Tiny House in Forestville
—Photo by Cynthia Linville
IN A NUTSHELL
—Cynthia Linville, Sacramento
—Cynthia Linville, Sacramento
"I could be bounded in a nutshell, and count myself a king of infinite space.”
—Hamlet,
Act II, scene ii
My next bloody heart shouts
“Don’t look!”
near your nothing
with galloping feeling—
no, like that
shouts bitter beat
up beat, down beat
beat up, beat down.
Playing go to bed
out before no
through the dark glass
in the car with us
entangled evidence
mocked by Jesus
because I’ll let him.
* * *
Because I’ll let him
playing go to bed
no, like that,
don’t.
Look—
entangled evidence.
Beat up, beat down
up beat, down beat
shouts bitter beat
with galloping feeling.
Near your nothing
my next bloody heart shouts out
before . . . no
mocked by Jesus
in the car with us
through the dark glass.
* * *
Through the dark glass
entangled evidence
“Don’t look!”
Mocked by Jesus
in the car with us
out before
no beat
up beat down shouts
bitter beat
up beat, down
beat—no, like that.
Playing go to bed
near your nothing
with galloping feeling
my next bloody heart shouts—
because I’ll let him.
__________________
YOUR MOUTH AND MINE
—Cynthia Linville
A river
of crows
swoops
over these bones.
Another
reflected smoky rain
hands me
paradise.
(I will
always want more.)
He says,
remember
the ring.
Knots are
untangling everything,
hushed
noises leaking,
no matter
how unseen.
* * *
No matter
how unseen,
everything
he says
swoops
over these bones.
A river
of crows hands me paradise.
(I will
always want.)
More smoky
rain,
another reflected,
hushed
noises leaking.
Remember
the ring.
Knots are
untangling.
* * *
Knots are
untangling smoky rain.
He says, Everything
swoops
over these bones.
(I will.)
Always want
more.
Another, reflected,
hands me
paradise.
Hushed
noises
leaking
remember—
the ring,
a river
of crows—
no matter
how unseen.
Not-so-Still Waters at Jenner
—Photo by Cynthia Linville
STILL WATERS VI:
Belinda Vickery
—Michael Cluff, Corona
It must have been
the brown pinstriped suit
or the new brown belt
with the heavy steel buckle
but he was ripe
and I picked him.
All night we exchanged
insights into Dante's Inferno
and the use of stonewalling methods
in upper New York.
Yet when he removed
his yellow with thin blue
striped necktie,
the talk remained the same
repartee, concerning Richard Nixon
and Dolly Parton,
rued the continuation
of that pallid evening
in late May.
_______________________
STILL WATERS VI (cont.):
Justin Bamburger
—Michael Cluff
Her forest cabin was so damn hot
I could not keep my clothes on
that is, the less personal ones
the outer shells of wool
and silk and steel.
The yellow long-sleeved dress shirt
and brown tassled loafers
stayed aloof and untouched
while bon mots on Wordsworth, Beyoncé,
William Watson and Artaud
flooded the heavy air ripe with ...
intellectual possibilities.
______________________
STILL WATERS VII:
Jim Raymond
—Michael Cluff
The prospect of being nice
forever
does appeal to me
but carrying it out
will not work.
I want to say "no"
and have an adjective
in front that starts
with "f", "s" or "q";
"x" is not an option.
I want to take a leak
in half-hidden public places
instead of holding it in
a bit too long
sometimes.
I wish to wear pocketless
sweat pants to work
instead of a three-piece suit
with watch fob
each and every ridiculous day.
And instead of being the student shooter
I hope
ever briefly
in the sad imaginary world
of putting out a small pistol
from a gartered dress sock
next to the heavy medallioned wingtip shoes
and shooting up the place
with silly string and red water
for a refreshing, temporary
change of habit.
_________________________
WHO, WHAT, WHEN, WHERE, WHY, AND ESPECIALLY HOW MANY
—Caschwa, Sacramento
Giselda Splattbladder (64)
Fell off a ten-foot ladder
Yesterday at 9:15 AM while alone
In her 3-story out of townhouse
The mother of 4, grandmother of 7,
Was looking for 2 antiques in her attic
As gifts for her eldest son’s 35th birthday
Just 3 days away
She was on the top rung
With both hands fully occupied
When one of her 3 phones rang 12 times
As she checked every one of 9 pockets
Phone found, she managed to dial 911
And first responders arrived in 25 minutes
To rush her to the hospital, 16 miles away
To mend her 4 broken ribs
She may need a second mortgage
To cover the $37,500.00 medical expenses
Plus bills unpaid by her third husband
Whom she had known since fourth grade
Story continued on Page J49…
____________________
Thanks to today's cooks! Cynthia Linville sends us dandy pix and two Linvillanelles (click on Calliope's Closet on our green board and scroll down the list of forms for how the Linvillanelle works), and she also lets us know that she has a new web page at webpages.csus.edu/~sac16141/prof.html
The calendar section of the blue board (below the green board) is in continual flux, of course. But, in fact, the green board is in continual morphification, too. The submissions tips have now been expanded, for example: submit, I say! Get your work out into the world! And watch the other sections of the green board for tips and trends and timely announcements, such as Kool Nooz telling you that Pulitzer-Prize-Winner Natasha Tretheway has been proclaimed U.S. Poet Laureate. Congratulations, Natasha!
____________________
Today's LittleNip:
I APPROACH STILL WATERS
which have now gently stirred.
Was it my breath?
Was it the ripple-effect movement
of my steps through green grass?
Was it this latent power within me
Was it this latent power within me
to destroy peace within the universe?
Or am I the pebble that rolled
Or am I the pebble that rolled
down the slick lining
of this little pond,
stirring the waters—
shaking God's faith in me.
—Carol Louise Moon, Sacramento
____________________
—Medusa
Blue Bottles in the Forest
at Forestville, CA
—Photo by Cynthia Linville