The Wayward Ways of Water

—Poetry and Photos by Taylor Graham, Placerville, CA
—And scroll down for Form Fiddlers’ Friday!

 

 WATER IN DROUGHT

Driving home by winding roads,
a poem workshop day filled with wonders
ancient and just-today. Almost home,
and I was done. Tired—

and there, flowing down our little road,
a creek. Gush of water out of earth,
branching, shortcutting
haphazard down the slope, domino-effect

of instant erosion. Road and shoulder
camouflaged as river. I grabbed
my mega-screwdriver, pried the lid
off the EID box—brimful of water—

to close off the flow.
It didn’t stop, unregulated by regulator.
A neighbor arrived. We opened
his box, turned the valve—

the gush quit. Quiet. Breeze
thru star-thistle fuzz. Wonder
of wonders. It’s not our waterline.
I feel bad for my neighbor. 

WATER ON HARDPAN

I search through strands of mop before
dunking it in the bucket: tiny masked chorus
frog—same as yesterday, or another?

In this Dry Creek canyon, you can see
how years of longed-for winter rains
cut an ever deeper gully though our field.

From wet-mop to sliding glass door—
my black cat pounces almost
too quick. Just now I saved a frog.

Water gushing from underground—
broken pipe? rushing free down chip-seal,
longing to join creek, river, delta, sea.

1st of September, neighbor’s pond
is end-of-summer dry. No frog serenade
at twilight. No song at all.

WILDWOOD SUNDIAL

buzzards’ black circles,
one hawk courses through oak woods—
two hawks in high blue

under arching oaks
a hardpan cutbank sculpted
by light and shadow

sage gone to blossom,
the garden all overgrown—
seven hours of bees

heavenly bamboo
a screen for crouching tabby,
oak titmouse takes wing

from a cloudless sky
one blue-oak leaf drifting down—
shadow dreams of fall

robin silhouette
at sunset on liveoak branch—
one more leaf to fly 

POEMS IN SHUTDOWN

Let’s walk Main Street. Quiet in town
but the roaming breeze of Saturday
with solo morning songs to play
until a crow comes flapping down.

Free sunlight where no dream can drown—
in fact, they’re giving dreams away!
Let’s walk Main Street. Quiet in town
but the roaming breeze of Saturday

that riffs the ridgetop’s ragged crown
(look quick, that cloud-drift might not stay);
a pigeon iridescent gray
pick-pick-pecking like a clown.
Let’s walk Main Street. Quiet in town
but the roaming breeze of Saturday. 

CURIOSITY’S HUNGER

You’re determined to find Cheese Camp—
edge of wilderness on the map.
Is there a road to get you there?

Do they make gouda? pepper jack?
You’re determined to find Cheese Camp.
You’re not even hungry for cheese,

just the pull of names on the map.
No worry where this might get you,
you’re determined to find Cheese Camp. 

TANGLEFOOT

It’s still on the map that doesn’t show
how many ups and downs from trail-
head, switchbacks under lodgepole
pines, and at the crest, a
whisper not of breeze
but aspen grove’s
murmur like
angel
song. 

Today’s LittleNip:

NO PHOTO-OP
—Taylor Graham

shiny remodeled
old farm kitchen

a frog hides out

just a glimpse
a photo
would steal its magic

______________________

Our thanks to Taylor Graham as another week blows past us; as usual, she redeems it with her poems and photos full of finess and clarity. This week, she sends us a Haiku chain (“Wildwood Sundial”); a Rondel Supreme (“Poems in Shutdown”); a Cherita (“No Photo-Op”); a Nonet (“Tanglefoot”); and a Viator (“Curiosity's Hunger”).

Don’t forget Fridays, 7:30pm: Video poetry readings on Facebook by Davis Poet Laureate James Lee Jobe at james-lee-jobe.blogspot.com or youtube.com/jamesleejobe. And tonight is also An Online Evening with US Poet Laureate Juan Felipe Herrera and Friends (as part of the San José Poetry Festival). Go to www.eventbrite.com/e/san-jose-poetry-festival-an-evening-with-juan-felipe-herrera-and-friends-tickets-116376514287 for tickets and information.

And now it’s time for FORM FIDDLERS’ FRIDAY!

_______________________

FORM FIDDLERS’ FRIDAY!

It’s time for more contributions from Form Fiddlers! Each Friday for awhile, there will be poems posted here from some of our readers using forms—either ones which were mentioned on Medusa during the previous week, or whatever else floats through the Kitchen and the perpetually stoned mind of Medusa. If these instructions are vague, it's because they're meant to be. Just fiddle around with some forms and get them posted in the Kitchen, by golly! (See Medusa’s Form Finder at the end of this post for links to definitions of the forms used this week.)

