Wakamatsu Children’s Day Taiko Drums
—Poetry and Photos by Taylor Graham,
Placerville, CA
—And then scroll down to Form Fiddlers’ Friday!!
PASTURE PATIENCE
It takes patience to make goat cheese.
My neighbor’s goats in weedy field between
us, picked their favorite greens of April,
before wild oat seed-heads turned brittle sails
to the wind, and filaree wound its stork’s-
bills into clock-springs. The spiral-horned
goat stood at my fence, hoping I brought
something tastier; I couldn’t imagine
any green that wouldn’t grow under his gaze.
The black-and-white named Oreo lay
in oak shade meditating noon. I wondered,
might my neighbor make bleu cheese?
Blue sky, blue dicks beckoned on a breeze.
It takes patience to make goat cheese.
My neighbor’s goats in weedy field between
us, picked their favorite greens of April,
before wild oat seed-heads turned brittle sails
to the wind, and filaree wound its stork’s-
bills into clock-springs. The spiral-horned
goat stood at my fence, hoping I brought
something tastier; I couldn’t imagine
any green that wouldn’t grow under his gaze.
The black-and-white named Oreo lay
in oak shade meditating noon. I wondered,
might my neighbor make bleu cheese?
Blue sky, blue dicks beckoned on a breeze.
SPRING ROMANCE
This beautiful young spring morning,
four tom turkeys in full display
to woo one apathetic hen—
which tom can melt her heart?
This beautiful young spring morning,
four tom turkeys in full display
to woo one apathetic hen—
which tom can melt her heart?
BIRDSEED
Who is this mother bird
feeding her two fledged babes
on our deck? feathered babes
flight-fit as any bird.
Fledged children still need love
and care beyond the nest,
it seems, that empty nest
still full of mother’s love.
Who is this mother bird
feeding her two fledged babes
on our deck? feathered babes
flight-fit as any bird.
Fledged children still need love
and care beyond the nest,
it seems, that empty nest
still full of mother’s love.
Titmouse Nestlings
WATCH AND LISTEN
A chorus of springtime woven
of last summer’s leftover field—
a nest.
The trees are alive with leafing
as if this short season would last
and last.
Hunger is the song that spring sings
in the voice of bird and lizard
and fox.
How many moths to fill the mouth
of a chick, and the song still call
for more?
The chorus haunts like the bellows
of an organ after the song
is done.
The nest is empty now, a crypt
of old dead grasses, babies flown
away.
***
My camera wishes to capture
what is more than form and design
and light.
My camera’s hunger is my own
never satisfied as spring won’t
stand still.
Wakamatsu Children’s Day
A BIRD SANG ON HER HAND
Dream of Ukraine
That dream of a singing sparrow
was the dream of a man and wife
and rubble of war’s blind harrow,
this dream of a singing sparrow—
a city bombed to its living marrow,
laid open by a rusty knife—
this dream of a singing sparrow
was the dream of a man and wife.
Wakamatsu Children’s Day Taiko Drums
CHILDREN’S DAY, WAKAMATSU FARM
Arise to the beat
of bachi on the Taiko drums—
cloven hooves on grass
cattle awakened from their
morning’s green meditations.
Mother helps her son
count out haiku syllables—
on the wishing tree
what becomes of these lessons?
wind broadcasts words on paper.
Wishing Tree Haiku at
Wakamatsu Farm
Today’s LittleNip:
PHOTO OP: SKY
PHOTO OP: SKY
—Taylor Graham
East flew the wild geese calling
In formation scatter-pieced.
Ever try to shoot a shadow falling?
I clicked until the flight-thru ceased.
O clear blue sky, totally ungeese’d.
_____________________
Birds on our minds with Taylor Graham today, that and the Taiko drums at Wakamatsu Farm in Placerville for Japanese Children's Day. Oh—and that goat! It takes patience to make goat cheese. . . Thank you, TG, for these very springy poems!
Taylor’s poetry is in forms today: a Ryūka (“Spring Romance”); an EIEIO (“Photo Op: Sky”); a Word-Repetition Envelope Stanza (“Birdseed”); a Synchronicity which is also Medusa's Ekphrastic Poem from last week’s photo (“Watch and Listen”); a Triolet (“A Bird Sang on Her Hand”); and a Waka chain (“Children's Day, Wakamatsu Farm”).
