—Public Domain Photos Courtesy of
Joseph Nolan, Stockton, CA
WATER DREAMS (2)
—Joseph Nolan
Does water have sweet dreams
Of running down tall mountains
In small streams?
In rushing brooks,
Gurgling and babbling
Around trout fishers’ hooks?
Noodling and swishing
Over rocks,
Sweeping past smooth boulders
All washed clean
By years of cresting waters
Summer rains
And storms of Fall?
Does water dream in white?
Frozen things, like snow
And sleet and ice?
Frozen twice:
Once in sky;
Again on land,
Waiting
For warm Spring
To lay its hand
On icy back
And send it running
Swiftly to the sea!
How many times
Have you watched
Sweet water flow,
Running down a mountain,
Letting it wash clean your mind
As you let your getting, go,
Running to the ocean,
Into Eternity,
Which is, exactly,
Where You and I will meet?
I wait for you everywhere!
—Joseph Nolan
Does water have sweet dreams
Of running down tall mountains
In small streams?
In rushing brooks,
Gurgling and babbling
Around trout fishers’ hooks?
Noodling and swishing
Over rocks,
Sweeping past smooth boulders
All washed clean
By years of cresting waters
Summer rains
And storms of Fall?
Does water dream in white?
Frozen things, like snow
And sleet and ice?
Frozen twice:
Once in sky;
Again on land,
Waiting
For warm Spring
To lay its hand
On icy back
And send it running
Swiftly to the sea!
How many times
Have you watched
Sweet water flow,
Running down a mountain,
Letting it wash clean your mind
As you let your getting, go,
Running to the ocean,
Into Eternity,
Which is, exactly,
Where You and I will meet?
I wait for you everywhere!
SUCKING THE SWEETNESS OF MEMORY
—Joseph Nolan
I suck sweet butter
From my thumb,
When I put
The dish-lid
Back where
It belongs.
The strongest test
Of memory
Is the taste of
What belongs,
Here or there,
Without compare:
How I love you!
Beyond compare.
How I remember,
Our sweetest
Of needs!
My darling,
My darling,
In memory, I bleed!
FLOATING ON WIRES
—Joseph Nolan
I float
As though
Suspended on wires,
Hanging from a ceiling.
Exactly how
I got here,
I do not recall,
Nor do I know its meaning.
It must have been
Something I said,
Maybe when I was drinking?
It’s strange how you can’t recall
What you ate, at all,
When things are gone from the fridge.
Would you like to play some bridge?
They say that seatings of four
Around a table,
Upon a floor,
Allow for furtive glances
Over hands
Held close to your chest,
So cards won’t pass
In darkness,
Into new romances.
Pretending to Look Through Venetian Blinds
THE PEOPLE NEVER DIE!
—Joseph Nolan
The mountains sing
Old Incan songs
And howl
In Mayan dirges,
Rising up from the Earth,
All the way to the sky,
Shouting in every accent
That the People never die!
We were here.
We walked this Earth.
We have every right
To rise in the night
And shout
To the stars of our birth!
To raise up our voices in song,
To dance our dances
In the lands of our birth,
In the places where we belong,
Where the bones of our
Ancestors lie buried,
Under sacramental mounds.
Upon bright, starry nighttimes,
You can hear our Brave-Men
Stomping around our circles,
Howling to Heaven and Earth!
Skin of the Panther Chameleon
LIZARD-SKINS, TOUCHING
—Joseph Nolan
Skin
Lends a lizard
A way
To soak up the sun,
Through
The thinnest
Of membranes,
Separating
Everyone,
But I can touch you
And feel your
Heat,
When I touch
Your scaly skin,
Whenever
We meet.
Touching is so sweet!
Even though
Your hide
Is scaly,
Like the bottoms
Of my feet.
Medusa's First Grey Hair
MUTUAL ADMIRATION
—Caschwa
After “Capon Canvas” by
Joyce Odam, Medusa’s Kitchen
October 6, 2020
Models just like us, except
they had FEATURES larger
than we ever expected to see
right in full sun, casually out
in the open
not the least of which were
their most fashionable secondary
sex characteristics which they
carried around like top-of-the-
line clutch purses, proudly
displaying all angles
“OK children, put some coins in
the machine and toss them some
nuts, it’s time to move on.”