Today we have a lovely Unrhymed Villanelle from Carol Louise Moon, reminding us to shelter-in-place, since the world clearly has gone mad…


MEMORABILIA
—Carol Louise Moon, Placerville, CA

In my cozy cabin
newsstand of news
a patchwork of memorabilia.

Sunstroke and dried weeds—
the world's gone mad.
In my cozy cabin

I retreat from violence
and rage outside, such
a patchwork of memorabilia.

I'm sewing a new quilt:
the mind's release here
in my cozy cabin.

Heat stroke of humanity,
healing, blossoming into
a patchwork of memorabilia,

silver thread of brighter days
I hope to remember.
In my cozy cabin--
a patchwork of memorabilia.

 Carol Louise Moon Quilting

_____________________________

Sue Crisp send us her “Moon Glow Haikus”, a smooth night-time Haiku Chain with public domain photos from her to match. I am SO sorry about the icky spacing, but that's the best blogspot will let me do on it today:

 

MOON GLOW HAIKUS
—Sue Crisp, Shingle Springs, CA

 

 

dark of night moon glow  

black cat guardian on limb 

watchful eyes see all 

 

moon glow night visit                                                        

they speak in a common tongue
nocturnal sharing

 

                                                        

                                                       

                                                             

                                                                   

  

full moon glow shadow
night flights new destination

journey seeks the dawn

 

 

 

 

                                            

                                              

           

                                     

 

 

 

wolf moon glow image
shadow suspended in pool
lone pack night watcher

 

 

 

 

 

                                                               

                                                                  

 

 

silhouetted owl

tree top nocturnal night watch

on moon glow gold eve

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

tree now past its prime
it bends to embrace its moon
caress the last time

 

 

___________________

Caschwa (Carl Schwartz) sends three poems. The first is a Kyrielle Sonnet:

 

MIND SHAPING
—Caschwa, Sacramento, CA

guard dog denied love on purpose
whole idea was to create fuss
no one allowed to make it tame
weakened minds will accept the blame

religious groups have plied this, too
infidels and sinners will do
line up targets, that is the game
weakened minds will accept the blame

black slaves were given their freedom
legal terms grew that would eat ‘em
the Constitution shouts its name
weakened minds will accept the blame

guard dog denied love on purpose
weakened minds will accept the blame

* * *

About the next form, Carl calls it an Ilumango. He says, “I played around with the patterns of the LUNE and the IMAGO and arrived at: LUNE + IMAGO = ILUMANGO Form pattern, which is any number quatrains of 3/5/7/5, with rhyming words at the end of each 5.” Here is his example:


TROUBLES
—Caschwa

I cannot
contemplate the sky
when smoke and haze drive me to
advocate for why

I don’t still
masticate old gum
wrapped and tossed away to re-
decorate ho hum

willfully
abdicate my throne
family tradition says
celebrate old bones

bury them
heaven’s gate often
gets new bones in old wrappers
second-rate coffins

all the same
for “the late” spirits
timeless home-again feeling
worth the wait it is 

And here is Carl’s Naani Chain:


CITIZEN
—Caschwa

I do not pay my taxes
they are surgically excised
from my earnings as if I
was brain dead

***

no, I don’t want to
disarm the police
Venus de Milo looks pretty
but cannot keep the piece

***

made a big mistake and bought
the wrong flavor sausage links
but that’s okay, I will eat
my mistake 

Yes, Carl, I’m afraid we all have to eat our mistakes from time to time…

But many thanks to our contributors today; may we all stay safe and, well—safe!


MEDUSA’S FORM FINDER: Links to poetry forms mentioned today:

•••Cherita: medusaskitchen.blogspot.com/search?q=cherita
•••Haiku: www.shadowpoetry.com/resources/haiku/haiku.html
•••Ilumanago: Lune plus Imago in 3 5 7 5, rhymes at each end 5 (Carl Schwartz)
•••Kyrielle Sonnet: www.shadowpoetry.com/resources/wip/kyriellesonnet.html
•••Naani: www.shadowpoetry.com/resources/wip/naani.html
•••Nonet: www.writersdigest.com/write-better-poetry/nonet-poems-poetic-form
•••Rondel Supreme: www.writersdigest.com/write-better-poetry/rondel-supreme-poetic-forms
•••Viator: www.writersdigest.com/write-better-poetry/viator-poetic-forms

 

____________________

—Medusa 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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
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work from all over the world, including
that which was previously-published.
Just remember:
the snakes of Medusa are always hungry—
for poetry, of course!