—Photo by Caschwa, Sacramento, CA
STREET FOOTBALL
—Craig Steiger, Nevada City
We’d squeeze between parked cars when trucks would pass, and when the coast was clear, resume our street football game.
The Park was too far for TV halftime, so we’d line up with the ball on the manhole cover, first down.
There were just two to a side, but sometimes when we had guests we connived & conned them to run down the pavement for long passes.
But usually, the hiker was also the receiver, and every pass was a Hail Mary. Occasionally they were actually caught!
The rusher was obliged to count three alligators but if he shouted it too quickly, a big argument would break out.
During any actual play, the pet terrier would go out of his mind, not knowing what was going on,
But it sure looked like trouble.
(for Lew & the boys)
—Photo by Caschwa
SIX CLEVELAND HAIKU
—Michael Ceraolo, S. Euclid, OH
Cleveland Haiku #508
Leftovers—
last year's leaf dangling,
closed in a car door
* * *
Cleveland Haiku #509
Seen for the first time---
a black squirrel
in the park
* * *
Cleveland Haiku #510
Bush in the yard—
temporarily laid low
by heavy snow
* * *
Cleveland Haiku #511
Even leafless trees
provide enough shade to keep
some snow from melting
* * *
Cleveland Haiku #512
Temporary lakes—
waves rippling across
uneven asphalt
* * *
Cleveland Haiku #513
All-day rain—
temporary creeks
pour down hillsides
—Photo by Caschwa
LOVE OR APPETITE
—Caschwa
(Inspired by the words of
James Lee Jobe:
“Try to live for just today.”
“I am the universe, the universe is me.”
—Medusa’s Kitchen April 21, 2018)
Hungry for knowledge, I was at the
Taxonomy King drive thru,
waiting in the long division line
pondering whether to call the class
to order the family size pizza
when the fellow ahead of me exited
his car, knelt down on one knee,
and I heard him propose adding the
rank of “dough main”. Later he would
learn to just say “Super size it!”
which works for me, who after much
careful, deep dish, scientific research
found that this whole reverie of
ranking bakes down to me caring
about me, today, right now. Yum!
________________
EYES WIDE OPEN
—Caschwa
"I, Mr. Self-made Man, take you to be my
fourth or fifth lawfully wedded trophy-wife.
Before these witnesses I vow to love you
and care for you as long as your market
value exceeds the Index.
I take you with all your beauty and your
poise as I offer myself to you with my
Daddy’s money and clout.
You will help me when I need help, and
I will turn to you whenever I feel the
moment is right.
I choose you as the person with whom
I will spend the rest of my petty cash."
—Photo by Caschwa
PEACE AND JUSTICE WILL PREVAIL
—Caschwa
If the governor of Michigan
was taken to Flint and
forced to use only
local water
If every time we hear a complaint
about moocher citizens getting
entitlements, the ability of large
corporations to easily avoid paying
taxes was lowered by
one percent
If businesses convicted of
false advertising had to
start back at square one
to qualify for business
licenses and loans all
over again
If power to the major stock
exchanges was suspended
until power to Puerto Rico is
fully restored
if business as usual,
corruption as usual,
partisanship a usual
racism as usual
are no longer the
normal narrative
If the bad guy could not
get a gun in the
first place
__________________
TREASURE TROVE
—Caschwa
Modern America can learn
from the ancient Egyptians
who had no lawyers but
relied on common sense
and their faith in a higher power.
It was never their purpose to
leave behind a bunch of
negotiated settlements or
redacted stipulated agreements
to indicate what valuable
assets were contained in
what sectors of a pyramid.
Fast forward to the present-
day debacle where swarming
pundits share endless unfounded
insights as to what they think
the odds are that witnesses who
know secrets will flip to spare
their families? Skip the talk,
follow the money, and publicly
display all the evidence. This
is not new science, but we may
at least be able to unearth
some old common sense.
