—Public Domain Photos Courtesy of Joseph Nolan, Stockton, CA
RADICALS
—Joseph Nolan
He who was a radical,
They said he was a radical.
Why was he a radical?
Is a radical
Good or bad?
What makes someone
A radical?
It depends upon the audience,
Reflecting the social order.
If you make people afraid,
They will say you’re bad
And say that you’re a radical,
Because you make them
Feel threatened.
So, you see—
It’s all about fear.
People don’t like to feel afraid.
So, they have these words they’ve made
To label people
Who do so
As radicals!
MOST BEAUTIFUL BRIDE!
—Joseph Nolan
I have a stethoscope
To listen to your heart.
It’s made of tubes of rubber
To keep my ears apart
From your skin,
As I listen
Within.
I hear the subtle rhythms
As they beat, inside.
I know by what I hear,
You must be someone’s
Most beautiful bride!
THE THREE OCTAVES OF LAUGHTER
—Joseph Nolan
When lovers
Are laughing,
Or close friends,
Together,
You can notice
Three octaves
Of laughter.
It goes from invited
Up to excited,
And finally up to
Delighted!
What a beautiful crescendo!
As laughter makes
Its ending,
Into smiles,
Cheek-to-cheek,
So wide!
OVERNIGHT MIRACLES
—Joseph Nolan
Do you love the
Way you feel
When everything
That’s beautiful
Becomes fully real?
When icebergs
Won’t sink
Our frail Titanics,
Though cold-hard
They may be?
Harbingers
Are tapestries
Of majesties
In light,
And most things
Most worth doing
Are done in
Intermissions
Overnight.
TWO POEMS FROM DUGOUT ANTHOLOGY
—Michael Ceraolo, S. Euclid, OH
Hoy/Taylor et al
William was a fine outfielder
and Luther a good pitcher,
Luther's Giants' teammates learning sign language
in order to communicate with him,
which also enabled them to keep their signs secret for a while
The others of us didn't last as long
or have as much baseball success
Sportswriters,
some of whom were barely fluent
in their only language, English,
had the effrontery to call each of us
DUMMY
* * *
Fielder Jones
Charlie Pabor has the nickname;
I have the best given name
It was not bestowed with baseball in mind
(baseball was just starting to spread then);
I was the namesake of a great-uncle
But it became a self-fulfilling prophecy:
I take pride in being among those
who helped to professionalize the game,
first as a player, then as manager of the team
that beat the winningest team of all-time in the Series
I also take pride in being ahead of my time:
my team was called The Hitless Wonders
because we were last in batting average,
but we were third in runs scored
because there are more important stats than batting average
RELENTLESS PURSUIT
—Caschwa, Sacramento, CA
our landfills are filled and overflowing
so we need to educate the public about
recycling and re-purposing materials
until it makes a difference
our prisons are filled and overflowing
so the only thing we can do is kill more
and more criminals until it makes a
difference,
oh wait! this just handed to me: we’ve
already tried that and it doesn’t work….
keep your gun loaded, anyways
you can make a difference
FLASH
—Caschwa
On Black Friday I got a good price
On a large-screen HD TV
Then a brown-out shut it down
To demonstrate the Emancipation Proclamation
My gray-haired professor took the class to a white sale
Sure enough, no auctioneer showed up
Used to think green with envy
Was a singing group, like
Gladys Knight and the Pips
The Washington Redskins were named
After my favorite potatoes
WE WANT THAT (A Rondeau)
—Caschwa
Open borders and free health care
everyone works and pays their share
the good old days of Middle Class
took not 3 jobs to save your ass
from hopeless, endless, sure despair
huge boardroom table, not one chair
we must cut back and chop and pare
show us your badge and flash your pass
open borders
taking odds on tortoise and hare
change is good if any to spare
irony wins out over sass
it’s your turn now to mow the grass
identical twins, one here, one there
open borders
SÉANCE
—Caschwa
I used to be very skeptical of
Those TV shows where some
Medium would awaken the dead
As I preferred to pay more attention
To major issues affecting the living
And then it dawned on me that when
Someone says “That would take an
Act of Congress!” they were referring
To exactly the same scenario where
Some medium would awaken the dead
Today’s LittleNip:
AT HOME IN MYSTERY
—Joseph Nolan
In many moorings, mystery,
Where ships come in from sea,
We find our berthing
For to rest
From worldly
Meanderings,
From port to port
And land to land
From shore to foreign shore,
And wish that when
We stood a’home
We’d never sail no more.
Good Monday morning, and welcome back to our contributors as they continue to work their way through Pandemia and the corona cooties along with the rest of us. (My spellchecker says there’s no such word as Pandemia, but apparently it hasn't looked around here lately...) Anyway, in order not to depress us all further, today we have photos of cool spaces—antidotes to the July heat.