Lotsa poetry in NorCal this weekend: tonight, Zoom poet Michael Jaime-Becerra as he reads from Sac. City College; three events tomorrow (Sac. Poetry Alliance in Sac. with Jon Davis and Greg Glazner; Poetry on the Divide in Georgetown with Taylor Graham, Lara Gularte and Stephen Meadows; and Brickhouse with Al Dozen). See the UPCOMING NORCAL EVENTS link at the top of this column for details.
And now it’s time for . . .
FORM FIDDLERS’ FABULOUS FRIDAY THE 13th!
East flew the wild geese calling
In formation scatter-pieced.
Ever try to shoot a shadow falling?
I clicked until the flight-thru ceased.
O clear blue sky, totally ungeese’d.
_____________________
Birds on our minds with Taylor Graham today, that and the Taiko drums at Wakamatsu Farm in Placerville for Japanese Children's Day. Oh—and that goat! It takes patience to make goat cheese. . . Thank you, TG, for these very springy poems!
Taylor’s poetry is in forms today: a Ryūka (“Spring Romance”); an EIEIO (“Photo Op: Sky”); a Word-Repetition Envelope Stanza (“Birdseed”); a Synchronicity which is also Medusa's Ekphrastic Poem from last week’s photo (“Watch and Listen”); a Triolet (“A Bird Sang on Her Hand”); and a Waka chain (“Children's Day, Wakamatsu Farm”).
Lotsa poetry in NorCal this weekend: tonight, Zoom poet Michael Jaime-Becerra as he reads from Sac. City College; three events tomorrow (Sac. Poetry Alliance in Sac. with Jon Davis and Greg Glazner; Poetry on the Divide in Georgetown with Taylor Graham, Lara Gularte and Stephen Meadows; and Brickhouse with Al Dozen). See the UPCOMING NORCAL EVENTS link at the top of this column for details.
And now it’s time for . . .
FORM FIDDLERS’ FABULOUS FRIDAY THE 13th!
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 challenges—Whaddaya got to lose… ? If you send ‘em, I’ll post ‘em! (See Medusa’s Form Finder at the end of this post for resources and for links to poetry terms used in today’s post.)
There’s also a newly dusted-off page at the top of Medusa’s Kitchen called, “FORMS! OMG!!!” which expresses some of my (take ‘em or leave 'em) opinions about the use of forms in poetry writing, as well as listing some more resources to help you navigate through Form Quicksand. Got any more resources to add to our list? Send them to kathykieth@hotmail.com for the benefit of all man/woman/poetkind!
Claire Baker has sent us an example of a Sliding Fiver, a form which originated with Martha Bosworth, who was a Blue Unicorn editor for seven years. It’s in five stanzas of 5 lines, 5 syllables each. First line slides down one line five times, to ultimately become the last line. Thanks, Claire!
BORDER CROSSING
—Claire J. Baker, Pinole, CA
All the lost children,
who trudged long and far
with families fleeing
violence, gangs, war,
beg for asylum,
nos rescataras. . .
All the lost children
arriving worn-out
at guarded border,
pulled from sad parents—
por que y donde,
like quarantined sheep!
All the lost children
shipped off or caged in
tents, the heat intense—
innocent victims:
twenty-three hundred
suffering traumas.
All the lost children
left to cope alone,
love will remember
these migrant martyrs:
Many will weep for
political pawns—
all the lost children.
(prev. pub. in Blue Unicorn, Spring 2022)
We’re still writing Ars Poeticae, all of us, in one way or the other, and here is Stephen Kingsnorth’s tale of two rhythms. His “life in hymnody” is his career as a Methodist minister, of course:
EIGHT BELLS
—Stephen Kingsnorth, Coedpoeth,
Wrexham, Wales, UK
Iambic is my breathing space,
pentameter my dancing pace
and so my normal speaking voice
is stated blank, and formal verse.
Conservative, told, breakaway,
your writing should find freedom’s way;
but this is how I think, nay phrase,
borne by my life in hymnody.
Economy of language used,
telegrammatic, shortened fuse,
why use two words when one will serve,
a lexicon provides our needs.
If filigree admired as taste—
for me plain planished silver worked—
we value hammered sterling price,
scan glint of terms that shine in dark.
Iambic is my breathing space,
pentameter my dancing pace
and so my normal speaking voice
is stated blank, and formal verse.
