Persistence

Something Ridiculous Comedy Jugglers

Sacramento County Fair, May, 2017

—Photo by Michelle Kunert, Sacramento, CA

I hear it every Memorial day from retail—
  our soldiers sacrificed their lives so you can buy something "on sale"
  no other country now tells their citizens this…

—Michelle Kunert

 

Max Breakfast

Sacramento County Fair

—Photo by Michelle Kunert

HEADING FOR THE MOUNTAINS
—Claire J. Baker, Pinole, CA

We break camp before dawn.
The long road veers,
oaks snag a huge
tennis-ball moon.
We lower car windows,
face a hallelujah sunrise.
Three last stars point
to a village coffee shop.

We enter to browns, golds,
exotic spices.
An espresso machine
grinds fragrantly.
Steamed milk greets—
love that friendly hiss.
Cinnamon & vanilla
sprinkle easily over
double-dawn lattes.

Stomachs, hands, lips
warmed, we lick off
milky mustaches,
drive up the mountain
to a Camelot
for poetic vagabonds.

___________________

NEAR TUOLUMNE
MEADOWS, YOSEMITE
—Claire J. Baker

As we hike higher
an eagle keeps
circling
in blue crystal air.
Is he leading
or following?
Why do we care?

 Hawk, Berkeley Station Sidewalk

—Photo by Katy Brown

RUB A DUB DUB
—Caschwa, Sacramento, CA

The tub drained too slowly
And flushing the toilet
Caused the pipes to hammer
Our patience had run out

We called the plumbers
Two arrived in one van
Put one in the tub
The other in the toilet

They proceeded to demonstrate
Their expertise in techniques
That reached beyond DIY
and those helpful Internet tips

Routed the tub drain
Found no massive hair balls
Just the toggle-switch plug
Itself blocking the drain

We can finally stop using
Harsher and harsher
Chemical treatments
That failed to address the problem

They listened to the walls shake
From knocking pipes
And replaced the fill valve
In the toilet tank

No more turning the water
On and off at the main valve
To drain and restore air pockets
That wasn’t the problem

Today everything is working
Just like it’s supposed to
Hope that keeps on
Day after day after day…

 Flag on the Side of a Train

—Photo by Katy Brown

Today’s LittleNip:

FOR THE COW IN THE ROAD
—Katy Brown, Davis, CA

Stop asking why the cow crossed the road.
Ask instead why it left the comfort of
the grazing herd, took only its shadow,
and clopped across the unforgiving asphalt. 

(in response to last week’s cow-on-the-road pic in the Kitchen)

_____________________

Our thanks to today’s contributors, including some fine poems and the photos from Michelle Kunert and Katy Brown! Remember to check into Medusa’s Kitchen’s Facebook page for our new album by Katy: The Other Voice in Davis. And for a soundtrack to go with Michelle’s County Fair photos, see soundcloud.com/maxbreakfast or www.youtube.com/channel/UCyuDk2o3Nas1z8VAb8b3UGg/.

Poetry readings in our area begin tonight at Sac. Poetry Center, 7:30pm, as Poetry Now and the Under 30 Project present an open mic night for new poems. Beer/wine/snacks! And on Thursday, Poetry Unplugged at Luna’s Cafe will present featured readers and an open mic, 8pm. Scroll down to the blue column (under the green column at the right) for info about these and other upcoming poetry events in our area—and note that more may be added at the last minute.

Medusa is celebrating her 11th birthday today—a tribute to persistence, if nothing else. We shall commemorate today by re-posting the first poem to ever appear in the Kitchen:

HAND
—Shinkichi Takahashi (1901-1997)

I stretch my hand—
everything disappears.

I saw in the snake-head
my dead mother's face,

in ragged clouds
grief of my dead father.

Snap my fingers—
time's no more.

My hand's the universe.
It can do anything.

_______________________

—Medusa     🎂🎂🎂

 Resist!

—Photo by Katy Brown
Celebrate poetry, birthdays, resistance—and persistence!

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