—Poetry by Ryan Quinn Flanagan,
Elliot Lake, Ontario, Canada
—Photos Courtesy of Public Domain
GOLFING IN SPACE
The wealthy
show off their wealth
by golfing in space.
Buying up their own
ecosystem.
Terraformed for 18 holes.
Under a see-through dome
with a great view of the cosmos.
Riding golf carts over moon rock
on the way back to the clubhouse
for a for drinks.
Caddies vetted like sand traps
on a difficult back nine.
So the space tourism lobby
can make a bundle.
The wealthy
show off their wealth
by golfing in space.
Buying up their own
ecosystem.
Terraformed for 18 holes.
Under a see-through dome
with a great view of the cosmos.
Riding golf carts over moon rock
on the way back to the clubhouse
for a for drinks.
Caddies vetted like sand traps
on a difficult back nine.
So the space tourism lobby
can make a bundle.
HAPPY TRAILS
The forest near my place is quite dense.
Hardly as dense as the people near my place,
but it can be tough slogging if you venture
off the trails.
And they are happy trails, you can tell
by the way they open up.
Very social.
Even with a fresh pile of bear scat
on its head,
the optimism never
wavers.
With a tiny sapling in hand,
I walk in awe.
The sound of idling 4X4s
in the near distance.
The forest near my place is quite dense.
Hardly as dense as the people near my place,
but it can be tough slogging if you venture
off the trails.
And they are happy trails, you can tell
by the way they open up.
Very social.
Even with a fresh pile of bear scat
on its head,
the optimism never
wavers.
With a tiny sapling in hand,
I walk in awe.
The sound of idling 4X4s
in the near distance.
HOUSE RULES
Do
not
play
poker
with
Death,
bluffing
doesn’t
work
and
you
never
have
the
best
hand.
Do
not
play
poker
with
Death,
bluffing
doesn’t
work
and
you
never
have
the
best
hand.
GORE VIDAL, ARTHUR MILLER, AND
PAUL NEWMAN ALL IN ONE CAR
On the way to a function
during the Democratic National Convention
in Chicago
1968
tear gassed from police volleys
in the street
so the Democratic donkeys could decide
which ass would lose
to Nixon.
PAUL NEWMAN ALL IN ONE CAR
On the way to a function
during the Democratic National Convention
in Chicago
1968
tear gassed from police volleys
in the street
so the Democratic donkeys could decide
which ass would lose
to Nixon.
SHE WASN’T THERE
She taught cooking at the university
and we visited her once,
parking in the back lot
trying to avoid the future firefighters
putting out imaginary fires
all around us,
but she wasn’t there,
so we made the two-hour drive west
back home
the setting sun
a constant nuisance
when you want to see clearly,
but are forced to slow down
and squint.
Now, she is a cashier at the Espanola FreshCo.
University cutbacks are a bitch.
A hit to both the pride and wallet.
Every space man
come tumbling back down
to spicy peppercorn
earth.
She taught cooking at the university
and we visited her once,
parking in the back lot
trying to avoid the future firefighters
putting out imaginary fires
all around us,
but she wasn’t there,
so we made the two-hour drive west
back home
the setting sun
a constant nuisance
when you want to see clearly,
but are forced to slow down
and squint.
Now, she is a cashier at the Espanola FreshCo.
University cutbacks are a bitch.
A hit to both the pride and wallet.
Every space man
come tumbling back down
to spicy peppercorn
earth.
GANG VIOLENCE (3)
You ever seen a weekly book club
cheese platter worked
over?
The gangs of suburbia
show no mercy.
SADOMASOCHISM AS A FINE ART
Why must one be a lover
or a fighter?
I prefer to do both with equal vigour.
And truth be told,
are they really not the
same?
This loving and fighting between us
that has always gone on
and will continue
until we do
not.
Why must one be a lover
or a fighter?
I prefer to do both with equal vigour.
And truth be told,
are they really not the
same?
This loving and fighting between us
that has always gone on
and will continue
until we do
not.
RADIO SILENCE
drop the mic
drop the
bomb
either way
it is the
end of
transmission.
_________________
Today’s LittleNip:
VICTORY SLAB
—Ryan Quinn Flanagan
No one is going over the edge.
There isn't even a mountain.
Only this new way to arrive
at things
which is just leaving
with expectations.
_________________
—Medusa, with a welcome back to Canadian poet Ryan Quinn Flanagan! Ryan’s name is all over Facebook these days as he publishes poems here, there, and everywhere. Congratulations, Ryan! Check him out at ryanquinnflanagan.yolasite.com/.
Drop by Sac. Poetry Center tonight for cool water and cooler poetry, as Team Haag reads from its anthology at 25th & R Sts. in Sacramento. Click UPCOMING NORCAL EVENTS at the top of this column for details about this and other future readings in the NorCal area.
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.
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—
and collaborations are welcome.
Just remember:
the snakes of Medusa are always hungry—
for poetry, of course!
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.
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—
and collaborations are welcome.
Just remember:
the snakes of Medusa are always hungry—
for poetry, of course!
