms
of far-away night dreams.
______________________
Thanks, Sal! Sal Buttaci is a long-time SnakePal (since the first issue of RR!) who helped the wee VYPER teen journal along by sending poems from his students before he retired this year. Watch for more of Sal's work in the next issue of Rattlesnake Review. TODAY is the deadline for Rattlesnake Review #16, by the way: Send 3-5 poems, plus photos and/or art to kathykieth@hotmail.com or P.O. Box 762, Pollock Pines, CA 95726. No bio/cover letter necessary, but no simultaneous submissions or previously published work, please.
Last night's reading at The Book Collector was a veritable orgy of good poetry and good vibes, and I'm still drunk on it all. My thanks to frank andrick, Katy Brown, and Taylor Graham for the quality of their work and their reading and their willingness to play along with the Snake; to Richard, Rachel and Ru Hansen for opening The Book Collector to us and stocking our burgeoning collection of Snake books, free and otherwise; and to the warm and willing audience who attends these readings and welcomes the poetry of one (or more) of their own. Truly something to celebrate Thanksgiving for, and if you weren't able to be there last night, there's always next month!
Herein begins the pitch: if you're looking for Christmas gifts, for yourself or others, stop in at The Book Collector and indulge in a wee book or two, or even Katy Brown's new perpetual calendar of photos, poems and poets, A Book of Days, which is a bargain at $5 and makes a great gift for poets and non-poets alike. That's 1008 24th St., Sacramento (between J and K Sts.). TBC is THE place to pick up small press poetry books, not only from the Snake but also from many other fine poets and writers, local and otherwise. (And be sure to pick up some of Richard's tiny Poems-For-All while you're there. Free! And great stocking stuffers.)
And coming in December: Three years ago, Patricia D'Alessandro moved to Desert Hot Springs in Southern California, but on December 12, she'll be back with us to release a SnakeRings SpiralChap of her art and poetry entitled, Metaphoric Intervals From The Insanity Of Life. Pat has a wonderful sense of humor in her writing and is an insightful artist besides, and this rather surreal collection will tickle your funny-bone and feast your eyes as well. Also featured that night will be a littlesnake broadside from Sacramento's poet and musician, Ann Wehrman, entitled Notes From An Ivory Tower. Ann is a regular contributor to Rattlesnake Review and Medusa, and a busy music major at CSUS. More about these wonderful poets later.
______________________
DREAMING BERWIND LAKE
—Salvatore Amico M. Buttaci
Last night I dreamed of Berwind Lake,
Watched the dragonflies skim across
still waters, cardinals flying low,
Swashing red against the gray sky.
At first I thought I’d lost my way;
I did not recognize the bridge
Of wood beneath my feet, swaying
Like a pendulum above the lake.
Strangers at a picnic table
Were laughing at my clumsiness.
Each time I tried to stand, I fell
While the dream sky grew darker.
At last on level ground again,
I knew I would escape somehow
If only I could find my car,
If only morning would come and save me.
____________________
KNICKNACK
—Salvatore Amico M. Buttaci
The Buddha sits in his robe of gold,
bald head and belly round and bold,
cross-legged and smiling, looking quite old.
His two ears are huge for the stories they hold
and prayers still dance from the depths of his soul.
____________________
COLLECTIBLES
—Salvatore Amico M. Buttaci
in his childhood
he saved bottlecaps
matchbooks
baseball cards
coins and stamps
but in adulthood
he threw them all away
in favor of
collecting hearts
kisses
marriage vows
now in his closing days
his hands tremble
his eyes are too weak
to page through
the scrapbook
inventory of
his life's
Collections
____________________
—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.) Medusa cannot vouch for the moral fiber of other publications, contests, etc. that she lists, however, so submit to them at your own risk. For more info about the Snake Empire, including guidelines for submitting to or obtaining our publications, click on the link to the right of this column: Rattlesnake Press (rattlesnakepress.com).
SnakeWatch: Up-to-the-minute Snake news:
Journals: The latest issue of Rattlesnake Review (#15) is available for free at The Book Collector, 1008 24th St., Sacramento, or send $2 to P.O. Box 762, Pollock Pines, CA 95726. Deadline for Snake 16 (Sweet 16!) is this coming Thursday, November 15—yikes! That's today!
New in November: On November 14, Rattlesnake Press released Among Neighbors, a rattlechap from Taylor Graham; Home is Where You Hang Your Wings, a free littlesnake broadside from frank andrick; and A Poet's Book of Days, a perpetual calendar featuring the poetry and photography of Katy Brown. These are now available at The Book Collector, from kathykieth@hotmail.com, or on rattlesnakepress.com/ (in a day or two).
Coming December 12: The Snake is proud to announce the release of Metamorphic Intervals From The Insanity Of Time, a SnakeRings SpiralChap from Patricia D'Alessandro; Notes From An Ivory Tower, a littlesnake broadside from Ann Wehrman; and a brand new issue of Rattlesnake Review. Come celebrate all of these on Wednesday, December 12, 7:30 PM at The Book Collector, 1008 24th St., Sacramento. Refreshments and a read-around will follow; bring your own poems or somebody else's. Be there!