Leaving Room For Wonder

 

—Poetry and Photos by Taylor Graham, 

Placerville, CA

—And then scroll down for 

Form Fiddler’s Friday!!

BIRDS’ DAWNSONG
Golden Shovel on a line by Bryher

Blackbird, finch, then one note of white
fluting into deeper brush, a rush
of dawn chill air and
as if the dry creek flowed hush-silver
remembering how spring’s rain-rush
would freshen morning—mourning dove at
this leading edge of twitterlight.

 

 

 

 

LAWS OF THE WILD

Loki’s barking madly
at our sliding glass door. I see nothing—
and then, a black cat! sitting
calm but alert on our pebble-deck.
Is our black cat Latches secure inside?
wide yellow eyes stare out thru glass
at the stranger black cat’s
yellow eyes staring in at
like a dare on coyote’s hunting
ground, under sky owned by hawk
and owl? Outdoors isn’t safe.
“Don’t even think of slipping out
to go adventuring!” we tell our black
cat, Master of Latches.

 

 

 

 


LEAVING ROOM FOR WONDER

What I see padding casually
on our deck: 4 legs with paws. How   
did it get thru our stock-wire   
fence, our ranch gate?    Fox? Does
it think our home is
sanctuary?
Fox-wild is
welcome
here.

 

 

 

 

COLLECTIVES

A fluffle of wild rabbits? No, it’s
the neighbor’s white fuzzy escaped once
again into our field which is not
a rabbit sanctuary. Gobble
of turkeys & a murder of crows…
Look out, bunny, raptor’s circling high.
It doesn’t take a rage of red-tails—
one hawk’s enough to whisk you away.
Forget collectives: it’s a case of
one plus-slash-minus one, & that’s you.

 

 

 

 

WHO HOLDS COURT
    June 24, 2022

I heard the high hawk—
raw scream above squawk.
Did small birds listen,
or just dither leaves?
The news of the morn
was not to be borne.

Wild finches still sang,
a not-yet caged gang.
The sun also rose
and the breeze flowed free.
Sparrow, silent elf,
keeping to herself.

 

 

 

 

SNIPPETS OF MORNING (2)
       
Court’s decision. Mourning w/ trimmer—whack
those snow-white sticky seedheads,
weeds propagating more.

Is this anger management or morning
meditation? Battery-
op trimmer hums its song.

Supermajority of hedge-parsley—
sounds innocent doesn’t it?
Pick stickers out of shirt.

Spare this brush-pile, trim around its edges—
sanctuary for towhee—
hawk shadow overhead.

 

 

 

Today’s LittleNip:

RECEPTION: WILD MOUNTAIN ART
—Taylor Graham

This gallery’s a barricade
of gesticulating humans
conversing too loudly for thought
& blocking free passage.

_____________________

Welcome to July! Taylor Graham brings us critters and oaks this morning, as she celebrates the "Sanctuary" (our Seed of the Week) provided by the foothills, where humans and wildlife interlap. Her poems are in forms today: a Nonet (“Leaving Room for Wonder”); Normative Syllabics (“Collectives”); a Ryūka (“Reception: Wild Mountain Art”); a Nolan (our recent Triple-F Challenge by Joe Nolan: “Who Holds Court”); a Kimo chain [“Snippets of Morning (2)”]; and a Golden Shovel (“Birds' Dawnsong”).

Take a ride up to Nevada City today for a reading at First Friday at the Miners Foundry. Click UPCOMING NORCAL EVENTS at the top of this column for details about this and other future readings in the NorCal area.

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 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!

 

Here are three-plus responses to last week’s Ekphrastic Challenge:

 

 

 

 Last Week’s Ekphrastic Challenge

 

ROOM IN A PINE CABIN
—Claire J. Baker, Pinole, CA

That’s either a well-lived-in space
or a movie set awaiting a scene. Ah,
all those pillows and a tiger asleep
on left side of cot. Or is that a striped pillow?

If a gentleman lives there, he likely plays
racket ball, and works with a T-square.
The recliner chair is mine for a few
seconds, then the color too light. I see

myself asleep in the window cot
under bed sheet curtains—not white,
but a hanging sunrise.
One stormy night I’ll intuitively rise
and light the two chubby old candles.
I’ll leave the recliner lamp and its lady-like
shade untouched as a virgin spirit.

What about the square, squat wooden chest
center of the room? Surely its nuggets
of gold complement the orange curtains.
The window over the cot is bright daylight,
And so my inner view begins to glisten.