Here in our area, Sac. Poetry Center uses Zoom for weekly readings and workshops. For more SPC info, go to www.sacramentopoetrycenter.com/. While you're there, note that the usual Monday night SPC reading has been MOVED TO TUESDAY FOR THIS WEEK ONLY! Here are the SPC events for this week:
•••Monday, 10am: Writers on the Air open mic hosted by Todd Boyd. RSVP in advance via email to writersontheair.message@gmail.com. Zoom: us02web.zoom.us/j/358106078; Meeting ID: 358 106 078
•••Tuesday, 6:30-7:70pm: THIS WEEK ONLY: SPC Monday Night Socially Distant Verse online will be on Tuesday instead of Monday, this week featuring a salon reading with Julia Rose Lewis, David R. Surette, Elizbeth Bradfield. Zoom: us02web.zoom.us/j/7638733462; Meeting ID: 763 873 3462 ("P O E T R E E I N C”); password: spcsdv2020
•••SPC Tuesday night workshop, 7:15pm, hosted by Danyen Powell. Bring a poem for critique. Check with Mo Stoycoff at mostoycoff@gmail.com for info.
•••Wed., 6pm: MarieWriters workshop (prompts) hosted this week by Frank Dixon Graham: zoom.us/j/671443996
•••Fri., 4pm: Writing from the Inside Out workshop by Nick LeForce. Reg. in advance at: zoom.us/meeting/register/upwkde-opjkpnyQECAVBKolY4hKCdl61uA/. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting. (If you have registered before, use the same link.)
* * *
Also this week:
•••Fri., 7pm: The Art of Storytelling and Poetry presents Stories from the Old Neighborhood, hosted by Mary McGrath. Contact Mary at storytellermcgrath@yahoo.com to request a time for telling a story, 5 minutes or less. Zoom at us02web.zoom.us/j/86979261923?pwd=elN2ZUJpb3Fta09iZ0ZlMm9PZkVmZz09;
Password: speak-up
•••Fri., 7:30pm: Video poetry reading on Facebook by Davis Poet Laureate James Lee Jobe at james-lee-jobe.blogspot.com/ or youtube.com/jamesleejobe/.
For more about El Dorado County poetry events, check Western Slope El Dorado poetry on Facebook: www.facebook.com/ElDoradoCountyPoetry/.
____________________
—Medusa
—Joseph Nolan
He who was a radical,
They said he was a radical.
Why was he a radical?
Is a radical
Good or bad?
What makes someone
A radical?
It depends upon the audience,
Reflecting the social order.
If you make people afraid,
They will say you’re bad
And say that you’re a radical,
Because you make them
Feel threatened.
So, you see—
It’s all about fear.
People don’t like to feel afraid.
So, they have these words they’ve made
To label people
Who do so
As radicals!
MOST BEAUTIFUL BRIDE!
—Joseph Nolan
I have a stethoscope
To listen to your heart.
It’s made of tubes of rubber
To keep my ears apart
From your skin,
As I listen
Within.
I hear the subtle rhythms
As they beat, inside.
I know by what I hear,
You must be someone’s
Most beautiful bride!
THE THREE OCTAVES OF LAUGHTER
—Joseph Nolan
When lovers
Are laughing,
Or close friends,
Together,
You can notice
Three octaves
Of laughter.
It goes from invited
Up to excited,
And finally up to
Delighted!
What a beautiful crescendo!
As laughter makes
Its ending,
Into smiles,
Cheek-to-cheek,
So wide!
OVERNIGHT MIRACLES
—Joseph Nolan
Do you love the
Way you feel
When everything
That’s beautiful
Becomes fully real?
When icebergs
Won’t sink
Our frail Titanics,
Though cold-hard
They may be?
Harbingers
Are tapestries
Of majesties
In light,
And most things
Most worth doing
Are done in
Intermissions
Overnight.
TWO POEMS FROM DUGOUT ANTHOLOGY
—Michael Ceraolo, S. Euclid, OH
Hoy/Taylor et al
William was a fine outfielder
and Luther a good pitcher,
Luther's Giants' teammates learning sign language
in order to communicate with him,
which also enabled them to keep their signs secret for a while
The others of us didn't last as long
or have as much baseball success
Sportswriters,
some of whom were barely fluent
in their only language, English,
had the effrontery to call each of us
DUMMY
* * *
Fielder Jones
Charlie Pabor has the nickname;
I have the best given name
It was not bestowed with baseball in mind
(baseball was just starting to spread then);
I was the namesake of a great-uncle
But it became a self-fulfilling prophecy:
I take pride in being among those
who helped to professionalize the game,
first as a player, then as manager of the team
that beat the winningest team of all-time in the Series
I also take pride in being ahead of my time:
my team was called The Hitless Wonders
because we were last in batting average,
but we were third in runs scored
because there are more important stats than batting average
RELENTLESS PURSUIT
—Caschwa, Sacramento, CA
our landfills are filled and overflowing
so we need to educate the public about
recycling and re-purposing materials
until it makes a difference
our prisons are filled and overflowing
so the only thing we can do is kill more
and more criminals until it makes a
difference,
oh wait! this just handed to me: we’ve
already tried that and it doesn’t work….
