Photo by Maureen Hurley, Marin County
THEORY OF RELATIVITY/OAK
—Daniel Williams, Wawona, CA
A chunk of firewood
Is at heart a hunk of time
And time moves slowly or
Quickly according to perspective
I found this stunted old oak
On the southwest-facing slope
Of the Merced canyon
500 years it fought to live
Encircled by Yerba Santa
Manzanita bear clover
Its leaves a thousand green
And gold butterflies
Given flight by winds
Howling down canyon
A lack of water
On this arid slope
Compressed its tough cells
Into a thick tight metal
I gather its snow-torn branch
Then cut its branch into compact loaves
For my stove from acorn to
Firebox what long worlds of earth
And animals and people
What endless crawl of light and dark—
This winter solstice it will keep
My little cabin nicely warm
For just one night
While silent snowfall builds
And wind stacks layer upon layer
Making rafters creak
This 5-century flame will melt and
Dissolve itself into a bed of royal blue
Its terrible temperatures having robbed
It of all time in just one night
Then from hot to warm
In the endless cycle of cosmic cold
It recalls nothing of canyons and white heat
This fine gray dust cleansed of all things
__________________________
HABITAT FOR NON-HUMANITY
—Daniel Williams
We’ve all gathered here
To put this place together
Out of the goodness
Of our hearts
All materials having been
Donated by local merchants
With the blessings of pastors
And of course corporate backing
We have worked 24/7
Sawing those saws
Swinging those hammers
Creating walled space
If you are over 30 years of age
Since you’ve arrived on this planet
Over half the species that were here
Before you have gone extinct
Close to two-thirds of all the oil
This planet has ever seen
Is now gone
You have another 30 years
To see a robin
10 years and going to Glacier NP
Will be an exercise in futility but
You still have 10 years
To see a giant sequoia
In 20 years whatever you do
Don’t go to the seashore or
Swim in any ocean
In 50 years your planet will be
An arid lifeless rock
Every species having gone off
To find a planet that truly needs it
If you can hold on five years more
There may be spacecraft and fuel
That can carry a few of you safely
To yet another arid lifeless rock
________________________
OUTSIDE
—Daniel Williams
Inside there are cedar logs on the fire
A feral warmth creeping throughout
Each room Inside is all about the
Exterior what impinges upon us
From our personally created space
Then step outside—
Outside the world is all about the
Interior we gaze out from within
And hunker over our own
Blood-borne flames
After snow the sweet tang of ocean air
The fragrant scent of frost and pine
Of mold and earth
However faint
I stoop to shovel a light fluff of snow
Off the pathway to the woodshed
The ground frozen hard
My heart pounding
Cougar tracks trotting past through
Bear clover in the ravine to the river
A four-point buck moving fast
A lead gray sky
Outside pushes me through my door—
Inside a slight incense of smoke
Peering through my curtain I watch
Darkness coming on
________________________
SUNSET AT WAWONA POINT
Autumn Equinox
—Daniel Williams
Mountain Peak
Wedges darkly between
Sunset wide expanses of trees
Water ribbon wraps
About boulders and firs—
Sudden evening quietly damp
Star lowers into electraglow
Our wedge widens into a
Dark bird great blue heron
On wing following its beak
To mysteries waiting
Beyond the waterfall
Withering on cliffs opposite
Red flash to the west
And our shadow-bird melds
Into a greater blackness of vivid sky
An oak sits on the meadow
Its leaves aglow with light
White mists all around
Internal fires cold flames licking
Ends of branches ever so much
More brilliance than awesome wings
Of any dark bird of the mountain
Could ever cover
Without turning to ash
_______________________
CRY ME A RIVER
but don’t swim there.
Stay safely along the
finger-in-the-eye
crusty shore:
that moment of awakening
when vision is blurred
by the slippery, broken
bridge between last night’s
dreams of prospects
and the unfinished
chores awaiting each
new day.
Step back
away from the river
and gather firm materials to
finally build a reliable bridge
that your children may cross.
Step back from the sirens
of tears that lap at your feet
and follow your children
across the bridge.
—Carl Bernard Schwartz, Sacramento
________________________
THE BLAME GAME
—Carl Bernard Schwartz
In Mexico over 150 cars,
including a police car and
an ambulance, were involved
in a mass collision. Officials
blamed it on the fog and ice.
In Tennessee about 20% of the
females at one high school are
now or have been pregnant.
Their parents blamed it on the
fog and ice.
In New York the Knicks lost
a game to the Kings. Knicks
fans blamed it on the fog and
ice.
In purgatory some souls were
sent in the wrong direction.
Angels blamed it on the fog
and ice.
________________________
MARIJANE MASK
—Patricia Hickerson, Davis
Los Angeles matron—
really a 40-year-old child—
flew up to the magic city
in 1968
Parnassus St., 3 a.m.
large bare room
crowd of 70 people
heavy aroma…
bongos, drums, congas
thumping
cha cha cha
hey, you’ve got good moves
slumped now
dreaming down down down
turned inside out head bent
sitting on the floor-borne mattress
was that someone banging the door downstairs?
sit tight, is it a bust? flush your drugs…
too much noise we’re told
oh sorry, officer
we’ll stop it right now
saved—
time to go home
into the sweet dreaming Marijane sleep
________________________
Today's LittleNip:
Like touching a sore place, once he has seen the abyss he is forever at its rim.
—Stephen Dobyns
________________________
—Medusa
Photo by Maureen Hurley