—Photo by Caschwa
MISSING
—Caschwa
We were sitting on the sled
holding on against strong winds
biting cold smashing our faces
and then we noticed
something wrong
very wrong
No runners!
A riot without tension
a script with no lines
a greenhouse minus plants
What are we ever to do?
A dozen death grips
clutching that poor, little sled
snow bound, no hound
hell bent to follow a scent
Just waiting for the storm
to subside
for the sled
to glide
For the facts
to finally
conform
with our
memories.
___________________
Today’s LittleNip:
A poet is a verb that blossoms light in gardens of dawn, or sometimes midnight.
—Aberjhani
___________________
Many thanks to our fine collection of artists today: welcome back to Craig Steiger, and thanks to Michael Ceraolo, whose book of 500 Cleveland Haiku is available at www.amazon.com/500-Cleveland-Haiku-Michael-Ceraolo/dp/198744275X/. And thanks also to Caschwa (Carl Schwartz) for his fine poems and riversome photos!
Cynthia Linville writes that the Spring 18 Issue of Convergence is now online at www.convergence-journal.com/spring18/.
Gail Entrekin writes: “Today we announce the release of Issue 5.1 of Sisyphus: Change: What is Normal and What is Not. The authors on these pages explored change—personal, societal, and environmental. This issue features poetry, essays, humor, memoir, philosophy, flash fiction, short story, and photography. We appreciate your comments and readership and encourage you to hit the button at the top of Sisyphuslitmag.org to subscribe. As always, it’s free, we never share your information, and a subscriber can begin a discussion with an author who sparks your interest. If you have an essay, poem, prose, or visual art, submissions are open at Submittable for Issue 5.2: Communication.”
A.D. Winans writes about your chance to buy D.R. Wagner's new book from Cold River Press, The Order of Events, and receive a free copy of Winans’ latest, Crazy John Poems—both with free shipping! D.R. Wagner and Brock Alexander's book, The Order of Events, due out late May, 2018, is sixty poems accompanied by sixty illustrations (154pp, soft cover perfect bound, printed in 8 x 10 format, six sections divided by color illustrations). Special Pre-Sale pricing runs through May15 and includes The Order Of Events (free shipping within the continental United States) AND a bonus copy of A.D. Winans' newest book from Cold River Press, Crazy John Poems, featuring the first two collections of Crazy John, poems from the 1970s and 1980s with a never-before printed third collection that completes the series. Don't miss out on a tremendous bargain—The Order of Events (retail $18.95), and Crazy John Poems (retail $14.95) with FREE Shipping (a $5 value), all for only $14.95! See www.coldriverpress.com/.
Lots of workshops/food for the brain this week in area poetry, starting tonight at Sac Poetry Center, 5pm, with a reading by Steve Almond, followed by his workshop from 6-9pm. Also at SPC tonight, Brittany Perham and Kathleen Winter, plus open mic, 7:30pm. On Thursday, another workshop, this one free from 11:45am-1:30pm, presented by Cal. Lawyers for the Arts on copyright law. And get prepared for National Poem in Your Pocket Day on Thursday, too. See www.poets.org/national-poetry-month/poem-your-pocket-day/.
Davis Poet Laureate Dr. Andy Jones will read at the UC Davis Library on Thursday from 7-8pm. Then on Friday, another workshop, this one the fourth and final in the NaPoWriMo series at Sac. Poetry Center, 6pm. Also on Friday in Sacramento: Speak Up: The Art of Storytelling and Poetry presents poets/storytellers on the theme of “Coming of Age”, 7pm, Avid Reader on Broadway.
This coming weekend will bring TWO poetry conference/festivals: SPC Writers’ Conference 2018, a day of workshops in Sacramento, and the Sierra Nevada Poetry Festival 2018, with workshops, vendors and performances at Sierra College Grass Valley. (Note that Sac. Poet Laureate Indigo Moor will present a workshop in Grass Valley on Sunday as an extended part of the Festival.) Also on Saturday: Poetic License in Placerville at the Sr. Center, 2-4pm. 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
Celebrate poetry!
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