THE SEA
—Pablo Neruda
One single being, but there's no blood.
One single caress, death or rose.
The sea comes and reunites our lives
and alone attacks and divides and sings
in night and day and man and creature.
The essence: fire and cold: movement.
(translated by Mark Eisner)
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Congrats to the intrepid Taylor Graham; her poetic response was one of five published today in The Sacramento Bee's Scene section in the article, "Hands Free", about the new cell phone law that goes into effect tomorrow. (Alas, I couldn't find the poems in the same article on-line; what kind of discrimination is this??) Anyway, check it out.
This week in NorCal poetry:
•••Monday (6/30), 7:30 PM: Sacramento Poetry Center presents Stephen Kessler and Jeff Knorr at Time-Tested Books [NOTE location change], 1114 21st St., Sacramento. Open mic after. [See last Friday's post for bios.] Next Monday (7/7) will feature an Asian Poetry Reading with Frances Kakugawa at SPC, 25th & R Sts. Air-conditioning!
•••Wednesday (7/2), 9 PM: Poetry Night at Bistro 33 presents Brad Buchanan. Brad is an Assistant Professor of English at CSU Sacramento, where he teaches Modern British Literature and Creative Writing. He holds a BA in English from McGill University, an MA from the University of Toronto, and a PhD from Stanford University. His scholarly and creative writings have appeared in journals such as Canadian Literature, Wisconsin Review, Journal of Modern Literature and Twentieth Century Literature. His first book of poems, The Miracle Shirker, was published in 2005. His latest book of poems, Swimming the Mirror, has just appeared. Director of a small literary publishing operation called Roan Press, Brad is also a member of the Sacramento Poetry Center's Executive board, where he co-edits The Tule Review and runs an annual High School poetry writing contest. He also works as a visiting poet and judge for Poetry Out Loud, a national poetry recitation contest for high school students.
Poetry Night at Bistro 33 takes place on the first and third Wednesdays of the month at 226 F Street in Davis. The featured reader begins at 9pm, and an open mic follows the feature. All Poetry Night events are free and open to the public. The hosts of Poetry Night are Brad Henderson and Andy Jones.
•••Tuesday (7/1), 7 PM (and every Tuesday): "Life Sentence" poetry reading and open mic. The Coffee Garden, 2904 Franklin Blvd., Sacramento. Info: myspace.com/lifesentenceshow
•••Wednesday (7/2), 8 PM: Mahogany Poetry Series takes place every Weds. night at Queen Sheba restaurant, 1704 Broadway, Sacramento. Host is Khiry Malik Moore. Slam, open mic.
•••Thursday (7/3), 8 PM: Poetry Unplugged at Luna's Cafe, 1414 16th St., Sacramento. Open mic before and after.
•••Saturday (7/5), and every first Saturday: Rhythm N Rhymes: open mic, webcast & filmed-for-public-TV, Butch N Nellie's, near corner of 19th & I Sts., Sacramento. Time and info: myspace.com/RNRshow/.
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IT IS BORN
—Pablo Neruda
Here I came to the very edge
where nothing at all needs saying,
everything is absorbed through weather and the sea,
and the moon swam back,
its rays all silvered,
and time and again the darkness would be broken
by the crash of a wave,
and every day on the balcony of the sea,
wings open, fire is born,
and everything is blue again like morning.
(translated by Alastair Reed)
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PLANET
—Pablo Neruda
Are there stones of water on the moon?
Are there waters of gold?
What color is autumn?
Do the days run into one another
until like a shock of hair
they all unravel? How much falls
—paper, wine, hands, dead bodies—
from the earth on that far place?
Is it there that the drowned live?
(translated by Alastair Reed)
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SERENADE
—Pablo Neruda
With my hand I gather in this emptiness,
the bewildering night, the starry families,
a chorus still more silent than the silence,
a moon sound, something secret, a triangle,
a chalked geometry.
It is the night of the ocean, the third solitude,
a quivering which opens doors and wings.
The mysterious and intangible population
trembles and washes over the names of the estuary.
Night, the sea's name, homeland, roots, rose!
(translated by Alastair Reed)
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Today's LittleNip:
OCEAN
—Pablo Neruda
Body more perfect than a wave,
salt washing the sea line,
and the shining bird
flying without ground roots.
(translated by Alastair Reed)
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—Medusa
SnakeWatch: What's Up With Rattlesnake Press
New in June: 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 (#18) of Rattlesnake Review! Now available at The Book Collector, 1008 24th St., Sacramento, or (soon) from rattlesnakepress.com/. (Snake contributors and subscribers will be receiving their copies in the mail this week and next. If you're not among either of these, and can't get down to The Book Collector to get your free copy, send me two bux and I'll mail you one: P.O. Box 762, Pollock Pines, CA 95726.)
The Snake will be snoozing through July and August, leaving Medusa to carry on alone. Then on September 10, we shall burst back onto the scene with Ten Poems, a new chapbook from Patrick Grizzell; #2 in Katy Brown's series of blank journals (Musings Two: Vices, Virtues and Obsessions); plus Issue #19 of Rattlesnake Review (deadline is August 15). Meanwhile, look in on Medusa every day, and, for heaven's sake, keep sending stuff! The snakes of Medusa are always hungry...
Medusa's Weekly Menu:
(Contributors are welcome to cook up something 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 future issues of 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 ravenous poetic souls.
And poetry! Every day, poetry from writers near and far! The Snakes of Medusa are always hungry.......!
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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.