WHY JUST ASK THE DONKEY
—Hafiz
Why
Just ask the donkey in me
To speak to the donkey in you,
When I have so many other beautiful animals
And brilliant colored birds inside
That are all longing to say something wonderful
And exciting to your heart?
Let's open all the locked doors upon our eyes
That keep us from knowing the Intelligence
That begets love
And a more lively and satisfying conversation
With the Friend.
Let's turn loose our golden falcons
So that they can meet in the sky
Where our spirits belong—
Necking like two
Hot kids.
Let's hold hands and get drunk near the sun
And sing sweet songs to God
Until He joins us with a few notes
From His own sublime lute and drum.
If you have a better idea
Of how to pass a lonely night
After your glands may have performed
All their little magic
Then speak up sweethearts, speak up,
For Hafiz and all the world will listen.
Why just bring your donkey to me
Asking for stale hay
And a boring conference with the idiot
In regards to this precious matter—
Such a precious matter as love,
When I have so many other divine animals
And brilliant colored birds inside
That are all longing
To so sweetly
Greet
You!
—Hafiz
Why
Just ask the donkey in me
To speak to the donkey in you,
When I have so many other beautiful animals
And brilliant colored birds inside
That are all longing to say something wonderful
And exciting to your heart?
Let's open all the locked doors upon our eyes
That keep us from knowing the Intelligence
That begets love
And a more lively and satisfying conversation
With the Friend.
Let's turn loose our golden falcons
So that they can meet in the sky
Where our spirits belong—
Necking like two
Hot kids.
Let's hold hands and get drunk near the sun
And sing sweet songs to God
Until He joins us with a few notes
From His own sublime lute and drum.
If you have a better idea
Of how to pass a lonely night
After your glands may have performed
All their little magic
Then speak up sweethearts, speak up,
For Hafiz and all the world will listen.
Why just bring your donkey to me
Asking for stale hay
And a boring conference with the idiot
In regards to this precious matter—
Such a precious matter as love,
When I have so many other divine animals
And brilliant colored birds inside
That are all longing
To so sweetly
Greet
You!
__________________
This weekend in NorCal poetry:
•••Friday (5/16), 7 PM: Poetry at Wild Mountain features Allegra Jostad Silberstein and Theresa McCourt. An open mike follows. Wild Mountain Books and More is located at 352 Main St., Placerville. There is no charge.
•••Friday (5/16), 7:30 PM: Writers of the New Sun / Escritores del Nuevo Sol present The Second Annual Story Night. Enjoy brief items (about 5 minutes each) in the form of essay, short story, memoir, play scene, novel excerpt, or narrative poem. We will sit around our [figurative] campfire and share our tales. MC Sam Rios, our genial, articulate host, will have great stories of his own. La Raza Galeria Posada, 1022 – 22nd Street, midtown Sacramento. This evening is dedicated to Rudy Cuellar, a man who gave so much of his life to the stories of the Chicano community.
•••Saturday (5/17), 7-9 PM: Underground Books presents Queen Sheba from Atlanta, Rodzilla (home from Denver), ImmoBme, Yoke Breaker, Random Abiladeze, La-Rue' and Supanova. 2814 35th St. (off 35th and Broadway), Sacramento. $3.00
•••Saturday (5/17), Noon to 4 PM: Poetry Picnic: California Poets in the Schools Reading with spoken word stylings of Verso Al Fresco and poetry workshops for kids of all ages. Robin Sweeny Park (corner of Litho and Caledonia Streets), Sausalito. FREE!
•••Sunday (5/18), 7:30 PM: Marin Poetry Festival presents Robert Bly, Eavan Boland & Jane Hirshfield with music of Middle East. Angelico Hall of Dominican University, 50 Acacia Ave., San Rafael. $25 general, $20 students and seniors. Sponsored by Book Passage, Dominican University and Poetry Flash. For tickets call 415.927.0960, ext. 239
or visit http://isledesk.com/festival or email PoetNews@sonic.net/.
•••Monday (5/19), 7:30 PM: Sacramento Poetry Center presents Q.R. Hand and Bill Vartnaw, HQ for the Arts, 25th & R Sts., Sacramento. Free; open mic after.
__________________
David Humphreys sends us this photo and tribute to Dith Pran, the Cambodian photojournalist who was immortalized in the movie, The Killing Fields, and who passed away recently. Thanks, David!
DITH PRAN
—David Humphreys, Stockton
History is long with nutrients soaking
into soil, jungle birds exploding into sky.
Would the wilderness beside the bubbling
newness of this historical river ever consider
asking the question why?
Today's LittleNip:
Life is full of misery, loneliness, and suffering—and it's all over much too soon.
—Woody Allen
__________________
—Medusa (who will be off carousing for the weekend, and who will return, snakes and all, on Monday the 19th)
MEDUSA'S WEEKLY MENU:
(Contributors are welcome to cook something up for any and all of these!)
Monday: Weekly NorCal poetry calendar
Tuesday: Seed of the Week: Tuesday is Medusa's day to post poetry triggers such as quotes, forms, photos, memories, jokes—whatever might tickle somebody's muse. Pick up the gauntlet and send in your poetic results; and don't be shy about sending in your own triggers, too! All poems will be posted and a few of them will go into Medusa's Corner of each Rattlesnake Review. Send your work to kathykieth@hotmail.com or P.O. Box 762, Pollock Pines, CA 95726. No deadline for SOW; respond today, tomorrow, or whenever the muse arrives. (Print 'em out, maybe, save 'em for a dry spell?) When you send us work, though, just let us know which "seed" it was that inspired you.
Wednesday: HandyStuff Quickies: Resources for the poet, including whatever helps ease the pain of writing and/or publishing. Favorite journals to read and/or submit to; books, etc., about writing; organizational tools—you know—HandyStuff! Tell us about your favorite tools.
Thursday: B.L.'s Drive-Bys: Micro-reviews by our irreverent Reviewer-in-Residence, B.L. Kennedy. Send books, CDs, DVDs, etc. to him for possible review (either as a Drive-By or in Rattlesnake Review) at P.O. Box 160664, Sacramento, CA 95816.
Friday: NorCal weekend poetry calendar
Daily (except Sunday): LittleNips: SnakeFood for the Poetic Soul: Daily munchables for poetic thought, including short paragraphs, quotes, wonky words, silliness, little-known poetry/poet facts, and other inspiration—yet another way to feed our ever-hungry poetic souls.
And poetry! Every day, poetry from writers near and far! The Snakes of Medusa are always hungry.......!
_________________
SNAKEWATCH: NEWS FROM RATTLESNAKE PRESS
New for May: Rattlesnake Press is proud to announce the release of Among Summer Pines by Quinton Duval and a littlesnake broadside, Before Naming, by Stephani Schaefer.
Coming June 11: Two Moons in June: Join us at The Book Collector for the premiere of Day Moon, a new chapbook by James DenBoer, and Mindfully Moon, a littlesnake broadside by Carol Louise Moon, as well as Volume Three of Conversations, our third book of interviews by B.L. Kennedy, featuring Art Beck, Olivia Costellano, Quinton Duval, William S. Gainer, Mario Ellis Hill, Kathryn Hohlwein, James Jee Jobe, Andy Jones, Rebecca Morrison, Viola Weinberg and Phillip T. Nails. All this PLUS a brand-new edition of Rattlesnake Review! That's at The Book Collector, 1008 24th St., Sacramento, 7:30 PM.
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). And be sure to sign up for Snakebytes, our monthly e-newsletter that will keep you up-to-date on all our ophidian chicanery.