THE SPACE BETWEEN BREATHS
—William S. Gainer, Grass Valley
Reading her poem
I notice
the difference between
the words —
“lovelies”
and “love lies” —
is only
one small gap,
a pause,
no more
than the space
between
breaths...
____________________
Thanks, Bill! Watch for more of Bill Gainer's poetry in Rattlesnake Review Sweet 16, coming in mid-December.
What's with the bunnies? Marie Ross mentioned "gnarled stumps" in one of yesterday's poems, so I went hunting for photos of stumps on the Web. As usual, Fotosearch came through with more royalty-free pix than you could shake a stump at, lots of 'em with way-cool critters perched on them, besides. So expect lots of future photos of stumps, some with wee beasties. (Which of course Medusa is a sucker for, given her on-going habitation with snakes of various ilk...)
There is something very, very fruitful about the image of a stump: life that once was, something cut off/truncated too soon, life that sometimes regenerates from the roots. Amputated. Do trees have phantom pains; do they remember old limbs? What does it mean to be "stumped"? Or even to "stump" in the political sense; is that related?
Let's have an off-beat challenge, something that might even stump you. Send Medusa your poems/photos/art about stumps or being "stumped" or other variations thereof (metaphoric and otherwise) and I'll send you Taylor Graham's latest chapbook, Among Neighbors, which is about our relations with our fellow creatures: arboreal, two- and four-legged, and elsewise. (Or, if you have that, another Rattlesnake Press book of your choosing.) Send it all to kathykieth@hotmail.com or P.O. Box 762, Pollock Pines, CA 95726 by midnight (postmarked) Tuesday, Nov. 20.
______________________
THE COMPLACENCY OF FOOLS
—William S. Gainer
They don’t
frighten
the way they
should —
not realizing
that age
has only
made us
look safe...
_____________________
LOOKING FOR TOMORROW
—William S. Gainer
Windshield
dirty,
truck
pushing
through time,
hitchhikers
with signs —
needing to be
someplace else.
This is not a rescue,
it's an escape.
They can find
their own way.
The gas gauge
says
go...
So,
we go...
_____________________
—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:
Rattlesnake Review: 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. Issue #16 will be out in mid-December; its deadline of Nov. 15 has passed. Next deadline (for Issue #17, due out in mid-March) is February 15.
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 (#16). 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.