Buckeye
—Poems and Photos by Taylor Graham, Placerville, CA
—Poems and Photos by Taylor Graham, Placerville, CA
JANUARY RENEWALS
(a solo renga chain)
sun lights the new year
through buckeye branches leafless
and gray, no birdsong
but buckeye seeds burst their skins
send seed-roots into the world
spare and gnarled the oaks
where miners once dug for gold
revising landscape
and new grass softens contours
of a ravaged ground
once I came upon
a young doe here—eye to eye
both of us surprised
look!—four deer bounding
from the brush as if summoned
PUT ‘EM AWAY
Neighbors’ holiday
lights still blinking December—
wish on this night’s dark.
LOKI IN THE DARK
I get up in the dark quiet as I can,
to not wake the household; pull on jeans
and T-shirt—and instantly
she’s beside me, sniffing the shirt, inhaling
odors that laundering can’t totally erase.
Old trails—my dog-training shirt.
She’s panting, whining, middle-aged
matron-bitch excited as a puppy.
She can’t contain herself, dashes to the door—
but it’s too early, we’re not leaving
yet. Loki can’t wait. Tell the cat! Tell
Daddy! She leaps on the bed
so Latches erupts from catnap and you
grumble in your sleep. No matter.
Loki knows what she knows. It’s eureka-
time. She gets to go to work!
UP EARLY ON TRAINING DAY
Dress in the dark,
dress in the dark
incognito and quiet
incognito and quiet,
and, incognito, quiet
the dark in dress.
Suddenly Loki’s awake.
Suddenly Loki’s awake
dancing in the dark—
dancing in the dark!
Awake Loki’s in the
suddenly dancing dark.
Tell the Cat! Tell Daddy!
Tell the Cat! Tell Daddy!
Now comes the best time for Dog.
Now comes the best time for Dog!
Now the tell-cat comes to tell Daddy
Time! the best for dog.
Daddy’s quiet in the
incognito cat-dark. Now
tell the dark, and tell the dog—
Loki, suddenly awake—
to dress in best time,
for the dancing comes.
VALLEY FOG
Outside the clinic,
gray end of old-year—
Black Phoebe greets me.
TWENTY-TWENTY
In lieu of seeing
the New Year in at midnight
groggy, I got up
in its dark, refreshing my
vision focusing toward dawn—
gazing. Eyesight’s not
perfect, but adequate. Shy
insight’s up to me.
Signs of Spring!
Today’s LittleNip:
NEW YEAR SUNRISE
—Taylor Graham
I open the drapes,
regift to you this morning’s
sun—enough for all!
______________________
Our thanks to Taylor Graham for today’s poetry and photos as we hover on the cusp of the new year! She writes that she has sent us “two versions of the same poem (1 free verse, 1 paradelle), some haiku, an Oriental octet, and a solo renga chain (Hatch [husband] is napping and neither Loki [dog] nor Latches [cat] is good at two-person Japanese forms).”
Don’t be surprised if you find Taylor Graham’s posting on Friday next week, instead of her usual Thursday. Interested (and interesting!) as she is in forms, it seemed right to post her on Form Fiddlers’ Friday.
Tonight at 8pm, Poetry Unplugged at Luna’s Cafe & Juice Bar will feature JoAnn Anglin and her new book, Heat, plus lots of open mic. That’s at 1414 16th St., Sacramento. But please note that Wellspring Women’s Writing Group at 11:30am has been cancelled for this month; next meeting is Feb. 13. 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, wishing you sunshine, dogs, and plenty of Black Phoebes ~
Country Living
—Anonymous Photo
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