And scroll down for Form Fiddlers' Friday!!
THANK YOU OAK
This oak has stood so many years
through leafings and their leavings
and still she roots the land, and lifts
her canopies of birds.
She’s seen our harvests and our fears,
our human joys and grievings,
and lets November’s breezing drift
our paper sails of words.
UNDER THE FOG MOON
The full moon walked our deck,
making familiar things unknowable
on the other side of sliding glass.
I woke past midnight
to moonlight diffusing a cold mist
like dream’s subconscious.
Illuminated vapor rising
filled the canyon with portent
like a ghost of sleep.
And when at last the dawn
created land again with light,
it walked veiled in silver chill.
SNAKE CIRCLE
inspired by Laurel Ferreira’s Rattlesnake and Poppy Dream
Snake describes
its circle of sand
with poppy
as center.
I’m in the circle caught tight
in snake’s land, poppy
at my feet.
I dare not cross. Snake
lithe as myth.
Years ago
I lept the circle but for
memory of snake.
ROOM OF HER OWN
inspired by Pawenan by Jaime Lanouette
From the wall she observes us—
this reception for the exhibition, couples
and friends in groups sipping local wines
from stem glasses. Hors d’oeuvres.
Eating in public is awkward in a mask.
I’ve been watching the woman on the wall—
dark skin, flowing black hair, ear-rings
and necklace beads of native
materials. A portrait in mixed media.
She has no features. No eyes, nose,
mouth. Has she a voice
in this room flowing over conversations
with wine and tidbits? Hovering
above her, a butterfly in her same rich
colors of earth-red and shining black.
FROM THE DREAM
inspired by Universal Dreamer by Cherie Hacker
The pattern’s finished,
elements dancing in place
as fresh as the dawn;
the work she made sits dreaming—
the spirit beckons: move on.
THE LOST SHORE
The wind is turning,
the sun goes burning
above the lost shore’s memory place
where on the sand you find what’s left
of maps and barrels, ropes—each trace
of travelers’ castoffs
their thoughtless passed-offs
which buoy the waves that come and go—
what’s polished, water-logged, or cleft
from journeys weeks or years ago.
Each find you finger,
let fancies linger….
Today's LittleNip:
“HELPING HANDS”
—Taylor Graham
Set in concrete, two
small handprints open like hope
newly filled with rain.
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One day past Thanksgiving, and hopefully you’ve recovered from your tryptophan high. Taylor Graham’s poems carry us through Thanksgiving and on to Native American Heritage Day which is today, Nov. 26 (nationaltoday.com/native-american-heritage-day), and is a part of Native American Heritage Month (www.nativeamericanheritagemonth.gov). Be sure to stop by the Poetry of the Sierra Foothills reading tomorrow at Love Birds Coffee & Tea Co., 4181 Hwy. 49, Diamond Springs (where 49 meets Pleasant Valley Rd.). Reader will be Stephen Meadows, plus open mic, celebrating Native American Heritage Day with host Lara Gularte.
The forms that Taylor’s poems take today include: a Haiku ("Helping Hands”); a Shadorma (“Snake Circle”); some Ekphrastics (from “A Room of Their Own” exhibition at Confidence Firehouse Gallery: “Snake Circle”, “Room of Her Own”, “From the Dream”); a Tanka (“From the Dream”); a Triversen (“Under the Fog Moon”); a Dr Stella (“Thank You Oak”); and a Wavelet (“The Far Shore”). The Dr Stella and the Wavelet were our Form Fiddlers’ Challenges last week.
And check out yesterday’s Kitchen for a tasty salad of form examples from Sacramento's Carol Louise Moon, a Form Fiddler from ‘way back!
And now it’s time for . . .
FORM FIDDLERS’ FRIDAY!
It’s time for more contributions from Form Fiddlers, in addition to those sent to us by Taylor Graham! Each Friday, there will be poems posted here from our readers using forms—either ones which were sent to 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 resources and for links to poetry terms used today.)
