Judith Ann Taylor Graham
SERVICING THE WINDMILL
—Taylor Graham, Somerset
Fifty feet up a Lego ladder
you climb to the platform housing our Aermotor.
Up there in an iron tub,
two big gears are screwing in a bath of oil,
while a tail-wind pointer and a ring of silver sails
spin whichever way the weather blows.
In boots and your one breakable brain,
you’re ascending
I can’t count how many
thin peened lacework steps toward heaven
over a hard November hillside.
This is your first time.
Earth is such a tricky
attachment. To the west, buzzard wings
go tilting at hunger while you’re grease-
gunning metal, glugging two yellow quarts
of oil into a matrix of gears that mate
at the winds’ whimsy.
And then at last you let yourself
back down, tread by tread,
hand by slippery hand. Everything
about you is greasy.
While you wash up,
I turn on the evening news, its large-
scale weather and mass-casualty disasters.
Tonight they aren’t our own. Outside
a west wind plays the vane
while lubricated gears mesh and sing,
drawing water. Across the table,
this present comfort: meatloaf,
the two of us at supper.
____________________
Thanks, TG! Taylor Graham and Rattlesnake Press will be releasing her latest chapbook, Among Neighbors, tomorrow night at 7:30 at The Book Collector, 1008 24th St., Sacramento (between J and K Sts.). Come hear Judith Ann (Taylor) read, along with frank andrick, who will premier his new littlesnake broadside, Home Is Where You Hang Your Wings, PLUS the added treat of Katy Brown's new perpetual calendar, A Poet's Book of Days, the first in the Rattlesnake HandyStuff Series! All this PLUS refreshments and a read-around (bring your own poems or somebody else's!). Be there!
Calendar addition for this week:
•••Friday (11/16), 7:30 PM: Escritores del Nuevo Sol/Writers of the New Sun presents Luz Maria Gama, [rattlechapper] JoAnn Anglin, and Manuel Pickett, Theater Professor at Sac State and Diane Martinez, who will present a brief dramatic arrangement of selected items from Cantos y Cuentos, Poems & Stories of the Writers of the New Sun/Escritores del Nuevo Sol. La Raza Galeria Posada, 1022 22nd St., Sacramento. Free-will donation as you can afford. Info: Graciela Ramirez, 916-456-5323. Website: www.escritoresdelnuevosol.com/. Escritores del Nuevo Sol/Writers of the New Sun is a literary community, established in 1993 as Writers in Residence at LRGP. Their mission is to honor and advance the literary and artistic cultures and traditions of the Chicano, Latino, Indigenous and Spanish-language peoples. Members write in Spanish or English, or both.
See below for some of JoAnn's beautiful poems, and check out her page on rattlesnakepress.com, under "Rattlechaps".
_____________________
Ellen Bass workshop at Esalen:
Ellen Bass will host a workshop at Esalen Institute in Big Sur from Nov. 30-Dec. 2, entitled Writing About Our Lives. Ellen says: If you have been to Esalen, you know it is one of the most beautiful—and inspirational—places on the planet. If not, perhaps it's time to visit. This workshop will be an opportunity to delve deeply into your writing without distractions or interruptions. If you find that you're not getting enough time for writing in your daily life, if you have pieces you can't seem to get started on, or if you just want to keep on keeping on, this is a spectacularly beautiful and nourishing place to do it. This weekend will help keep the channels open. There will be time for writing and time for sharing and feedback. From beginners to experienced, all writers are welcome. Whether you are interested in poetry, fiction, nonfiction, or journal writing, this is an an opportunity to explore your truth and expand your craft.
Esalen fees cover tuition, food and lodging and vary according to accommodations, ranging from $320 to $605. The sleeping bag space is an incredible bargain. Some work-scholarship assistance is available, as well as small prepayment discounts and senior discounts. All arrangements and registration must be made directly with Esalen 831-667-3005 or at www.esalen.org/, but if you have questions about the content of the workshop, feel free to email me ellen@ellenbass.com (www.ellenbass.com), or call me at 831-426-8006.
_____________________
Whee-Haw!!
Sorry to perpetuate the stereotypes about cowboy poetry by whee-hawing; shame on me! I personally like cowboy poetry a LOT, so am thinking about heading up the hill to Elko, Nevada in January for the 24th National Cowboy Poetry Gathering scheduled from Jan. 26-Feb. 2. This is the largest Gathering (they don't call them readings) in the nation, maybe in the world. For the first time, tix can be purchased online at www.westernfolklife.org; prices range from $11 for a yodeling workshop (!) to $151 for a day of ranch tours. But the main thing is the poetry, of course, which goes on day and night and will feature many stars of the genre, plus dances, films, music, theater and a multitude of how-to programs. Check out the website for all the haps.
Easier to take, weather-wise, is the Cowboy Poetry and Music Festival (and Western Art & Gear Show) Dec. 7-9 at the Monterey Conference Center in Monterey. Tix for individual events run from $15-$35, or $190 for an all-event pass. Info: www.montereycowboy.com/.
