A MOMENT
—Mitz Sackman, Murphys
The peace of quiet
So rare a gift
Quiet contemplation
Breathing into stillness
I sit
Looking to the empty
Gazing out the window
Hawk rises
Nest abandoned to life
Into the empty sky
Framed dark against
The open blue
I sit
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CLEARING
—Taylor Graham, Placerville
At dawn I lead the sheep down to pasture
where drenched February grass has been
growing out of bounds while I wasn’t looking
and a seasonal creek carries its water-
language from rain to river
and a new breeze rearranges forecasts
and a flock of sheep-clouds browses the swale
and by the time I get back to the house
everything has disarranged itself
orderly-disorderly as
sheep and muddy weather
waiting for sun with a sky’s patience.
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THE ROOM WHERE SHE WAITS
—Donald R. Anderson, Stockton
The echoes of rainbow’s mist,
jutting from slick corners
painted plain white, paint flecking,
the soil outside beckons…
but the bars of the window panes,
hovering above out of sight,
they threaten to come down
and fasten on clenched knuckles
worn from centuries of washing.
I am the maiden, the servant, the stool
upon which a crow perches with a thorny crown.
The music I hear surrounds the open spaces
like the reminiscing of the times I could have spent,
but was refused. The sustenance, air.
I will live on breathing alone.
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Thanks to Mitz Sackman, Donald Anderson and Taylor Graham for the poems about this week's SOW: Deng Ming-Dao's lovely "empty room" poem [see yesterday's post]. See below for more of Mitz's poems from previous SOWs and other poems/art that appeared on Medusa. As she says, she's still "hooked on etherees".
Announcing the Sacramento Poetry Center's Third Annual
High School Poetry Writing Contest!
No cost to enter!
Postmark Deadline: April 15, 2009
Limit of 3 poems per student
Prizes include: $100 for our Grand Prize winner; free books and swag for finalists; publication in Poetry Now, the monthly journal of the Sacramento Poetry Center. Grand Prize winner will receive an invitation to read his or her work at the Sacramento Poetry Center in the Summer.
Be sure to include an SASE (self-addressed, stamped envelope) if you want notification of winners. Note: poems should not have your name on them; include a separate cover letter with your name, address, phone and email address, and the titles of your poems. Also indicate the name of your school.
Send your original poems to:
High School Poetry Contest
Sacramento Poetry Center
P.O. Box 160406
Sacramento, CA 95816
email submissions will be accepted: send to tulereview@sacramentopoetrycenter.org/. Put "SPC HS CONTEST" in the subject line. Include above information sheet as the body of the email, and send each individual poems as an attachment (MS Word documents only).
Questions? tulereview@sacramentopoetrycenter.org
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LONG AGO STEEL
—Mitz Sackman
old
hot fire
tumbling through
magic changing
iron into steel
sweating men labor hard
keeping fires burning, melting
hot metals mixing into steel
back bone of progress, moves us forward
men at work bringing us on our way now
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BRIGHT KNIGHTS
—Mitz Sackman
Cabs
Yellow
Splash color
On rainy days
Bright driving safety
Against the gray drizzle
Yellow knights battle the rain
Rescuing wet weather damsels
Cabs yellow reflect sunny mornings
Light upon the tired eye with new joy
_________________
HOME SCENTS
—Mitz Sackman
Sweet
Cedar
Welcomes me
Open windows in
Summer heat swell with
The sweet scent of cedar trees
Wet wintry rains and snow bring
The scent of cedars to my nose
Telling me that I have arrived here
Safe to the sanctuary of my own home
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Today's LittleNip:
WHO REMAINS STANDING?
—Andree Chedid
First,
erase your name,
unravel your years,
destroy your surroundings,
uproot what you seem,
and who remains standing?
Then,
rewrite your name,
restore your age,
rebuild your house,
pursue your path,
and then,
endlessly,
start over, all over again.
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—Medusa
SnakeWatch: What's New from Rattlesnake Press:
Rattlesnake Review: The latest issue (RR20) is currently available at The Book Collector, or send me four bux and I'll mail you one. Deadline for RR21 was Feb. 15; the issue will appear in mid-March. Next deadline is May 15 for RR22: send 3-5 poems, smallish art pieces and/or photos (no bio, no cover letter, no simultaneous submissions or previously-published poems) to kathykieth@hotmail.com or P.O. Box 762, Pollock Pines, CA 95726. E-mail attachments are preferred, but be sure to include all contact info, including snail address. Meanwhile, the snakes of Medusa are always hungry; let us know if your submission is for the Review or for Medusa, or for either one.
Also available (free): littlesnake broadside #46: Snake Secrets: Getting Your Poetry Published in Rattlesnake Press (and lots of other places, besides!): A compendium of ideas for brushing up on your submissions process so as to make editors everywhere more happy, thereby increasing the likelihood of getting your poetry published. Pick up a copy at The Book Collector or write to me and I'll send you one. Free!
New for February: Now available! A new rattlechap from Sacramento's Poet Laureate, Julia Connor (Oar); a free littlesnake broadside from Josh Fernandez (In The End, It’s A Worthless Machine); and the premiere of our new Rattlesnake Reprints, featuring The Dimensions of the Morning by D.R. Wagner, which was first published by Black Rabbit Press in 1969. Available from the poets or at The Book Collector (1008 24th St., Sacramento) or (soon) from rattlesnakepress.com/.
WTF is out!
Be sure to stop by The Book Collector to pick up your free copy of Rattlesnake Press's latest spawn, WTF—our new quarterly journal which premiered last night in a rousing event hosted by frank andrick which ran into the wee hours at Luna's Cafe. WTF #1 features 22 poets, artists and photogs from the Poetry Unplugged scene; next deadline is April 15 (oooo...tax day!). Guidelines are pretty much the same as the RR ones listed below, except that frank wants three poems (instead of 3-5), and you must be over 18 to submit. Send poems, artwork, and photos to fandrickpub@hotmail.com or the RPress snail address. If you can't get to The Book Collector, send me two bux and I'll mail you one, or I suspect they're available at Luna's.
What's the difference between Rattlesnake Review and WTF? The over-18 thing should give you a clue. WTF is leaner (smaller), meaner, and more geared to the "Luna's voice", if there is such a thing—and if you ever go to Poetry Unplugged on Thursday nights at Luna's Cafe, 1414 16th St., Sacramento, you'll see what I mean. Its material also tends to be more X-rated. The Review is big and fat, has articles and other features, and represents a wide variety of styles and genres. But if you're over 18, you're welcome to submit to either one. I edit the Review; frank andrick edits WTF.
Coming in March: On Wednesday, March 11, Rattlesnake Press will be releasing a new chapbook from Norma Kohout (All Aboard); a littlesnake broadside from Patricia Hickerson (At Grail Castle Hotel); and a new issue of Rattlesnake Review (the Snake turns 21)! Join us at The Book Collector, 1008 24th St., Sacramento, 7:30. Refreshments and a read-around will follow; bring your own poems or somebody else's.
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 SOWs; 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 (sometimes, or any other day!): 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 and in-between! 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.