—Photos of the Cal. State Fair by Cynthia Linville, Sacramento
A co-worker told me he has dreams where he is falling
His nightmare is falling either from the sky or tall buildings
I suggested to him that he might be able to turn them instead into “flying” dreams
because I go from falling to flying when I’m aware that I’m dreaming
Flying instead of falling in a dream means to have confidence in life
so I’ve understood
I told him to just look it up online—how he may be able to dream he’s flying too
—Michelle Kunert, Sacramento
NO UNDERWEAR
(Inspired by Anonymous Cal. State Fair pig photo
which appeared on Medusa’s Kitchen 7/24/17)
—Caschwa, Sacramento
My dog has 10 teats
And runs around bare
Like a pig at the fair
“Oh, how cute!”
A woman of stature
Dares to show her shoulder
And the reception is colder
“Oh, how could you!”
Men, of all people
The kings of temptation
Condemn public lactation
“Oh, God help us!”
God created man
With no underwear
Or reason to care
“Oh, how disgusting!”
It was 13 centuries
After the teachings of Jesus
That underwear was invented to please us
“Oh!!”
ABOUT THAT ELECTION…
—Caschwa
Notwithstanding
All the colorful candidates and
Hotly contested issues
Sensible planning is for nerds
So the campaigns brought out
Enormous, empty shopping bags
And let the voters eagerly populate them
With their own flagrant opinions
Yes, that is exactly what I wanted to hear
The South will rise again
Climate change
Socialist, Communist, Terrorist
Poor people deserve less
My body, my choice
My gun, my rules
So what people really voted for
Was the one propaganda package
They felt they could live with
We had waged bloody war, won it
And celebrate our freedom
Now this is what we do with it
I wouldn't get too close to this
finger fidget...
—Photo by Caschwa
THE WINDHOVER
—Gerard Manley Hopkins, 1844-1889
To Christ our Lord
I caught this morning morning's minion, king-
dom of daylight's dauphin, dapple-dawn-drawn Falcon, in his riding
Of the rolling level underneath him steady air, and striding
High there, how he rung upon the rein of a wimpling wing
In his ecstasy! then off, off forth on swing,
As a skate's heel sweeps smooth on a bow-bend: the hurl and gliding
Rebuffed the big wind. My heart in hiding
Stirred for a bird, —the achieve of, the mastery of the thing!
Brute beauty and valour and act, oh, air, pride, plume, here
Buckle! AND the fire that breaks from thee then, a billion
Times told lovelier, more dangerous, O my chevalier!
No wonder of it: shéer plód makes plough down sillion
Shine, and blue-bleak embers, ah my dear,
Fall, gall themselves, and gash gold-vermilion.
Today’s LittleNip:
You have escaped the cage.
Your wings are stretched out.
Now fly.
—Rumi
______________________
Many thanks to today’s contributors! We have a new photo album on Facebook: last year, Cynthia Linville sent us some wonderful night photos the Cal. State Fair, and I’ve re-posted them again this year. Check them out at www.facebook.com/Medusas-KitchenRattlesnake-Press-212180022137248/.
And I couldn’t let our Seed of the Week, Flying, pass without posting Hopkins’ beautiful poem, The Windhover. Read it out loud and listen to the sounds fly by. For more about Hopkins, see www.poetryfoundation.org/poets/gerard-manley-hopkins/. Reading his work always reminds me that poetry is as much about sound as it is about content.
Poetry readings in our area begin in Sacramento tonight as Sac. Poetry Center presents Josh Fernandez and Cynthia Atkins (plus open mic), 7:30pm. Tomorrow in El Dorado Hills, Poetry Off-the-Shelves read-around starts at 5pm at the EDH Library.
Then on Thursday, Poetry Unplugged at Luna’s Cafe in Sacramento presents features and open mic starting at 8pm, while in Davis, also starting at 8pm, Susan Kelly-DeWitt and Mary Moore will read at John Natsoulas Gallery, followed by open mic. And on Friday, The Good Earth Movement Poetry Night in Placerville will present Danyen Powell (plus open mic), 6:30pm, hosted by Rod Miller.
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—and probably WILL be— added at the last minute.
—Medusa
Peregrine Falcon
—Photo by Herb Houghton, National Wildlife Federation
Celebrate Poetry!
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