THE DISCOVERY
—Cleo Fellers Kocol, Roseville
Glimpsed in a hollow between
two ranges, the house perches
on the edge of a hill, Sierra
mountain folds opening up
before and beyond. Paint
gone, weathered siding shines
like silver, windows catch
the sun and flash gold. My
dog races to it. I follow.
Who lives in this Appalachian
look-alike, its front porch
like an engraving of Hatfield
and McCoy? Their feud lived
beyond years of gun-toting.
But no smoke pours from the
chimney, and no dogs rush to
challenge my pampered, pet-
shop pet. Drawing near I see
the house is a movie set as
false as generations and countries
keeping the warring past alive.
___________________
Thanks, Cleo! Cleo Fellers Kocol writes: You might mention on Medusa that my Valentine's Day column for the Sacramento Bee will feature love poems by David Anderson, Joel Fallon, Susan Finkleman, and Taylor Graham, as well as others. If one does not receive the print article, the column can be located on line under my name. At the same time, "Placer Poetry", which is always an online venue, will have poetry by Margaret Ellis Hill and others.
___________________
TOO FAR
—Cleo Fellers Kocol
His words last night still
smarting, an aftertaste of bitter
saturates my morning coffee.
We start our long-planned hike
before sun flares the sky,
that taste of night remaining.
I follow him across
shallow waters to
challenge a hill.
Words once buried in my
self-conscious leap to ford
streams of retribution.
They smash into a world
slowly regaining its
color. Too late
to pull a single, stupid
syllable back, I remain
locked in his footsteps,
waiting for
the final
word.
___________________
NEW MAN
—Cleo Fellers Kocol
He’s gone, and
I wonder, would I hurt less
if I had known him longer,
or feel better
if I had known
him less?
Meeting, admiring and
gravitating toward one another,
conversation deposited
us in an increasingly
warm place.
In photos, his eyes say
yes,
and I don’t know
what mine would have
replied.
Now, his image
burned into my memory,
his words still
cling to the interstices where
love and liking intersect.
I see again
the car—
hurtling toward us
the wrong way
on a one-way street, and
I blank out the crash.
___________________
Thanks, Cleo, for some other "takes" on Love. Watch for more of Cleo's poetry in Rattlesnake Review #17, due out in mid-March. (Deadline is 2/15.)
—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: February is Love Month!
Next week, on February 13, Rattlesnake Press will roar to life again after winter hibernation, with a new SnakeRings SpiralChap from Don and Elsie Feliz entitled To Berlin With Love, about their adventures in Germany during the building of the Berlin Wall. Also released that evening will be a new littlesnake broadside from Carlena Wike (Going the Distance), as well as Volume Two of Conversations, a new volume of B.L. Kennedy's Rattlesnake Interview Series—this one featuring interviews and poetry from Victoria Dalkey, Susan Kelly-DeWitt, Julia Connor, Ted Finn, Phil Weidman, Jose Montoya, Joyce Odam, Chris Olander, Josh Fernandez, Terryl Wheat, and B.L. Kennedy. In addition, Ann Wehrman, who gave us December’s littlesnake broadside, Notes From The Ivory Tower, but who was unable to read from it at December’s rattle-read will be there to read, as well.
But that’s not all!! In addition to the above, another of our area’s fun couples will be handing out a free special publication, and a third set of Sacramento’s sweethearts will be bringing wine… You REALLY don’t want to miss this grand Valentine’s return of the Snake! Join us at The Book Collector, 100 24th St. (between J and K) in Sacramento on Weds., February 13 at 7:30 PM. Refreshments and a read-around will follow; bring your own poems or somebody else's.
Rattlesnake Review: Up-coming deadline for Issue #17 (due out in mid-March) is Friday, February 15 (postmarked). Send 3-5 poems, plus photos, art, and other poet-phernalia to kathykieth@hotmail.com or P.O. Box 762, Pollock Pines, CA 95726. No cover or bio needed, but no simultaneous submissions or previously-published work, please. Issue #16 is still available for free at The Book Collector, or send me two bux and I'll mail you one. Or pick one up when you're at the reading next week!