—Poetry and Photos by Taylor Graham,
Placerville, CA
—And then scroll down for Form Fiddlers’ Friday,
with Poets Stephen Kingsnorth, Nolcha Fox,
and Claire J. Baker
EASTER MOWING
There are no lilies in the field yet. It’s Easter
Sunday, April—at last, a day that feels like spring.
I’m out weed-eating—seasonal ritual that knows
no holidays. Indian lettuce has gone
to tiny white star-blooms, a sign it’s on its way out.
I find some shady patches maintaining its silken-
green tenderness; put my machine down
and pick a handful—two, three—my favorite salad,
who needs dressing? Back to mowing;
here’s your old harrow that hasn’t been used
in years, woven with spring green. So much
to do! Everything springing back to life at once,
it seems. Woodpecker has no response,
but White-crowned Sparrow
says, take what’s given and be glad.
There are no lilies in the field yet. It’s Easter
Sunday, April—at last, a day that feels like spring.
I’m out weed-eating—seasonal ritual that knows
no holidays. Indian lettuce has gone
to tiny white star-blooms, a sign it’s on its way out.
I find some shady patches maintaining its silken-
green tenderness; put my machine down
and pick a handful—two, three—my favorite salad,
who needs dressing? Back to mowing;
here’s your old harrow that hasn’t been used
in years, woven with spring green. So much
to do! Everything springing back to life at once,
it seems. Woodpecker has no response,
but White-crowned Sparrow
says, take what’s given and be glad.
BEES OF EARLY SPRING
a Koori, a Shoa, & a Ganta
April sunrise but
where are the bees of spring blooms—
where are the blossoms?
My lens
my poor eyes
question.
Patience, sings the finch
from somewhere unseen and yet
certain in its faith.
*
So shall we wait
on weather’s whims
as finches sing
winter, spring,
summer and fall,
dawn’s new sunburst.
*
Bees
swarmed the wild plum leaves—
tiniest bees in search
of sweet but the fruit was gone
by summer—now’s spring for springing
bees.
a Koori, a Shoa, & a Ganta
April sunrise but
where are the bees of spring blooms—
where are the blossoms?
My lens
my poor eyes
question.
Patience, sings the finch
from somewhere unseen and yet
certain in its faith.
*
So shall we wait
on weather’s whims
as finches sing
winter, spring,
summer and fall,
dawn’s new sunburst.
*
Bees
swarmed the wild plum leaves—
tiniest bees in search
of sweet but the fruit was gone
by summer—now’s spring for springing
bees.
APRIL OPENS
A small tree
has burst into blossom
beside polluted stream.
Buckeye leafs out
above baby thistle
white with night frost.
Fiddleneck and mustard
golden the field—
don’t call them weeds.
Is it spring or not
this chilly walkabout
on aging bones.
Manzanita bells
in pale pink bunches
are hung for ringing.
One dandelion explodes
sunburst yellow
out of winter’s drab.
A small tree
has burst into blossom
beside polluted stream.
Buckeye leafs out
above baby thistle
white with night frost.
Fiddleneck and mustard
golden the field—
don’t call them weeds.
Is it spring or not
this chilly walkabout
on aging bones.
Manzanita bells
in pale pink bunches
are hung for ringing.
One dandelion explodes
sunburst yellow
out of winter’s drab.
SPRING-BREAK WALK WITH DOG
a Shoa, a Ganta, & a Koori
Weekend: grade-school—
cast-off sweaters, caps,
jackets flapping
in rain-wind clapping,
all the gates locked
to keep kids safe.
Dog
leads me to grassy
playing fields, their marshy
edge—ribit says Frog as we
climb to college—and then who knows?
Dog!
A free-form portal
opens onto spring-green hill
lush with coming rain.
It’s time.
Seek new ways,
rough fringes.
Here Crow is calling
for its mate, the rites of spring
under cloudy sky.
a Shoa, a Ganta, & a Koori
Weekend: grade-school—
cast-off sweaters, caps,
jackets flapping
in rain-wind clapping,
all the gates locked
to keep kids safe.
