Poems for the Parched

Charity Bryson (and her grandson)

OCTOBER RAIN
—Charity Bryson, Grass Valley

gray pine
needles scorched.

baked earth

fog
hanging in the air
cloaking to pine.

mist gathers
falls
leaving
pearled patterns
in the dust.

rain becomes
a russet trail
sucked deep
by parched roots.

__________________

Thanks, Charity! Charity Bryson says: I started writing poetry in high school and college. Drugs, sex and rock & roll got me sidetracked in the '60's, as did child rearing later in my life. Over the past few years I've rediscovered the magic of poetry. I've been published by Rattlesnake Review and the Nevada County Poetry Series (twice), received second and third place at the Nevada County Fair for my poems. I'm active with NCPS, Sierra Writers and Iven Laurie's Cafe Writers. I have two beautiful grandsons (ages 2 and 4) who frequently serve as my muses. Nature (most specifically Rock Creek Nature Trail) often shares her treasures with me and has come to be my primary muse. I've lived in Nevada County for 20-plus years. Raised in Napa. Went to San Francisco State in the '60s but, as I said previously, I got sidetracked by the hippy adventure and never graduated.


METAL & GLASS
—Charity Bryson

crisp blue sky
early Sunday morning
the only sound
my tires treading on blacktop

Hispanic youth
hastens along the sidewalk
alone
he lights a cigarette

for an instant
in the quiet solitude of the street
an unguarded connection
settles between us

glancing up
his brown eyes
meet mine
head nods
flicker of smile

then
he continues on his journey

I coast by in my Prius
separated by metal
and glass

___________________

CANINE MEDITATION
—Charity Bryson

cast iron pot simmers
on my woodstove
steeping the room in
cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg.

Leiben, contented,
snuggles her long nose into my arm.

Sequoia’s great silver head
rests warmly on my foot.

Daisy rests on the couch
her face tucked into her warm belly.

Three canine souls
content with the universe
and
I while away the hours
sipping a spot of tea.

__________________

Thanks, Charity! Watch for more of Charity Bryson's work in Snake 18, due out in mid-June.

David Humphreys sends us this response to last Tuesday's Seed of the Week (keys). Thanks, David!


KEYS TO QUESTIONS
—David Humphreys, Stockton

Learning to see
With ears that listen,
Learning to know
By walking slow.
Shedding confusion,
Clarity dawning,
Wisdom appearing
In revelation
Tranquility’s calm
And epiphany.

_________________

Today's LittleNip:

Walt Whitman didn't sing only as a white man or a gay man. He didn't even sing as a living man, as opposed to a dead man. He made the human race look like a better idea.

—Sharon Olds

_________________

—Medusa


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 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. Both of these are now available at The Book Collector, 1008 24th St., Sacramento, and will soon be available at rattlesnakepress.com/.

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, June 11.


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.