This week, Joyce Odam has sent us a Poet’s Portal, which she describes as:
POET’S PORTAL: 10 lines of Iambic
Tetrameter or Iambic Pentameter, with
2 envelope quatrains, and one couplet,
Rhymed: a b b a c d d c e e
LISTENING TO THE STORM
—Joyce Odam, Sacramento, CA
This morning’s storm, as if with conscious wrath,
shudders every rattling window pane
with thrilling force of wind and slash of rain,
and flings itself—full force—across our path.
Wakened, we give late-worried thoughts to all
those thumping sounds at loose in house and yard,
bemoan our lack of plan. We listen hard.
We wonder if the weakened tree will fall—
the roof will hold, and if the rivers rise—
will they confirm what all our dread implies.
Caschwa (Carl Schwartz) and Taylor Graham (see “Thank You Oak” above) rose to one of last Friday’s challenges, the Dr Stella (apparently there is no period after the "Dr", old-school style). Here’s is Carl’s sleek slaying of this rather charming little form:
BOXED UP
—Caschwa, Sacramento, CA
we all live in an envelope
defining every action
tri-folded, creased, and hogtied tight
escape is not a choice
it’s in our daily horoscope
left wanting for some traction
triathlons borne of prism light
tall orders, not our voice
The other Form Fiddlers’ challenge last week was the Wavelet, and here is Carl’s:
PRAISE BE
—Caschwa
it happens daily
real smooth and gaily
we think we know what’s fact or dud
the truth is buried under spin
a trait admired by piles of mud
our minds are closets
too full of poets
they hang in clusters, mix and match
some never surface e’er again
intended meanings we can’t catch
redundant verses
foul language curses
The tippy ship above was last Friday’s Ekphrastic Challenge, and Stephen Kingsnorth did some research on it, discovering that it was the BRP Datu Kalantiaw, Philippines [formerly USS Booth], salvaged by USS Mount Hood. Here are two poems from Stephen in response:
CLARA’S SMASH HITS
—Stephen Kingsnorth, Coedpoeth, Wrexham, Wales, UK
Some forty past,
near eighty lost,
a double deathbed shipping scene;
once USS, baptised as Booth,
though grand as title—
take a bow—
sold BRP, sailed Philippines.
These Man-of-War or frigatebirds,
but coffin lids, rib-riveting,
for second berth to rocky death.
Named first law code, isle history,
Kalantiaw, its afterbirth—
but deemed a hoax,
some conning tower,
forged profile, experts float in wake.
But was there wake, that refit crew?
How fitting was her ‘Clara’ tag—
that typhoon, wrecking
fleet afoot?
These breakers,
crashing ‘bout their yard,
though metrical, crest rhythm beat,
stern in their view, and prowess proved,
but poor hand dealt to men of steel.
Beached wails
beneath that threnody,
ill-fitting capsize, parting end.
‘Good Hood’ worn, salvage sailors watch,
their own soon scrapped,
that knacker’s end.
Rum cat o’nine told many tales,
pressed navy haematoma welts;
though tides have changed,
the bridge on swell remains brief span.
* * *
MIGHTY FALLEN
—Stephen Kingsnorth
With muscled flesh, broad shouldered back,
what juxtapose,
that strapping, contemplative lad,
observing from his detached rock,
as if the pain divorced by stretch
of pounding water, energised,
and there in counterbalanced wait,
the wallow carcass, gurgle swirl,
insulting ripples, swabbing deck,
between cracked ribs and broken back.
Is it that misplaced tonnage died,
a contradiction in its space,
bowed, screw lift, stern dripping face,
its turrets tilted, torrents flushed?
Its blues and greys of naval hue,
slate, picked crew as crewcut style,
some mermaid borne of spewy froth,
but would he cite Aphrodite’s rôle—
this juxtapose
with crumpled scrap, lost eighty died?