Dog
leads me to grassy
playing fields, their marshy
edge—ribit says Frog as we
climb to college—and then who knows?
Dog!
A free-form portal
opens onto spring-green hill
lush with coming rain.
It’s time.
Seek new ways,
rough fringes.
Here Crow is calling
for its mate, the rites of spring
under cloudy sky.
TRAIL COMPANIONS
1.
Look. Great Blue Heron
lifts from pond and disappears
as I come in view.
Crow calls down good day,
please will you be leaving soon?
2.
Without my knowing
the ticks of these woods find me,
accompany me
back home. Today I’m itching
but not for a tick-woods hike.
1.
Look. Great Blue Heron
lifts from pond and disappears
as I come in view.
Crow calls down good day,
please will you be leaving soon?
2.
Without my knowing
the ticks of these woods find me,
accompany me
back home. Today I’m itching
but not for a tick-woods hike.
POETRY MAKING DO
from an email planning art-nature festival
After winter storms the woods
are a mess but I picked my way on recon—
a good long walk (I don’t recommend this
for the festival!....).
Might we gather for poetry in a spot declared safe
from fallen trees and soggy meadow?
Our poets can bring camp chairs,
we don't need tables.
It's not the woodland as we’ve known it,
but it's nature
on the mend. We'll read poetry to each other
and whoever stops to listen.
We’ll make poems of it.
from an email planning art-nature festival
After winter storms the woods
are a mess but I picked my way on recon—
a good long walk (I don’t recommend this
for the festival!....).
Might we gather for poetry in a spot declared safe
from fallen trees and soggy meadow?
Our poets can bring camp chairs,
we don't need tables.
It's not the woodland as we’ve known it,
but it's nature
on the mend. We'll read poetry to each other
and whoever stops to listen.
We’ll make poems of it.
Today’s LittleNip:
THE MUSE ON VACATION
—Taylor Graham
She said she was off to sail La Muse.
The place sounded known to me in dream.
I googled, ended up in the Gorges
du Tarn, a place I’d never heard of.
Emerald-azure waters, mythic
cliffs. A sort of sea-voyage locked up
in some mountain far and high above
ocean, but in psyche surpassing
deep. Will she return? And how will she
be changed by the adventure? And how
shall I venture the place in mere words?
______________________
Thanks to Taylor Graham this morning for bringing us poetry and photos about April in the Sierra foothills! TG writes: “From an online prompt, I discovered three forms ("styles”)—the Koori, Ganta, and Shoa—which I hadn't known about; I don't know where they come from. I put them together in different orders and am sending you two. What shall I call the composite? For now, I'm just calling it ‘3s’. Do you or any of your readers know about the three forms? Here's all I know:
•••Koori style: https://medium.com/@Internationalpoetrynewsletter/modern-cbe315b33fb7
•••Ganta style: https://medium.com/@Internationalpoetrynewsletter/modern-ganta-poems-and-how-to-write-ganta-poems-a6b08b655078
•••Shoa style: https://medium.com/@Internationalpoetrynewsletter/modern-shoa-poems-and-how-to-write-shoa-poems-afc5c57d3af9/“.
THE MUSE ON VACATION
—Taylor Graham
She said she was off to sail La Muse.
The place sounded known to me in dream.
I googled, ended up in the Gorges
du Tarn, a place I’d never heard of.
Emerald-azure waters, mythic
cliffs. A sort of sea-voyage locked up
in some mountain far and high above
ocean, but in psyche surpassing
deep. Will she return? And how will she
be changed by the adventure? And how
shall I venture the place in mere words?
