—Photo by Taylor Graham
TREE OF HEAVEN
—Taylor Graham, Placerville
The old knees are crippled—this tree standing
between highway frontage
and quik-stop,
leaning against buckled
sidewalk, as my puppy
drags me on leash. I'm too
old
for this and she's too
young, too strong, lunging
for scents against all the
rules of heeling.
I trip on concrete,
sidewalk whose cracks
break a mother's back. But
see how
the heavenly weed sprouts
through the cracks,
feather-fans so luxuriant,
my puppy plunges
into the midst, oh green
pavilion, for its secrets.
And in the higher boughs,
garlands
of seed-wings. I could
tell her
secrets of scabbed bark
scar-healed, going
nowhere by morning
commute. I could give her
my knees, cracks opening
to wild green shoots.
____________________
THE QUEST FOR TRUTH
—Caschwa, Sacramento
Sometimes words alone stop
far short
Of conveying the whole
truth
To get there we demand to
internalize
The experience, to engage
all the senses
Bungee jumpers
Lion tamers
Substitute teachers
Mountain climbers
Downhill skiers
Pushing the envelope
Talking back to the judge
Experimental sex
Opening night of a new
production
Eating bugs
Slaying the dragon
Finding the chalice
Correcting a perfectionist
Catching that perfect wave
Proposing marriage
Add to these thousands
more
teachable moments coded as
criminal,
some of it mere comic
fiction
posing as the tragic truth
—Photo by Taylor Graham
FLASHING THE GREEN
—Caschwa
Under cloudy skies
Developers decided
To install solar panels
On the roof to catch the
sun
When it broke out
This is “green”
They applauded themselves
Forgetting entirely about
All those oxygen-producing
trees
They had cleared away
___________________
SHIRLEY SKOFSTAD
—Michael Cluff, Corona
Some say sex
is sublime communication
starching the itch
in the loins
blind instinctual motion
or a release of
aggression.
I see it
as a forever pain
in the heart
and briefly
the ass.
__________________
Thanks to today's cooks! Carl's LittleNip refers to last week's discussion about the spelling of "fuchsia"; he checked out the origins of the word after sending us a poem in which he spelled it "fuschia". Interesting; don't you think the origins of words are interesting? Anyway, apparently the word can be spelled either way, but I do think Mr. Fuchs deserves his props, so I'm spelling it "fuchsia".
All of which is relevant to us since Medusa had/has her recent facelift. The FUCHSIA LINKS at the top of the blog used to be on the side; this way I think they are now more accessible for your edification and viewing pleasure. Do browse around up there when you get the chance. Today I call attention to the Publishing link. Not only are there some tips about publishing on that page, but if you scroll down the green bar to the right of this, there are some current submission opportunities, both local and otherwise. Don't be shy about getting your work out there, either in print or in cyberspace. Phillip Larrea, for example, who will be reading at Luna's this Thursday night, sends us a short list of where he has been published lately:
wkroundtable.blogspot.com/
decadesreview.weebly.com/
issuu.com/
decadesreview.weebly.com/
issuu.com/
It's great to see other poet's work, of course, and it's also great to get some ideas from such lists about publications you might not already know about: what kind of work they like, submission guidelines, etc. You ARE publication-worthy, yes? Do pursue it!
The same night that Phillip is reading at Luna's, some local members of Amherst Writers and Artists (awasacramento.com; formerly Sutterwriters) will be reading at that same event. This is a coincidence, because Lilliana Mendez-Soto, another AWA member, will be offering a workshop using that method beginning on Wednesday. AWA also sponsors 916INK (916ink.org), an organization that helps youngsters work on their writing and publishing. Again, see the blue b-board at the right of this for all the details, including some other workshops that are happening in our area this week. It's quite a week for workshops around here!
_________________
Today's LittleNip:
Now it makes more sense.
I yield to your
spell-check
And your reliable
intellect
Which I will respect more
hence.
—Caschwa
[Leonhart Fuchs (the source
of the word fuchsia) was big on herbs. See en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leonhart_Fuchs]
_________________
—Medusa
—Portrait of Fuchs
by Heinrich Füllmaurer,
Tübingen, 1541.
