NEON BLUE DRAGONFLIES
—Anthony Buccino, Nutley, NJ
Three cats, one without a tail
chickens, ducks and Bassett
hounds sleeping happily
under a tree
across the wide yard
near where the bear
came one night picked corn
and sat in the twilight to eat
_______________
This week in NorCal poetry:
•••Tonight (Mon. 4/6), 7:30 PM: Sacramento Poetry Center presents poets laureate from Sacramento (and elsewhere in California) reading from Sometimes in the Open, SPC Press's first release. Featured readers are: Dennis Schmitz, Julia Connor, Terry Ehret, Sam Pierstorff, Kevin Patrick Sullivan, Carolyn Wing Greenlee. Sometimes in the Open is an anthology of 65 poets laureate from around California. The reading will take place at California Stage, 2509 R St., Sacramento. Info: 916-979-9706.
Next Monday (4/13), SPC will present Pam Houston and UC Davis students.
•••Tues. (4/7), 8 PM: UC Davis presents Jane Mead, former Poet-in-Residence at Wake Forest University. Her two collections of poetry are House of Poured-Out Waters and The Lord and the General Din of the World. 126 Voorhies Hall, UC Davis campus. Free.
•••Wednesday (4/8), 7:30 PM: Rattlesnake Press's FIFTH ANNUAL BIRTHDAY PARTY/BUFFET at The Book Collector, featuring a SpiralChap of poetry and photos from Laverne Frith (Celebrations: Images and Texts), a littlesnake broadside from Taylor Graham (Edge of Wildwood), and Musings3: An English Affair, a new blank journal of photos and writing prompts from Katy Brown. That’s at The Book Collector, 1008 24th St., Sacramento, 7:30 PM. Free.
•••Thurs. (4/9), 8 PM: Poetry Unplugged at Luna's Cafe, 1414 16th St., Sacramento. Featured readers, with open mic before and after. Free.
•••Sat. (4/11), 2 PM: Citrus Heights Area Poets will feature poets and photographers (including Katy Brown) who combine their talents to produce beautiful works of art and pieces of literature. The program will end with local poets reading some of their own work. Barnes & Noble, Sunrise Blvd., Citrus Heights. (While you’re there, pick up a poem from the CHAP table in the store to celebrate National Poetry Month.) Free.
•••Sat. (4/11), 10-11:30 AM: Sacramento Poetry Center 2nd and 4th Sat. workshop with Emmanuel Sigauke and Frank Graham. South Natomas Community Center (next door to S. Natomas Library), 2921 Truxel Rd., Sacramento. Bring ten copies of your one-page poem. Info: grahampoet@aol.com/. Free.
Six cinquains from Mitz Sackman, Murphys:
READY TO GO
Trip tick
On my way out
Ready to go right now
Adventures ahead await me
Enjoy
*****
SPRING NOW
Springtime
Late light begins
Gardens wake from winter
Sleep flees with golden daffodils
Eyes bright
*****
MOUNTAIN ROADS
Winding
Up the mountain
Sheer cliffs on either side
Gray, golden with shifting sunshine
Delights
*****
SPRINGTIME IN FIVE
You can
Smell spring coming
In the warm afternoons
Planting seeds in the still cold soil
Hope seeds
*****
DOORS
Brown door
What lies behind
Chance, joy, wonder or loss
Only way to know the answer
Open
*****
FUNNY LOVE
Love you
Hate you, know you
See you, the one real you
Hear you, feel you, touch you, hug you
Love you
__________________
IN APRIL
—William Bronk
Spring again and the intensification of love.
So we term it. Of desire? Well yes, desire.
Even in terms of each other. In those terms.
How else in other terms? What else do we know?
But we feel. Oh, love, if we could tell
what we feel to someone, if someone were there
to tell to, that would be love indeed
and what we feel. Listen, I am talking to you.
___________________
Longing and loss:
Barred from landing, I really am to be pitied.
My heart trembles at being deported back to China.
I cannot face the elders east of the river.
I came to seek wealth but instead reaped poverty.
Be sure to check out the "Explore" section of yesterday's Sacramento Bee (or go to it online at sacbee.com) for a wonderful article about the poetry of Chinese immigrants at Angel Island between 1910 and 1940, when the Immigration Station was a prison for 175,000 Chinese, mostly men. While they waited for entry into the U.S. (some for up to two years), they inscribed their feelings on the walls of their barracks, which are now being restored and are open for guided tours. It's a fascinating article by Dixie Reid (with lots of poetry); check it out.
__________________
SPRING
—Mary Oliver
In April the Morgan was bred. I was chased away.
I heard the cries of the horses where I waited,
And the laughter of the men.
Later the farmer who owned the stallion
Found me and said, "She's done.
You tell your daddy he owes me fifty dollars."
I rode her home at her leisure
And let her, wherever she wanted
Tear with her huge teeth, roughly,
Blades from the fields of spring.
_________________
Today's LittleNip:
IF ALL...
I do
today is bag
bright plastic wrappers by
a brook, this deed will have to be
enough.
—Claire J. Baker, Pinole
_________________
—Medusa
SnakeWatch: What's New from Rattlesnake Press:
Rattlesnake Review: The latest Snake (RR21) is now available (free) at The Book Collector, or send me four bux and I'll mail you one. 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, and please—only one submission per issue.
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!
COMING IN APRIL: Wednesday, April 8 will be our FIFTH ANNUAL BIRTHDAY PARTY/BUFFET at The Book Collector, featuring a SpiralChap of poetry and photos from Laverne Frith (Celebrations: Images and Texts), a littlesnake broadside from Taylor Graham (Edge of Wildwood), and Musings3: An English Affair, a new blank journal of photos and writing prompts from Katy Brown. That’s at The Book Collector, 1008 24th St., Sacramento, 7:30 PM.
And April 15 is the deadline for the second issue of WTF, the free quarterly journal from Poetry Unplugged at Luna's Cafe that is edited by frank andrick. Submission guidelines are the same as for the Snake, but send your poems, photos, smallish art or prose pieces (500 words or less) to fandrickfabpub@hotmail.com (attachments preferred) or, if you’re snailing, to P.O. Box 762, Pollock Pines, CA 95726. And be forewarned: this publication is for adults only, so you must be over 18 years of age to submit. Copies of the first issue are at The Book Collector, or send me two bux and I'll mail you one.
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.......!
_________________
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.