WHAT?
—Caschwa
So many color codes to keep track of…
political divisions:
red—Republican
blue—Democrat
pandemic risk decisions:
red—very high
orange—high
yellow—moderate
green—low
air quality diversions:
purple—very unhealthy
red—unhealthy
orange—unhealthy for sensitive groups
yellow—moderate
various incursions:
fuchsia—cockroach infestation
taupe—holes in hose
anchovy—not on my pizza
burnt umber—unparalleled
GRAVITY
—Caschwa
(Ekphrastic photo [above] from
Medusa’s Kitchen, October 6, 2020)
anyone can pick up a violin and play sadly,
but to make that wooden instrument cry
out deep and shrill tones of desperate
deprivation, well maybe that’s something
we’ll get back to later
while you, full of ideals and those terrific,
fool-proof strategies, remain buried alive
under the weight of your numerous pursuits
which are impatiently waiting like a litter of
kittens demanding to be fed.....all at once
ETCHED IN STONE
—Caschwa
After the expression, “waiting for justice” in “Benazir” by Rhony Bhopla, Medusa’s Kitchen, October 8, 2020, along with many cites to our Declaration of Independence (www.britannica.com/topic/Declaration-of-Independence/Text-of-the-Declaration-of-Independence)
and a giant crater appeared upon the Earth
as every human being who had a shovel
set about digging a grave for all who were
falsely accused, whose bodies would run out
of time and lose every hint of life
waiting for justice
the big money tree of the powers that be
gave strict instructions to the military forces
chain of command to protect the wealth at
any cost, look the other way, turn a deaf ear
to all those petitioning to redress their grievances
waiting for justice
· governors must get king’s approval
· naturalizing foreigners
· migration
· judges dependent on king’s will alone
· sent swarms of officers to harass our people
· standing armies without consent
· cutting off our trade with all parts of the world
· destroyed the lives of our people
· excited domestic insurrections
· our petitions for redress answered only by repeated injury
waiting for justice
“A prince, whose character is thus marked by every act which may define a tyrant, is unfit to be the ruler of a free people.”
waiting for justice
____________________
Today’s LittleNip:
PHILOSOPHER’S CORNER
—Caschwa
A man who plays it safe
so overtaken by fears
may outlive others by
some number of years
might then wonder if others
had actually outlived him,
in enjoying life to its fullest
with lights never on dim
_____________________
Good Morning, America! (and other countries far and wide!) Joseph Nolan and Carl Schwartz (Caschwa) carried today for us admirably, and our thanks to them for that.
Whether you recognize Columbus Day or not, here is an article that talks about the controversy surrounding him and the Federal holiday in his honor: www.inquirer.com/opinion/commentary/columbus-day-philadelphia-indigenous-peoples-day-parade-20201009.html/.
The Poeming Pigeon will be open for submissions starting this Thursday, Oct. 15, and lasting until Dec. 15. These submissions are for its Fall 2021 issue, and the theme will be “From Pandemic to Protest”. For info, see thepoetrybox.com/the-poeming-pigeon?mc_cid=71150e9328&mc_eid=b02a0f9fa2/.
Here in our area, Sac. Poetry Center uses Zoom for weekly readings and workshops. For more info, go to www.sacramentopoetrycenter.com/. Area online poetry events this week include:
•••Mon. 7:15pm: SPC Monday Night Socially Distant Verse online, featuring Mary Eichbauer, Linda Collins. Hosted by Bob Stanley, Stuart Canton. 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 hosted by Danyen Powell. Bring a poem for critique. Contact mostoycoff@gmail.com for availability and Zoom info.
•••Wed., 6pm: MarieWriters workshop (prompts) hosted by Len Germinara: zoom.us/j/671443996
•••Fri., 4pm: Writing from the Inside Out workshop led 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.)
•••Fri., 6pm: Susan Kelly-DeWitt reads from her latest book, Gravitational Tug, hosted by Lynn Belzer. Zoom: us04web.zoom.us/j/7638733462 Meeting ID: 763 873 3462; Password: spcsdv2020
* * *
Also this week:
•••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
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—
for poetry, of course!
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—
for poetry, of course!