Here is Carl’s take on poor “Clara”:
ASLEEP IN THE WHEELHOUSE
—Caschwa
one job to do
one goal to meet
helpers at your feet
high technology abounds
windows, more windows
radar and sonar screens
maps, coordinates
years of training
history of good hunches
but today is different
wandering eyes
distractions to despise
reports, other input
keep your eye on the ball
focus, refocus, again
history of good hunches
years of training
maps, coordinates
swing
miss
out
season over
And lookee here the cute response that Sacramento Poet Michelle Kunert sent:
dude I went out to surf and guess what I found a ship beached on its side like a dead whale But I guess that’s better than a whale washing up and reeking like s_t as it rots in the sun
—Michelle Kunert, Sacramento, CA
__________________
Many thanks to our SnakePals for their brave fiddling! Would you like to be a SnakePal? All you have to do is send poetry—forms or not—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!
__________________
FIDDLERS’ CHALLENGE!
See what you can make of this week’s poetry form, and send it to kathykieth@hotmail.com! (No deadline.) This week's challenge (courtesy of Joyce Odam):
And see the bottom of this post for another challenge, this one in Ekphrastic form!
__________________
MEDUSA’S FORM FINDER: Links to poetry terms mentioned today:
•••Dr Stella: poetscollective.org/poetryforms/dr-stella OR forums.familyfriendpoems.com/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=115687
•••Ekphrastic: notesofoak.com/discover-literature/ekphrastic-poetry
•••Haiku: www.shadowpoetry.com/resources/haiku/haiku.html
•••Poet’s Portal: 10 lines of Iambic Tetrameter or Iambic Pentameter, with 2 envelope Quatrains, and one couplet, Rhymed: a b b a c d d c e e
•••Shadorma: www.writersdigest.com/editor-blogs/poetic-asides/poets/shadorma-a-highly-addictive-poetic-form-from-spain
•••Tanka: poets.org/glossary/tanka
•••Triversen: www.writersdigest.com/write-better-poetry/triversen-poetic-form
•••Wavelet: poetscollective.org/poetryforms/wavelet
RESOURCES:
•••Shadow Poetry: www.shadowpoetry.com/resources/wip/types.html
•••Poets’ Collective: poetscollective.org/poetryforms/example-index
•••Poets.org: poets.org/glossary
•••Poetry Foundation: www.poetryfoundation.org/learn/glossary-terms?category=209
•••Bob’s Byway: www.poeticbyway.com/glossary.html
•••Desolation Poems by Sacramento’s Jan Haag: janhaag.com/PODesIntro.html
•••Baymoon: www.baymoon.com/~ariadne
•••The Poets Garret: thepoetsgarret.com/list.html
•••Lewis Turco: www.amazon.com/Lewis-Turco/e/B001K7LAUQ%3Fref=dbs_a_mng_rwt_scns_share
•••Writer’s Digest: www.writersdigest.com/?s=poetry&submit= (just type in the form you want in the search bar at upper right) OR www.writersdigest.com/whats-new/list-of-50-poetic-forms-for-poets
ALSO:
•••Annie Finch: "Listening to Poetry": www.poetryfoundation.org/harriet/2009/03/listening-to-poetry/.
•••"What is Poetic Form?" by Emily Jarvis, a short description of how/why poetry is structured into forms: penandthepad.com/poetic-form-8726589.html/. Also by the same author: “Examples of Musical Devices in Poetry”: penandthepad.com/examples-musical-devices-poems-20170.html/.
•••The Guardian Poem of the Week: www.theguardian.com/books/booksblog/2017/nov/20/poem-of-the-week-yoga-for-leaders-and-others-by-philip-fried/.
__________________
—Medusa
See what you can make of the above
photo, and send it to
kathykieth@hotmail.com/. (No deadline.)
***
—Public Domain Photo Courtesy of
Joseph Nolan
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.
