Party Hearty!

Winter Oaks

—Photo by Taylor Graham

DORFSTRAßE
—Taylor Graham, Placerville

It hid up in the foothills that drew trees about
them against cold, preparing for a mountain
winter. What was left of ancient village lay
moldering into landscape or visions of a city.
I went that way once, not paying attention, only
wishing for a vista; kept climbing to a lookout
over the world, too high at its crown for trees.
After the forest, unbearable light of sky.
Everyone who reaches the summit at last
comes down. A loss, a sadness
the village collects like a tax in its coffers
and stores in its cellars. I never
climbed that way again.

______________________

SOUL CROSSINGS
—Taylor Graham

Layers of tiding time
like steps to inner door to belfry,
like climbing up from river
up the eons of rock that water erodes;
rising toward night sky that bargains
among the stars for our dreams—stars
that have a different birth
the closer you get, the longer you
look, waking, at who you used to be;
the moon a cat’s eye waning
over high-land as dark dims
to dawn, the solstice balanced
as a soul is, as you are, not daring
to look down.

F Line, San Francisco

—Photo by Robert Lee Haycock, Antioch

PARTY HEARTY
—Caschwa, Sacramento

When Sen. Ted Cruz
Read Dr. Seuss in Congress
I pictured him transported
To the Superbowl game

At halftime, sitting out
On the 50-yard line
Displacing dozens of
Pretty bare-legged girls

Oblivious to the anger
Of people sitting in the
Stands, booing loudly
About to take mob action

____________________

THE GIFT OF IGNORANCE
—Caschwa
 
Have you seen my glasses?
I set them down somewhere
Not in my coat pocket, where I
Found a couple other missing items

Ironically they are for distance only
And the mere act of putting them
Down seems to impose a gap and
Then exaggerate its dimensions

Until they become somehow
Worlds apart from where I last
Remember putting them
I checked all the usual places

I am very sure they are not on the
Floor or anywhere one might sit,
not since a family member left hers
poolside and they got smashed

So they are in a safe place
Maybe forever
Please keep looking
Bless you!

____________________

WELCOME THE NEW YEAR
—Caschwa

I quit
Making
Resolutions
Because I know
I won’t keep them
It is like really, really
Proper grammar that one
Rarely puts to use except for
Show in the company of certain
Persons who are known to place a
High value on matching number, case,
Gender, etc. and by the way, wrapping up
The old year, you wouldn’t happened to have
Seen my glasses sitting somewhere, would you?
 

_____________________

Today's LittleNip:

NEW DAY
—Olga Blu Browne, Sacramento
(inspired by Joy Harjo)

Find us only in the shadows of
mountains.

This is what we thought we
deserved, left longing and fear.

Still our spirits called out in prayer,
now, today, we stand in the lightness

of being and welcome you here.

____________________

—Medusa, with thanks to today's contributors, and a reminder to check out the new Canary (hippocketpress.org/canary) and the Winter 2013 issue of convergence (www.convergence-journal.com/winter13), the next deadline for which is January 5. 

—Photo by Robert Lee Haycock