Conservative, told, breakaway,
your writing should find freedom’s way;
but this is how I think, nay phrase,
borne by my life in hymnody.
Economy of language used,
telegrammatic, shortened fuse,
why use two words when one will serve,
a lexicon provides our needs.
If filigree admired as taste—
for me plain planished silver worked—
we value hammered sterling price,
scan glint of terms that shine in dark.
Last week, these bottomless-pit birds were the subject of our Ekphrastic Photo. Stephen responded thus:
GRACE
—Stephen Kingsnorth
How ugly can be gaping holes,
blind demand, regurgitate,
battling others, greater stake,
these scrawny jaws, transparent flesh,
jerk-jiggling as a tasered wing.
Proportions alien to grace,
vast unbalanced wobble heads,
how can this stumpy gristle lump
ever sing, or soar the sky?
The parent bird, collection point,
sent packing each delivery—
it is the servant of their cries,
family squabbles, rule of life,
insistent bleatings, do or die.
This could be a cartoon grotesque,
the rich in jostle to outdo,
far more than nest egg, savings due,
entitlement to own it all,
some, hubris plied before a fall,
more than lime in dropping toll.
This leaf in Audubon is gone
for feathered plume attracts the eye,
but not the open gullet beg,
scrag end weighted, waiting more.
Here’s magpie thieves, lice, fleas, the mice,
raiders of the lost archetype—
like the donkey’s monstrous head,
I’m told account of sparrows, hair.
GRACE
—Stephen Kingsnorth
How ugly can be gaping holes,
blind demand, regurgitate,
battling others, greater stake,
these scrawny jaws, transparent flesh,
jerk-jiggling as a tasered wing.
Proportions alien to grace,
vast unbalanced wobble heads,
how can this stumpy gristle lump
ever sing, or soar the sky?
The parent bird, collection point,
sent packing each delivery—
it is the servant of their cries,
family squabbles, rule of life,
insistent bleatings, do or die.
This could be a cartoon grotesque,
the rich in jostle to outdo,
far more than nest egg, savings due,
entitlement to own it all,
some, hubris plied before a fall,
more than lime in dropping toll.
This leaf in Audubon is gone
for feathered plume attracts the eye,
but not the open gullet beg,
scrag end weighted, waiting more.
Here’s magpie thieves, lice, fleas, the mice,
raiders of the lost archetype—
like the donkey’s monstrous head,
I’m told account of sparrows, hair.
* * *
Carl Schwartz (Caschwa) also responded to the photo:
LESSON ONE
—Caschwa, Sacramento, Ca
listen and hear:
the very first
foundational
prerequisite
element of
Trickle Down Economy
is to start with
a good breed of
avifauna
accustomed to
share resources
before they’re fully consumed
Last week’s Triple-F Challenge was the Synchronicity. Here is Carl’s response; see also Taylor Graham’s example above:
THE DEVIL’S SPLIT
—Caschwa
dance lessons were mandatory
I learned to count: a-one, a-two
left feet
“under warranty” is real nice
until the new car is under
water
vaccinated, boosted, mask on
everything fine until that darned
failed test
jigsaw cuts the puzzle pieces,
straight saw important too, for the
borders
when there’s no time for recipes,
it comes down to just opening
the can
the best laid plans of mice and men
lay unfound with mounds of buried
treasure
***
started college on wood crutches
surgical pin to top it off
one year
I did the work and passed the tests
was handed a charming degree
now what?
This next poem of Carl’s is a Daisy Chain. Notice how the last word of each line is repeated in the first word of the next line:
IT’S IN THE BILL OF RIGHTS
—Caschwa
there has been a lot of talk lately
lately stopping time until frozen
frozen in the Common Law
law that ruled all the land
land in the kingdom
kingdom we replaced with a Constitution
Constitution setting forth our rights
rights of the people, listed
listed with particulars, one after another
another, supplemented with Amendments
Amendments, including the Ninth
Ninth amendment which elaborates
elaborates: the enumeration of certain rights
rights shall not be construed to deny
deny or disparage others retained
retained by the people
people have rights, whether
whether or not the Constitution specifically
specifically lists them, and also
also whether or not naysayers have read
read the Bill of Rights, so there!
