Moonlight & Sparkles

 

—Poetry by Claire J. Baker, Pinole, CA
—Public Domain Photos

 

 

 

A STARRY NIGHT

It’s New Year’s Eve,
van Gogh’s painting open
in an art book near my easel:
A swirling sky slides across
& between up-close planets;
in the upper-right
a gigantic moon pulsates
over a village huddled
against indigo hills—
an illusion of distance
as the tip of a tall cypress
nudges two planets…
Craving inclusion in such a night,
I summon passion & awe
to enhance my meager talent:

holding my breath, I grip a brush,
sweep it through yellow
tube-squeezed onto palette.
Round and round I fashion
a huge moon in van Gogh’s short,
bold, frenetic strokes.
Grabbing a fresh brush,
loading it thickly with cobalt blue,
I wrap a night sky around the moon…
Adventuring on, I dip into more pigment,
now sensing Vincent’s brush, verve,
vision are mine. Dismissing New Year’s
bells, celebration horns & sirens,
just before dawn I step back & gaze:
Vincent’s and my shoulders tingle
with moonlight & cosmic sparkles!

 

 

 

 

 

VIA CHROME & SAFARI BROWSERS

As a restless child,
I’d wash the family car—
mostly to see Mother smile at the
gleaming CHROME bumpers
polished to star-shine,
ready for a bing-bang
it withstands with ease.
These days, a covered bumper
invariably needs repair.

And I used to see myself
on a SAFARI called
Kindness to Animals—
let them come close, check out
our species, our metal Explorer
crowded with our curious
who crave up-close & personal
but not too extreme
with either encounter.

 

 

 

 

 

BUDDY

Buddy’s my pet pup—
white fur & kind of shy.
He sports a big brown patch
over a deep brown eye.

He sits on my headboard
good at giving, no faking,
& neatly attuned to
my sleeping & waking—

This mystical night
I await my Buddy’s nod:
way beyond devotion
is he akin to God? 

 

 

 

 

BROWNIES    

This fascination called life can
uplift, shove down, clarify & cloud.
No matter, we bake brownies, paint,
dance, sing into cosmic splendor,
make loving moments last a lifetime….

We shape poetry, pottery &
poignant promises; rock to music
& we rock our babies;
change clothes
& change our minds  
maybe to positivity-in-progress.

Much of our planet is beautiful:
orchards of apple trees
laden with red & golden orbs.
A mountain lake sips silver
from a full moon.

Last week we sponged crude oil
from waterfowl…Cleaned birds
sprang from our hands. We treated
ourselves with homemade brownies,
walnut-crunchy, chocolate in
our nostrils & our neighborhoods.

 

 

 

 

BACCHUS IN POMPEII

When Mount Vesuvius
erupted in 79 A.D.
Jesus was tiptoeing
into holy history.

We see a bended figure
frozen by lava-flow,
pouring a heavy urn
of ancient wine-to-go.

 

 

 

 

SPAGHETTI FEAST

Martyrs, wimps, complainers, cry-babies,
we’ll meet tonight at 5PM for a Spaghetti Feast
in Hallelujah Hall, for as long as it takes to amend
our woeful pitch. Hint: we’ll chuck years
of nit-picking, cookie crumbling, the fact
that years ago we missed winning the Big Lottery
by one lousy number!

Hey, hey, forget the lover who split, taking
toothbrush & the two dollar-bills you left on
your kitchen counter!

We’ll forgive the creep who stole a new sheet
from the dryer while we worked a crossword:
when the dryer clunked off, we pulled out a
ragged cloth, fit only for covering a rabbit hutch.

Welcome all who wallow in the muck
of rotten luck, self-pity & overblown hurt—
whatever M.O. is adopted to assure misery!
Come folks, just as you are!

Heaped haphazardly & tauntingly tangled,
the spaghetti itself demands PATIENCE!
A second challenge is the mounds of “beef”
we bring, as it overcomes the sauce. Folks, we will
amazingly PRETEND not to notice, remarking:
all tastes yummy! A third consideration for
our spaghetti feast is our CLOTHING! as we dangle
forkfuls, slop it on chins, hands, wrists, arms—
everyone around us & all they wear!
       ….Remember, Hallelujah Hall, 5PM!

 

 

 

 

WINTER MOON

We have seen
the sun’s sister
pause at most full
aware of each sojourner
on earth—yes, there—

circling around
our one village,
one tribe
as we share
prayer after prayer.

___________________

Today’s LittleNip:

NOKU
—Claire J. Baker

Atop tall cypress,
perched bird sways sunward
with turn of the earth.

___________________

Our thanks to Claire Baker this morning, who is sending peace, health and love to all of us through her poetry in this jolly season! Same to you, Claire!

Three Zoom events are taking place in our area today:

•••5:30pm: An invitation to discuss concerns and questions about Sac. Poetry Center with the Board at Zoom: us02web.zoom.us/j/7638733462  Meeting ID: 763 873 3462;  Passcode: spcsdv2020

•••7-8:30pm: Sac. City College’s el gigante presents A Poetry Reading with Albert Garcia at cccconfer.zoom.us/j/9348057923 followed by open mic. Host: Danny Romero.
 
•••7:30-9pm: UCD PhD candidate Thomas Hardy speaks about Language Acquisition & Language Learning on Zoom. Host: Frank Graham. Info: www.facebook.com/events/114362950397995

ALSO: Sac. Poetry Center Board urges you to complete an online survey about their operations before Dec. 15 midnight: forms.gle/A7mqbSVYLBzKpust5

____________________

—Medusa, wishing you a Happy Hannukah!

“Way beyond devotion”

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