Don and Elsie Feliz at their wedding, 1960
CUPID, I HATE THEE
—Michael Drayton
Cupid, I hate thee, which I'd have thee know,
A naked starveling ever may'st thou be,
Poor rogue, go pawn thy fascia and thy bow,
For some few rags wherewith to cover thee;
Or if thou'lt not, thy archery forbear,
To some base rustic do thyself prefer,
And when corn's sown, or grown into the ear,
Practice thy quiver and turn crow-keeper;
Or being blind (as fittest for the trade),
Go hire thyself some bungling harper's boy;
They that are blind are minstrels often made,
So may'st thou live, to thy fair mother's joy:
That whilst with Mars she holdeth her old way,
Thou, her blind son, may'st sit by them, and play.
—Michael Drayton
Cupid, I hate thee, which I'd have thee know,
A naked starveling ever may'st thou be,
Poor rogue, go pawn thy fascia and thy bow,
For some few rags wherewith to cover thee;
Or if thou'lt not, thy archery forbear,
To some base rustic do thyself prefer,
And when corn's sown, or grown into the ear,
Practice thy quiver and turn crow-keeper;
Or being blind (as fittest for the trade),
Go hire thyself some bungling harper's boy;
They that are blind are minstrels often made,
So may'st thou live, to thy fair mother's joy:
That whilst with Mars she holdeth her old way,
Thou, her blind son, may'st sit by them, and play.
__________________
Good morning and Happy Valentine's Day! The Snake had a massive celebration of Love last night with the release of To Berlin With Love from Elsie Whitlow Feliz and Don Feliz, a new broadside from Carlena Wike (Going The Distance), a short reading from Ann Wehrman's broadside (Notes From The Ivory Tower), wine from the Friths, and a new SnakeRings SpiralChap from Sam and Kathy Kieth (Sex—For Animals...). It was glorious, and a great way to emerge from hibernation! All of these publications are now at The Book Collector and will soon be available on the rattlesnakepress.com website, as well.
Snake deadline looms!
Deadline for Issue #17 of Rattlesnake Review (due out in mid-March) is this coming 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.
Tonight in NorCal poetry:
•••Thursday (2/14), 7:30 PM: Writers of the New Sun/Los Escritores del Nuevo Sol present: Love, Lyrical Love, their Annual Valentine’s event, this year featuring Manuel Pickett, Music & Words, and special guest poet Fernando Castro. La Raza Galeria Posada, 1022 22th Street, MidTown Sacramento. Cost: $5.00 or as you can afford. All are invited. For Escritores poetry information, contact Graciela Ramirez at 916-456-5323 or http://escritoresdelnuevosol.com/. Take your Valentine to a poetry reading! How romantic!! [Note address correction from last Monday's post. La Raza Galeria Posada is on 22nd St., not 24th.]
•••Also tonight, 8 PM: Poetry Unplugged at Luna's Cafe, 1414 16th St., Sacramento. Open mic before and after.
__________________
IF I WERE LOVED, AS I DESIRE TO BE
—Alfred, Lord Tennyson
If I were loved, as I desire to be,
What is there in this great sphere of earth,
And range of evil between death and birth,
That I should fear,—if I were loved by thee?
All the inner, all the outer world of pain
Clear love would pierce and cleave, if thou wert mine,
As I have heard that, somewhere in the main,
Fresh-water springs come up through bitter brine.
'Twere joy, not fear, clasped hand in hand with thee,
To wit for death—mute—careless of all ills,
Apart upon a mountain, though the surge
Of some new deluge from a thousand hills
Flung leagues of roaring foam into the gorge
Below us, as far on as eye could see.
___________________
—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).