Death Changes Everything!

—Photos of Chalk It Up 2018 by Michelle Kunert, 
Sacramento, CA

CANDY CORN—JEANS—MOTORCYCLES
               & OCCASIONAL NUCLEAR MISSLE

—Rhony Bhopla, Sacramento, CA

Bigotry finds its place on the stage
one man holds this nation under seige
he cannot ban produced-elsewhere candy corn
outsourced labor for jeans, and jewelry to adorn.

Motorcycles will continue to be made—
parts sourced from good ol’ Chi.N.A
Xi Jinping, Prima Donald’s friend, keeps aware
of the Donald’s ego-driven tariff threats and dares
third round of tariffs are about to hit
Chinese will retaliate, so far, this is what they did:

China loosened trade with North Korea, and undercut
Trump’s intentions to dismantle Kim Jong-Un nukes.

We can debate free trade or protectionism
want home supply chains to define Americanism
yet, Trump’s biggest destructive action to date
is his effort to make the North Korean dictator his mate.

KAREFREE
—Caschwa

I cannot believe
how much America the
Beautiful was sold

*** ***

Original thoughts
for sale, slightly tarnished words
by unknown author

*** ***

People used to press
their clothes and dial the phone,
now we press buttons

*** ***

“Great”, spelled out in full:
G rab R eal E state, A xe T axes;
Put that on your hat

*** ***

It wasn’t hacking,
‘way too cocky quarterback
threw interception

*** ***

Who, what, when, why, where
one sock will defy the pair
so we go naked

*** ***

Music insurance
for when Arnold Bax into
counterpoint at fourth

TITLE IS EVERYTHING
—Caschwa

So you want to be king?
sit way up high on a throne
wear a robe that offers super powers
have feasts and orgies custom
designed to suit you and only you

your children pose atop big game
that someone else killed for them
while you meet and greet brutal dictators
like they are your best buddies, validating
that you are the renowned artist of the deal

your followers invite you to make
sensational claims that are all bluster,
no merit, no science, no logic, just shiny
plastic building blocks to lay the glorious
foundation for giant hopes and dreams

Commander in Chief of an army of pretend,
each member of Congress facing personal
bankruptcy if they don’t kiss the ass of your
anonymous foreign sponsors once all bets
are in and the dealer, of course, takes the pot.

DUST PAN
—Caschwa

Constant bombardment:
Hi Mom!, haikus, high fives, and
hyperbole, too

*** ***

High court nominees
are Mexican jumping beans
who can’t plot their course

*** ***

Peanut butter fly
some things I like, and one I’m
not willing to try

*** ***

I am always right,
so correct me if I’m wrong
at your own peril

*** ***

Finding love’s not hard
in the midst of all the hate,
people love to hate

*** ***

We were given a
clear choice, vote for Hillary
or vote for Putin

*** ***

Why care about kids,
when our president does not
recognize caring?

HARD BALL
—Caschwa
 
There is no count or limit
for the pitcher, and the
batter may receive multiple
pitches even before being
given an initial opportunity
to swing the bat.

SAMSKARAS
—Joseph Nolan, Stockton, CA

Samskaras,


Like shadows,
Haunt the bones,

The muscles,
And fleeting
Feelings, fine.

They even


Haunt the mind


And trace the soul,
Yearning to be whole,

Despite such history,
The meaning of


A human born in skin:

Once again,
After so many 

Times before!

FROM OUR LEGENDS, OLD
—Joseph Nolan

If you were not
With me, here,
What might ring
In my ear?
A single sound of silence?

What if the piper
Would not sing
His tune,
The children,
For, to bring,
Out into
An open fold!
Unbound beauty
To behold!
And set upon
A wing?

What would then
The singers sing?
And what would
Lawless Gypsies bring,
To us
To behold?
From our legends, old!

Today’s LittleNip:

DEATH CHANGES EVERYTHING
—Joseph Nolan

One day,
There was a man
In a field.

The next day,
There was none.

Death changes everything! 

____________________

Truer words were never spoken, Joseph! Our thanks to today’s fine poets, and to Sacramento photographer Michelle Kunert for her photos of this year’s arts benefit, Chalk It Up (chalkitup.org). For more from Stockton Poet Joseph Nolan, join us in the Kitchen next Friday.

SnakePal JD DeHart, whose poetry sometimes appears in the Kitchen, has a new book out: A Five-Year Journey, from Dreaming Big Publications. Check it out at www.dreamingbigpublications.com/blog/new-release-a-five-year-journey-a-book-of-poetry-by-jd-dehart-from-dreaming-big-publications/.

Poetry events in our area begin tonight at Fremont Park at 6:30pm [note earlier time] for Hot Poetry in the Park with Traci Gourdine, Patrick Grizzell, and open mic. That’s at 15th & Q Sts., 6:30pm.

James Lee Jobe’s inauguration as Davis Poet Laureate will be this Tuesday, Sept. 11, 5:45pm, at the Davis City Council meeting, 23 Russell Blvd., Davis (cityofdavis.org/city-hall/city-council/city-council-meetings/agendas). James has begun a second blog for the work of poets in Yolo County, and he says he will post everything that is sent. That’s at yolocountypoems.blogspot.com/.

On Wednesday, the Placerville version of Poetry Off-the-Shelves meets at the El Dorado County Library on Fair Lane in Placerville, 5-7pm. Then on Thursday, Mary Mackey will read from her new book of poems at Time Tested Books in Sacramento, 7pm, and Poetry Unplugged at Luna’s Cafe in Sacramento will present featured readers and open mic, 8pm.

This coming Sunday afternoon, Davis Arts Center Poetry Series presents Stan Zumbiel and Heather Hutcheson, F St. and Covell in Davis, 2pm, hosted by James Lee Jobe. 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 the poetry of families!
—Chalk It Up Photo by Michelle Kunert

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.