IT’S IN THE BILL OF RIGHTS
—Caschwa
there has been a lot of talk lately
lately stopping time until frozen
frozen in the Common Law
law that ruled all the land
land in the kingdom
kingdom we replaced with a Constitution
Constitution setting forth our rights
rights of the people, listed
listed with particulars, one after another
another, supplemented with Amendments
Amendments, including the Ninth
Ninth amendment which elaborates
elaborates: the enumeration of certain rights
rights shall not be construed to deny
deny or disparage others retained
retained by the people
people have rights, whether
whether or not the Constitution specifically
specifically lists them, and also
also whether or not naysayers have read
read the Bill of Rights, so there!
And, finally, Carl says this Riddle poem sums up our Congress:
THIS SHOULD NOT BE A RIDDLE
—Caschwa
the most important thing is:
right or wrong? No
good or bad? No
legal or not? No
moral or not? No
responsibility? No
feasibility? No
popularity? No
connections? Yep, that’s it!
___________________
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!
______________________
TRIPLE-F 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, which is an overlap with songwriting:
•••The Bop: www.writersdigest.com/write-better-poetry/poetic-form-the-bop
And/or try the Sliding Fiver (see Claire Baker’s example above).
And see the bottom of this post for another challenge, this one an Ekphrastic one!
______________________
MEDUSA’S FORM FINDER: Links to poetry terms mentioned today:
•••The Bop: www.writersdigest.com/write-better-poetry/poetic-form-the-bop
•••Daisy Chain: poetscollective.org/poetryforms/daisy-chain
•••Ekphrastic Poem: notesofoak.com/discover-literature/ekphrastic-poetry
•••Riddle Poem: poets.org/glossary/riddle
•••Ryūka: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ryūka
•••Sliding Fiver: 5 stanzas, 5 lines, 5 syllables per line. First line slides down a line 5 times, to become the last line. (Martha Bosworth, via Claire J. Baker)
•••Synchronicity: www.shadowpoetry.com/resources/wip/synchronicity.html
•••Triolet: www.writersdigest.com/personal-updates/triolet-an-easy-way-to-write-8-lines-of-poetry
•••Waka: poetscollective.org/poetryforms/waka
•••Word-Repetition Envelope Stanzas: 1221, 3443, 5665, etc.
_______________________
—Medusa
THIS SHOULD NOT BE A RIDDLE
—Caschwa
the most important thing is:
right or wrong? No
good or bad? No
legal or not? No
moral or not? No
responsibility? No
feasibility? No
popularity? No
connections? Yep, that’s it!
___________________
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!
______________________
TRIPLE-F 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, which is an overlap with songwriting:
•••The Bop: www.writersdigest.com/write-better-poetry/poetic-form-the-bop
And/or try the Sliding Fiver (see Claire Baker’s example above).
And see the bottom of this post for another challenge, this one an Ekphrastic one!
______________________
MEDUSA’S FORM FINDER: Links to poetry terms mentioned today:
•••The Bop: www.writersdigest.com/write-better-poetry/poetic-form-the-bop
•••Daisy Chain: poetscollective.org/poetryforms/daisy-chain
•••Ekphrastic Poem: notesofoak.com/discover-literature/ekphrastic-poetry
•••Riddle Poem: poets.org/glossary/riddle
•••Ryūka: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ryūka
•••Sliding Fiver: 5 stanzas, 5 lines, 5 syllables per line. First line slides down a line 5 times, to become the last line. (Martha Bosworth, via Claire J. Baker)
•••Synchronicity: www.shadowpoetry.com/resources/wip/synchronicity.html
•••Triolet: www.writersdigest.com/personal-updates/triolet-an-easy-way-to-write-8-lines-of-poetry
•••Waka: poetscollective.org/poetryforms/waka
•••Word-Repetition Envelope Stanzas: 1221, 3443, 5665, etc.
_______________________
—Medusa
See what you can make of the above
photo, and send your poetic results to
kathykieth@hotmail.com/. (No deadline.)
***
—Public Domain Photo Courtesy of
Joseph Nolan, Stockton, CA
For upcoming poetry events in
Northern California and otherwheres,
click on
UPCOMING NORCAL EVENTS
in the links at the top of this page.
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.
Northern California and otherwheres,
click on
UPCOMING NORCAL EVENTS
in the links at the top of this page.
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.
Wakamatsu Farm
