—Photo by Frank Dixon Graham
koi
—frank dixon graham, sacramento
swim by, sleepy fish.
the evening water
cools under the bow
of the bridge.
water-grasses
bend to your lips.
a reflection leaves
in ripples.
beneath a lotus blossom,
you are fins and bubbles.
_______________
you, along the beach
—frank dixon graham
and when i say you,
i mean all of you—
each one, of you.
your tiny prints
trace the wave's comb
against sand,
once tattoos on the skin
left clean by the sea.
your feet are in the
water,
then out.
in an ocean's breath,
you dodge surf,
find that brief yawn
to dip in.
you are never fooled.
you tempt with stillness,
then, last moment,
break in flight
—go this way,
then that.
_______________
THUNDER IN THE AFTERNOON
—Kim Clyde, Sacramento
Bedtime before seven at night
Too hot to wrap the pillow
over your face
Tossing and turning,
sheets muggy in the dog-breath atmosphere.
The airless room closes in
while the whir of the box fan
Churns dust bunnies out of
their hiding places.
_______________
_______________
DOG SPELLS
—Taylor Graham, Placerville
Rough gutturals more
ancient than
human speech, but quick as
magic her tongue. A spell.
Yet how
do I explain the graves
under oak trees, old dogs
who left
without a word? Spells
of dogs moving sleep into
dream,
their eyes shining
stones, their tongues
magic.
_______________
60-WORD BIO
—Taylor Graham
Make-believe: playwright
of her life.
Chase fireflies, forget
it's gotten dark.
Thunder gavels a picnic to
adjourn?
Always carry pen, paper,
and words.
Catch a raindrop,
concentrate the rainbow.
Seashore camping, you wake
up swimming.
Poppy in pavement crack: a
poem.
A household revolves
around the cat.
One crow paints a whole
landscape.
Moon walks the deck. Such
dreams!
_______________
Thanks to today's contributors! If you've checked our current Form to Fiddle With (over there at the right, on the green board), you've noticed that it's based on a recent Sacramento Bee article which talks about using just six words to write a story. Taylor Graham expanded on this for her "60-Word Bio" by making each line a six-word story that could stand on its own and then stringing them together with a very loose thread. Interesting! I told her it's almost like a type of ghazal, only each line stands alone instead of each verse.
Trina Drotar sends us a link to her latest review in Sacramento Press, this one of books by Sibilla Hershey of Davis and Ray A. March of Surprise Valley; see www.sacramentopress.com/headline/71723/Book_Talk_Hershey_and_March.
Speaking of Surprise Valley, TODAY is the deadline to sign up for their September conference—and the CPITS Conference in September, too. See "More Food for the Brain" on the green board for details.
__________________
Today's LittleNip:
chrysanthemums hammered out of raw iron
that cloud gone now like my father
—Ikkyu
_________________
—Medusa
Pipers
—Photo by Frank Dixon Graham