______________________
Snake deadline this Thursday, November 15!
The countdown is on NOW for this Thursday's deadline for Rattlesnake Review #16. 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. (Medusa's Kitchen does take prev-pubs, though; just credit them where credit is due, of course.)
______________________
IN THE WATER
—JoAnn Anglin, Sacramento
My grandson thinks he sees an otter.
And maybe he does.
My quick glance out the side window
as I cross over the bridge
shows something is there. Some specks,
of what size it is hard to say
Ducks? Pieces of wood? Maybe,
yes, an otter.
Something makes it own mild wake
pulling along a silky disturbance.
We move past the river, but now
that otter has moved into me.
An otter must have been needed.
Whenever I look at the river now,
I cannot not see the otter.
____________________
THIEVERY
—JoAnn Anglin
We writers steal the apples from other people’s trees
believe ourselves entitled to riffle through the
mail that others leave out, take the pennies from
tip jars, start bouncing the ball left on the grass.
We happily carry our oversize handbags, slip on
the garments with large pockets, some hidden.
Strolling along, we pluck the flowers from our
neighbors’ gardens, deftly slide in to cadge the
caress meant for someone else. Ask us, we’ll say
One life isn’t enough, we must borrow from others
who may not understand. We appropriate with only
the best intent, tuck away the meanings they will
miss or not appreciate. We must take them
because we see them in ways their owners do not.
We pretend not to hear, if somebody asks us,
How much did you pay for that?
_____________________
PRODUCT PLACEMENT
—JoAnn Anglin
You are the commercial that sneaks
into every scene, unthought of
until you are the pick-up truck
crossing the intersection.
I have turned away and tuned
away, yet you appear: the candy
bar in the break room, the
cigarette smoked by the
rebellious girl fated to die.
In the baby’s apple juice, the coffee
shop, the gay cowboy’s hatband,
the mint on the pillow, the brandy,
the cornflakes, the tissue, the bike,
and the cell phones and pens,
silvery sleek and flying high.
Flying away, always away.
_____________________
Thanks, JoAnn! Watch for more of JoAnn's poetry in Rattlesnake Review 16 (Sweet 16!), due out in mid-December. Did I mention the deadline is in TWO DAYS?
—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! Only two days away!
Coming November 14: The Snake is proud to announce the release of Among Neighbors, a rattlechap from Taylor Graham; Home is Where You Hang Your Wings, a littlesnake broadside from frank andrick; and A Poet's Book of Days, a perpetual calendar featuring the poetry and photography of Katy Brown. Come celebrate all of these on Wednesday, November 14, 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!
—Taylor Graham, Somerset
Fifty feet up a Lego ladder
you climb to the platform housing our Aermotor.
Up there in an iron tub,
two big gears are screwing in a bath of oil,
while a tail-wind pointer and a ring of silver sails
spin whichever way the weather blows.
In boots and your one breakable brain,
you’re ascending
I can’t count how many
thin peened lacework steps toward heaven
over a hard November hillside.
This is your first time.
Earth is such a tricky
attachment. To the west, buzzard wings
go tilting at hunger while you’re grease-
gunning metal, glugging two yellow quarts
of oil into a matrix of gears that mate
at the winds’ whimsy.
And then at last you let yourself
back down, tread by tread,
hand by slippery hand. Everything
about you is greasy.
While you wash up,
I turn on the evening news, its large-
scale weather and mass-casualty disasters.
Tonight they aren’t our own. Outside
a west wind plays the vane
while lubricated gears mesh and sing,
drawing water. Across the table,
this present comfort: meatloaf,
the two of us at supper.
____________________
Thanks, TG! Taylor Graham and Rattlesnake Press will be releasing her latest chapbook, Among Neighbors, tomorrow night at 7:30 at The Book Collector, 1008 24th St., Sacramento (between J and K Sts.). Come hear Judith Ann (Taylor) read, along with frank andrick, who will premier his new littlesnake broadside, Home Is Where You Hang Your Wings, PLUS the added treat of Katy Brown's new perpetual calendar, A Poet's Book of Days, the first in the Rattlesnake HandyStuff Series! All this PLUS refreshments and a read-around (bring your own poems or somebody else's!). Be there!
Calendar addition for this week:
•••Friday (11/16), 7:30 PM: Escritores del Nuevo Sol/Writers of the New Sun presents Luz Maria Gama, [rattlechapper] JoAnn Anglin, and Manuel Pickett, Theater Professor at Sac State and Diane Martinez, who will present a brief dramatic arrangement of selected items from Cantos y Cuentos, Poems & Stories of the Writers of the New Sun/Escritores del Nuevo Sol. La Raza Galeria Posada, 1022 22nd St., Sacramento. Free-will donation as you can afford. Info: Graciela Ramirez, 916-456-5323. Website: www.escritoresdelnuevosol.com/. Escritores del Nuevo Sol/Writers of the New Sun is a literary community, established in 1993 as Writers in Residence at LRGP. Their mission is to honor and advance the literary and artistic cultures and traditions of the Chicano, Latino, Indigenous and Spanish-language peoples. Members write in Spanish or English, or both.
