Eggs-actly!

—Photo by Katy Brown, Davis

MARCH MYSTERY
—Taylor Graham, Placerville

Dawn. Walking back from the wild
north corner, I hear honking overhead.
Two geese—flying where?
Down the swale, I check our pasture.
There stands the goose, a single,
listening to the calling pair.
It doesn't move, but waits—for what?
Has it a mate? No sign of nest,
no eggs. I've seen that goose here
almost every day, all month.
Once, last week, a second goose;
the two lifted off, to settle on the pond
across the way. Next day, that lone
goose in our pasture. There
it waits. But look—two wild geese
as I'm driving out the gate.

____________________

WORKSHOP IMPROMPTU
—Taylor Graham

I came with only my poems. But G. brought
a see-thru plastic dragonfly that changed
colors like her thriftstore shirt. Q. had never
come before, but here she was by accident
or because she needed to get over sad.
S. couldn't come but sent his poems which
made everyone esp. Q. laugh. C., just back
from the borderland, brought her overdue
poems of bugs and seashells. M., who also
couldn't be present, sent instead a dozen
eggs in Easter colors beige and blue
from her backyard hens. We cut the carton
into quarters, divvied up the eggs, and
left too happy for words except a poem.
 

___________________

PEACE SYMBOL SCARF

—Claire J. Baker, Pinole

Carefully I hand wash
my old cotton scarf—

small black circles
enclosing splayed tripods.

The pale blue streamer dries
under the sun's whispers.
Worn jauntily, the fabric
stirs in a breeze.

—Photo by Katy Brown

TOO EARLY TO TELL
—Caschwa, Sacramento

The Supreme Court is
hearing arguments that have
smashed through the thin

walls of tenement housing

where the language of mean
buries logic and meaning
as both sides passionately
shout at deaf ears

each insisting that the
basis for their position is
precisely what the framers
of our Constitution had in mind

exactly what our dead and

wounded soldiers bled for,
entirely consistent with
the will of the majority

as featured on Geraldo
seen on Meet The Press
portrayed on The Simpsons
discussed on The View

experts are interviewed
opinion polls ushered in with
fabulous fanfare while forecasters
parade their credentials

the Hollywood rags
consult their most reliable
alien sources to compose
shrieking banner headlines

But wait!  Stop!  Hold it!
time out, take a nap
the Court has not yet spoken
some patience, please

____________________

SACRIFICE
—Caschwa

The tumult and the shouting dies;
The Captains and the Kings depart:

Still stands Thine ancient sacrifice,
An humble and a contrite heart. 

                —Rudyard Kipling

They revolted against the
crown who by tradition
owned virtually all of the
land, its crops and its seeds

raising rusty muskets to
face cannonballs and
sabres drawn fast and
close by powerful steeds

a bloody price was paid
for independence, those places
where they battled and died
are now tame hallowed fields

in the name of freedom,
liberty, democracy, all can
now revisit the arena of war
minus weapons and shields

after centuries of amendments
and precential rulings, while
defeating those savage Indians
who dared live on our frontier

we daily find new threats
to our core patriotic values:
health care, gay rights, spun
to offend what we hold dear

____________________

OUTMODED TEACHING METHOD,
TOGETHER WITH A MOTHER'S ADVICE,
EGG SIMILE INCLUDED

—Kevin Jones, Elk Grove

Teacher would roll her eyes
Back into her head to make
A point.  This time they stuck,
Wouldn’t come down.  Just like
Your mother warned you.
We stared at the whites
As she screamed and whacked
Herself upside the head.
Except they weren’t really white.
More of a dingy yellow
Shot with red, sort of like
An egg you’re frying
In bacon grease and not watching
Too closely, and then realize
There’s a tiny chick in there,
Just like your mother warned you.

___________________

Today's LittleNip:

ULCER DIET
—Taylor Graham

More eggs!
This begs
for soft-bland meals
with yolk.
No joke—
the ulcer heals.

___________________

—Medusa

Kk's Violets

—Photo by Katy Brown