Laverne Frith
THE HUMMINGBIRD IN THE BOTTLEBRUSH
—Laverne Frith, Sacramento
It is a morning thingædeviations
here and there, suspensions in air,
hovering—a climate of the mind
to take whatever nectar has to offer.
Fulfillment is its promise, yet
to dream of more, to imagine more:
to be sated in one place, on one
flaming brush, yet destined to
wander all over this bush. What
more could a hummingbird give?
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Thanks, Laverne! Co-editor of Ekphrasis, Laverne Frith has chapbooks from Talent House Press, White Heron Press, and two chapbooks, Drinking The Light (2007) and The Range Of Seeing (2008), from Finishing Line Press, both of which having been nominated for The Commonwealth Club of California’s California Book Awards. His work has been accepted or appeared in Poetry New York, Tiger’s Eye, Christian Science Monitor, Sundog, Comstock, Montserrat, CQ, Dalhousie, etc. He has a Pushcart Prize nomination and honors and awards in many poetry competitions.
Join us on Wednesday, April 8 for 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.
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SPOT METERING
—Laverne Frith
How critical it is to zero in with that first reading,
to not be over or under in that initial assessment
when the decision is made to move forward,
to engage, to not be taken in by the rush of the
waters, the cool mist of the falls, the thin veil
of denials, the confusing clouds of a checkered
history. It is absolutely critical to take the time,
to focus, to take your reading carefully, to check
all settings, and then, and only then, release.
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INCIDENT OF SPRING
—Laverne Frith
Something blown, orbicular,
shaped more like bird than leaf,
yellow-orange body
but with a hundred green eye—
a deep brown aggregate at its beak.
How far can a simile go before
metaphor overwhelms?
What the wind blows must settle
somewhere. Finally, this ground,
this leaf.
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INSIDE THE DOCTOR'S OFFICE, WAITING
—Laverne Frith
Someone's prognosis is not so good.
I can hear clearly through the walls.
They will have to conduct more tests.
The patient will have to fast.
Have you ever had an MRI?
Claustrophobia can be an issue.
Sometimes we just have to wait and see.
Sometimes we just have to wait and see.
Claustrophobia can be an issue.
Have you ever had an MRI?
The patient will have to fast.
They will have to conduct more tests.
I can hear clearly through the walls.
Someone's prognosis is not so good.
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LEARNING TO REACH
back into antiquity for resonances
of language, for patterns, for choices,
for favored nuances long before
language evolved, before the pollution
that modernity brings. What we erase
most is what we do not grasp, that
might require a second look, a second
thought, that doesn’t have the ease
and comfort of everyday speech.
How we pay for our unwillingness
to accept the fields that have already
been tilled, the crops that have matured
and been harvested, or the wine that
has mellowed, emitting such a bouquet.
—Laverne Frith
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B.L.'s Drive-Bys: A Micro-Review by B.L. Kennedy
THE POETRY OF MR. BLUE
Henry Denander
Bottle of Smoke Press
Approx 14 pp; ltd. ed. of 200 copies
I am continually impressed by the output of this press. The current title goes, without exception, as one of the finest to be published by Bottle of Smoke Press. Henry Denander is indeed the poet’s poet. The author of three previous books of poetry, Denander’s work never stops to keep me in state of amazement. The Poetry of Mr. Blue is sort of a prose poem that takes the reader by the throat and slowly, with a delicate pull, draws him or her in. Do I recommend The Poetry of Mr. Blue and Henry Denander's other books from Bottle of Smoke Press? Indeed I do!
—B.L. Kennedy, Reviewer-in-Residence
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Here are six cinquains from Patricia Hickerson, Davis. Keep 'em comin', folks! (See last Tuesday's post for the form.)
SUICIDE
He guessed
he'd left her safe
within the room above
but when he heard a single shot
he knew.
APRIL
A month
of sighing breeze
and tripling fresh green leaves
has softened up my winter heart
again.
TO THE GODDESS OF WINTER
I thank
you for the muf-
fled falling drifts of snow
that keep me locked and safe at home
tonight
SUMMER COMING IN
Bring on
your heavy sun
your simm'ring glow and boil
we lounge in pools of cooling ice
today
NEW ORLEANS AT NIGHT
They crunch
beneath your feet
as down St. Charles you walk
those hard-shelled bugs face death like you
and me
MURDER ON PRYTANIA STREET
He died
inside his cab
bled out his life by knife-
inflicted wounds for twenty dol-
lars cash
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Today's LittleNip:
Poetry is the silence and speech between a wet struggling root of a flower and a sunlit blossom of that flower.
—Carl Sandburg
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—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.......!
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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.
