—Photos by Katy Brown, Davis, CA
WHAT KILLED THE CAT
—Kevin Jones, Elk Grove, CA
1.
Mom.
At my birth.
Cruel, but
Moms always
Seem to know.
2.
My sibs.
Greedy little
Bastards
Anyway.
Ugly too.
3.
Evil neighbors.
A few crafty ones
Out. After dark.
Even after
We go home.
4.
Dog.
Damn dog.
Big drooly monster.
Even likes
The mail carrier.
5.
The Road.
You're always
Wondering about
The Road.
6.
Bird. Big
Bird. I saw its eyes.
Hawk.
Last thing
I saw.
7.
Rooster.
One of those
Dropped off
After a sporting
Event. Much bigger
Claws
Than mine.
But I was brave.
Very brave.
8.
Age.
Look for me
Under your
Front porch.
The warm weather
Will tell you
Just where.
9.
Disdain.
Major disdain.
STATUE OF LIMITATIONS
—Caschwa, Sacramento, CA
Real, live people posed nude in
bright sunlight, exposing every
angle for the sake of art in stone
that would survive generations of
civil unrest, volcanic eruptions,
the plague, and famine, until now
when that artwork has been gathered
together to be fixed rigidly in musky
museums, adorned with labels pitting
the epitome of elite literacy against the
fleeting attention span of snickering,
bickering, furiously curious elementary
school children taken on a field trip in
a stinky, clunky old bus by a young
substitute teacher who had no idea.
I AM ONLY BLESSED WHEN I SNEEZE
—Caschwa
(Response to the phrase “My knees lack cartilage”
by James Lee Jobe, Medusa’s Kitchen, 3/17/18)
There it is!
Poet puts pen to paper
and out comes a message
one that surely needed to be told.
The words form
thoughts that convey
ideas, that trigger a host of
memories of stories below the fold.
But, but, but….
will everyone else already
know what needs to be known
to drive home that important point?
Sometimes fate
just posits us among
ambiguous distortions and
fuss, like flailing limbs without a joint.
Cool Piggie
THAT CURIOUS CAT
—Caschwa
Snooping unabashed in
places unappealing,
unbridled curiosity
pumped up on its own feeling.
Uncooked meat a treat,
uncouth breaks no rules,
nothing unfavorable here
only some human fools.
Ignoring one’s senses is unforgivable,
unusual is just fine to do,
OK to eye unsavory scraps
as a gourmet feline fondue.
Leave failure to the unwilling,
and dare to try the untested,
everything must be sampled once
until the very best is bested.
Bridal Veil Falls
Today’s LittleNip:
SORRY POEM
—JD DeHart, Chattanooga, TN
I’m sorry, dear words,
for promising you place
then being fidgety.
Tossing you out.
I’m sorry, dear poem,
for failing to write you
down. You see,
I thought you’d stay
awhile but then you
ran away with whatever
else was in my shopping
list, never to be reclaimed.
Sorry at last for being
fickle with art, instead
of tender, reassuring, true.
Instead of a space
I offered a vacuum.
No amends can be made
now except a new draft.
(first pub. in Poet Community)
_________________
Our thanks to this morning’s fine poets and to also-fine photographer Katy Brown! Most of these photos were taken in the Kieth environs when we lived in Pollock Pines in the early part of this century. Bridal Veil Falls is located between Pollock Pines and Fresh Pond; Katy’s photos of the Falls, both freshwater and frozen, are spectacular. Do I miss the snow? Nope. Besides, we get a dusting once or twice a year here in Diamond Springs—just enough to avoid snowblowers.
As for JD DeHart, more of his work will appear in the Kitchen this coming Friday, March 23.
Poetry readings in our area begin tonight at Sac. Poetry Center with readings from FROM SAC Literary Magazine plus open mic, 7:30pm. On Tuesday at 6pm, 916 Ink presents readings by Luther Burbank High School students celebrating the new 916 Ink anthology, Stones in the Road, which has over 50 poems from area students.
Writers on the Air meets Saturday at SPC from 9:30am-1pm, with featured readers and open mic. Also on Saturday, Poetic License poetry read-around meets at the Placerville Sr. Center, 2-4pm.
And save Sat., April 28, from 9am-4:30pm, for the annual SPC Writers’ Conference 2018! Go to www.sacramentopoetrycenter.com and scroll down for info, schedule, and to purchase tickets.
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
—Photo of Bridal Veil Falls by Katy Brown
Celebrate Poetry!
Celebrate Poetry!
Photos in this column can be enlarged by clicking on them once,
then click on the X in the top right corner to come back
to Medusa.