See below for some of JoAnn's beautiful poems, and check out her page on rattlesnakepress.com, under "Rattlechaps".
_____________________
Ellen Bass workshop at Esalen:
Ellen Bass will host a workshop at Esalen Institute in Big Sur from Nov. 30-Dec. 2, entitled Writing About Our Lives. Ellen says: If you have been to Esalen, you know it is one of the most beautiful—and inspirational—places on the planet. If not, perhaps it's time to visit. This workshop will be an opportunity to delve deeply into your writing without distractions or interruptions. If you find that you're not getting enough time for writing in your daily life, if you have pieces you can't seem to get started on, or if you just want to keep on keeping on, this is a spectacularly beautiful and nourishing place to do it. This weekend will help keep the channels open. There will be time for writing and time for sharing and feedback. From beginners to experienced, all writers are welcome. Whether you are interested in poetry, fiction, nonfiction, or journal writing, this is an an opportunity to explore your truth and expand your craft.
Esalen fees cover tuition, food and lodging and vary according to accommodations, ranging from $320 to $605. The sleeping bag space is an incredible bargain. Some work-scholarship assistance is available, as well as small prepayment discounts and senior discounts. All arrangements and registration must be made directly with Esalen 831-667-3005 or at www.esalen.org/, but if you have questions about the content of the workshop, feel free to email me ellen@ellenbass.com (www.ellenbass.com), or call me at 831-426-8006.
_____________________
Whee-Haw!!
Sorry to perpetuate the stereotypes about cowboy poetry by whee-hawing; shame on me! I personally like cowboy poetry a LOT, so am thinking about heading up the hill to Elko, Nevada in January for the 24th National Cowboy Poetry Gathering scheduled from Jan. 26-Feb. 2. This is the largest Gathering (they don't call them readings) in the nation, maybe in the world. For the first time, tix can be purchased online at www.westernfolklife.org; prices range from $11 for a yodeling workshop (!) to $151 for a day of ranch tours. But the main thing is the poetry, of course, which goes on day and night and will feature many stars of the genre, plus dances, films, music, theater and a multitude of how-to programs. Check out the website for all the haps.
Easier to take, weather-wise, is the Cowboy Poetry and Music Festival (and Western Art & Gear Show) Dec. 7-9 at the Monterey Conference Center in Monterey. Tix for individual events run from $15-$35, or $190 for an all-event pass. Info: www.montereycowboy.com/.
______________________
Snake deadline this Thursday, November 15!
The countdown is on NOW for this Thursday's deadline for Rattlesnake Review #16. 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. (Medusa's Kitchen does take prev-pubs, though; just credit them where credit is due, of course.)
______________________
IN THE WATER
—JoAnn Anglin, Sacramento
My grandson thinks he sees an otter.
And maybe he does.
My quick glance out the side window
as I cross over the bridge
shows something is there. Some specks,
of what size it is hard to say
Ducks? Pieces of wood? Maybe,
yes, an otter.
Something makes it own mild wake
pulling along a silky disturbance.
We move past the river, but now
that otter has moved into me.
An otter must have been needed.
Whenever I look at the river now,
I cannot not see the otter.
____________________
THIEVERY
—JoAnn Anglin
We writers steal the apples from other people’s trees
believe ourselves entitled to riffle through the
mail that others leave out, take the pennies from
tip jars, start bouncing the ball left on the grass.
We happily carry our oversize handbags, slip on
the garments with large pockets, some hidden.
Strolling along, we pluck the flowers from our
neighbors’ gardens, deftly slide in to cadge the
caress meant for someone else. Ask us, we’ll say
One life isn’t enough, we must borrow from others
who may not understand. We appropriate with only
the best intent, tuck away the meanings they will
miss or not appreciate. We must take them
because we see them in ways their owners do not.
We pretend not to hear, if somebody asks us,
How much did you pay for that?
_____________________
PRODUCT PLACEMENT
—JoAnn Anglin
You are the commercial that sneaks
into every scene, unthought of
until you are the pick-up truck
crossing the intersection.
I have turned away and tuned
away, yet you appear: the candy
bar in the break room, the
cigarette smoked by the
rebellious girl fated to die.
In the baby’s apple juice, the coffee
shop, the gay cowboy’s hatband,
the mint on the pillow, the brandy,
the cornflakes, the tissue, the bike,
and the cell phones and pens,
silvery sleek and flying high.
Flying away, always away.
_____________________
Thanks, JoAnn! Watch for more of JoAnn's poetry in Rattlesnake Review 16 (Sweet 16!), due out in mid-December. Did I mention the deadline is in TWO DAYS?
—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! Only two days away!
Coming November 14: The Snake is proud to announce the release of Among Neighbors, a rattlechap from Taylor Graham; Home is Where You Hang Your Wings, a littlesnake broadside from frank andrick; and A Poet's Book of Days, a perpetual calendar featuring the poetry and photography of Katy Brown. Come celebrate all of these on Wednesday, November 14, 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!