Hello and goodbye, for now, rustic room
in Tahoe, Markleeville or a base-camp
for heaven.

* * *

POSED ANGLEPOISE
—Stephen Kingsnorth, Coedpoeth, Wrexham, Wales

This treehouse cabin, redwood fenced,
stuff, stuffed with stuffing, anglepoised,
ingrained by strata, plump and grain;
as cushions scatter fabric flow,
a trunk surrounded, column trunks,
through window shine falls light and not.
Close shave shows knots, supporting struts,
line slated floor and flat wall slats,
clear angled slants, triangular,
trig tripod strength in height and girth.
Lamp shade, candles, upholstered pad,
yet see the wood for pinewood trees?

Patterned curtain, guess windchimes framed—
an interaction, wind and sound,
wall bellows hang—where’s log-burn stove?
Is this cosy packed clutter home,
where scents, intense, brim sense of smell,
but shuffle only walk in space,
cling stumble course, obstacle place—
if resin catches, escape route?
Is this TV reception room?
Trapped Ariels, how many here?
Perhaps this base needs sprucing up,
bole, spring clean, of tight logjam stripped?

* * *

This is not

a log-cabin living room
with rustic seating,
overflowing with pillows
inviting sighs
and closed eyes,
with spotless tile floors.
No, this is a
stuffed-toy-tossing,
dog-racing
living room,
for dog-sleeping
and dog-leaping.
The open door invites wind
and cottonwood snowflakes
to make themselves at home.
If the dogs don’t make it
out that open door,
they leave little treasures
for us to step in.

—Nolcha Fox, Buffalo, WY

* * *

Caschwa (Carl Schwartz) wrote a poem that is a combination of last week’s Triple-F Challenge and the Ekphrastic Challenge. I call it a Nola-Frastic. (Taylor Graham also wrote a Nolan; see her poems above.)

 

 

 

  

 

 

HOME AGAIN
—Caschwa, Sacramento, CA

when a houseboat is beached
its home shore it has reached
just make yourself some hot coffee
and step out to enjoy the air
what is the name of that bird
like none other you ever have heard?

when it’s time to set sail you will know
by tracking the patterns of ebb and flow
surfers will wax their bodies and boards
musclemen flex and stare and grin
women compete to be the most glamorous
tourists will smile and adjust their cameras

* * *

Carl has also sent us a List Poem in which he “made up a couple of new words, figuring that if an individual who performs abortions is an abortionist, then we also have amputationists and decapitationists.”

 

 

 

 

 

IST WITH A FIST
—Caschwa

someone carrying a doctor’s bag
could be an abortionist

if they’re breaking chains, it’s
an abolitionist

a saw, you got it, it’s
an amputationist

see an atomic whirl?
now you’ve got an atheist

a keyboard brings you
a columnist

plus the hammer and sickle
indicates communist

and if they open carry an AR-15,
it’s a dreaded decapitationist

____________________

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.)

•••Compound Word Verse: www.shadowpoetry.com/resources/wip/compound.html
 

See also the bottom of this post for another challenge, this one an Ekphrastic one.

And don’t forget every Tuesday’s Seed of the Week! This week it’s “You are what you drink”.

____________________

MEDUSA’S FORM FINDER: Links to poetry terms mentioned today:

•••Compound Word Verse: www.shadowpoetry.com/resources/wip/compound.html
•••Ekphrastic Poem: notesofoak.com/discover-literature/ekphrastic-poetry
•••Golden Shovel: www.writersdigest.com/write-better-poetry/golden-shovel-poetic-form
•••Kimo: www.writersdigest.com/write-better-poetry/kimo-poetic-form AND/OR poetscollective.org/poetryforms/kimo
•••List Poem: clpe.org.uk/poetryline/poeticforms/list-poem
•••Nolan (devised by Joe Nolan): aaxxbb ccxxdd
•••Nonet: www.writersdigest.com/write-better-poetry/nonet-poems-poetic-form
•••Normative Syllabics: hellopoetry.com/collection/108/normative-syllabic-free-verse AND/OR lewisturco.typepad.com/poetics/normative-syllabic-verse
•••Ryūka: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ryūka

____________________

—Medusa

 

 

 

 Today's Ekphrastic Challenge!

 
See what you can make of the above


photo, and send your poetic results to
kathykieth@hotmail.com/. (No deadline.)

 
 
***

 
 
—Public Domain Photo
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 




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.

 

LittleSnake goes boating

for the 4th—be safe, 

LittleSnake!