keep your gun loaded, anyways
you can make a difference
FLASH
—Caschwa
On Black Friday I got a good price
On a large-screen HD TV
Then a brown-out shut it down
To demonstrate the Emancipation Proclamation
My gray-haired professor took the class to a white sale
Sure enough, no auctioneer showed up
Used to think green with envy
Was a singing group, like
Gladys Knight and the Pips
The Washington Redskins were named
After my favorite potatoes
Norway
WE WANT THAT (A Rondeau)
—Caschwa
Open borders and free health care
everyone works and pays their share
the good old days of Middle Class
took not 3 jobs to save your ass
from hopeless, endless, sure despair
huge boardroom table, not one chair
we must cut back and chop and pare
show us your badge and flash your pass
open borders
taking odds on tortoise and hare
change is good if any to spare
irony wins out over sass
it’s your turn now to mow the grass
identical twins, one here, one there
open borders
SÉANCE
—Caschwa
I used to be very skeptical of
Those TV shows where some
Medium would awaken the dead
As I preferred to pay more attention
To major issues affecting the living
And then it dawned on me that when
Someone says “That would take an
Act of Congress!” they were referring
To exactly the same scenario where
Some medium would awaken the dead
Today’s LittleNip:
AT HOME IN MYSTERY
—Joseph Nolan
In many moorings, mystery,
Where ships come in from sea,
We find our berthing
For to rest
From worldly
Meanderings,
From port to port
And land to land
From shore to foreign shore,
And wish that when
We stood a’home
We’d never sail no more.
Good Monday morning, and welcome back to our contributors as they continue to work their way through Pandemia and the corona cooties along with the rest of us. (My spellchecker says there’s no such word as Pandemia, but apparently it hasn't looked around here lately...) Anyway, in order not to depress us all further, today we have photos of cool spaces—antidotes to the July heat.
Here in our area, Sac. Poetry Center uses Zoom for weekly readings and workshops. For more SPC info, go to www.sacramentopoetrycenter.com/. While you're there, note that the usual Monday night SPC reading has been MOVED TO TUESDAY FOR THIS WEEK ONLY! Here are the SPC events for this week:
•••Monday, 10am: Writers on the Air open mic hosted by Todd Boyd. RSVP in advance via email to writersontheair.message@gmail.com. Zoom: us02web.zoom.us/j/358106078; Meeting ID: 358 106 078
•••Tuesday, 6:30-7:70pm: THIS WEEK ONLY: SPC Monday Night Socially Distant Verse online will be on Tuesday instead of Monday, this week featuring a salon reading with Julia Rose Lewis, David R. Surette, Elizbeth Bradfield. Zoom: us02web.zoom.us/j/7638733462; Meeting ID: 763 873 3462 ("P O E T R E E I N C”); password: spcsdv2020
•••SPC Tuesday night workshop, 7:15pm, hosted by Danyen Powell. Bring a poem for critique. Check with Mo Stoycoff at mostoycoff@gmail.com for info.
•••Wed., 6pm: MarieWriters workshop (prompts) hosted this week by Frank Dixon Graham: zoom.us/j/671443996
•••Fri., 4pm: Writing from the Inside Out workshop by Nick LeForce. Reg. in advance at: zoom.us/meeting/register/upwkde-opjkpnyQECAVBKolY4hKCdl61uA/. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting. (If you have registered before, use the same link.)
* * *
Also this week:
•••Fri., 7pm: The Art of Storytelling and Poetry presents Stories from the Old Neighborhood, hosted by Mary McGrath. Contact Mary at storytellermcgrath@yahoo.com to request a time for telling a story, 5 minutes or less. Zoom at us02web.zoom.us/j/86979261923?pwd=elN2ZUJpb3Fta09iZ0ZlMm9PZkVmZz09;
Password: speak-up
•••Fri., 7:30pm: Video poetry reading on Facebook by Davis Poet Laureate James Lee Jobe at james-lee-jobe.blogspot.com/ or youtube.com/jamesleejobe/.
For more about El Dorado County poetry events, check Western Slope El Dorado poetry on Facebook: www.facebook.com/ElDoradoCountyPoetry/.
____________________
—Medusa
—Public Domain Illustration
Photos in this column can be enlarged by
clicking on them once, then clicking on the x
in the top right corner to come back to Medusa.
Would you like to be a SnakePal?
All you have to do is send poetry and/or
photos and artwork to
kathykieth@hotmail.com. We post
work from all over the world, including
that which was previously-published.
Just remember:
the snakes of Medusa are always hungry!
Photos in this column can be enlarged by
clicking on them once, then clicking on the x
in the top right corner to come back to Medusa.
Would you like to be a SnakePal?
All you have to do is send poetry and/or
photos and artwork to
kathykieth@hotmail.com. We post
work from all over the world, including
that which was previously-published.
Just remember:
the snakes of Medusa are always hungry!