______________________
Thanks to Taylor Graham this morning for bringing us poetry and photos about April in the Sierra foothills! TG writes: “From an online prompt, I discovered three forms ("styles”)—the Koori, Ganta, and Shoa—which I hadn't known about; I don't know where they come from. I put them together in different orders and am sending you two. What shall I call the composite? For now, I'm just calling it ‘3s’. Do you or any of your readers know about the three forms? Here's all I know:
•••Koori style: https://medium.com/@Internationalpoetrynewsletter/modern-cbe315b33fb7
•••Ganta style: https://medium.com/@Internationalpoetrynewsletter/modern-ganta-poems-and-how-to-write-ganta-poems-a6b08b655078
•••Shoa style: https://medium.com/@Internationalpoetrynewsletter/modern-shoa-poems-and-how-to-write-shoa-poems-afc5c57d3af9/“.
Other forms TG has sent us today are two Ars Poeticae/Normative Syllabics (“The Muse on Vacation” and “Poetry Making Do”); two 3s’s, as she's calling them (“Bees of Early Spring” and “Spring Break Walk with Dog”); a Triversen (“April Opens”); a Companion Poem (“Trail Companions”); and a Word-Can Poem (“Easter Mowing”). The Companion Poem form was a Triple-F Challenge last week.
El Dorado County happenings next week include a Poetry in Motion read-around at the Placerville Sr. Center on Monday at 10:30am, and a “Writing Our Words” workshop with Lara Gularte at the Cameron Park Library on Thursday at 5:30pm. For more info about El Dorado County poetry events, past and future, go to Western Slope El Dorado poetry on Facebook: www.facebook.com/ElDoradoCountyPoetry/ or see El Dorado County Poet Laureate Lara Gularte’s Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/groups/382234029968077/. Poetry is Gold in El Dorado County!
Tonight in the Sacramento area, Sac. Poetry Center will be open from 6-10pm for anyone who wants a place to write. And at 6:30pm, tune into Zoom for an el gigante reading featuring writers from Simple Machines Literary Magazine. Click on Medusa's UPCOMING NORCAL EVENTS (http://medusaskitchen.blogspot.com/p/wtf.html) for details about these and other future poetry events in the NorCal area—and keep an eye on this link and on the Kitchen for happenings that might pop up during the week.
And now it’s time for…
FORM FIDDLERS’ FRIDAY!
There’s also a 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!
Last Week’s Ekphrastic Photo
We had a response to last week’s Ekphrastic Photo from Stephen Kingsnorth, and two from Nolcha Fox. Stephen has included a photo of the next step in the life of the lighthouse.
—Public Domain Photo Courtesy
of Stephen Kingsnorth
SALINE DRIP
—Stephen Kingsnorth, Coedpoeth, Wrexham, Wales
So much is context, contrast, range,
comparison against the type,
a fount as geyser, wellspring, font?
A high rise, tower block, ivory,
the Babel speech of would be gods,
some Jenga pride before a fall?
Bold stand, arising cauldron boil,
seems less when overwhelmed by wave,
that smash, some storeys of its own.
Maybe launched missile driving through,
but I see parting of the ways,
a saline drip around the brick.
For yet the candlepower remains,
a winking pulse without a blink,
as engineered, designed, flak, thrash.
Who occupies this penthouse suite,
an overview, Marine Parade,
though balcony not deckchair choice?
Perhaps crab, lobster to the floor,
a home delivery to door,
the nett worth of a life at sea?
And where the lens, camera stance,
a dance on cliff edge, drone above,
in zephyr (find poetic end)?
* * *
FOOTING
—Nolcha Fox, Buffalo, WY
Just a blink,
and you are gone,
a ghost of froth and spray.
I cannot follow,
I am afraid
to lose my footing
on rocky ground,
and slip
into your grave.
***
UNLIT
—Nolcha Fox
She thinks he
is a harbor,
a refuge
from the storms.
He wants her
trust so he
can wreck her,
re-form her
into what
he needs. He
says he is
her lighthouse.
He guides her
towards the
rocks and then
turns off the
light.
(prev. pub. in The Piker Press)
* * *
Nolcha has tackled a Sonnet, which she says she has written in response to a National Poetry Writing Month (NaPoWriMo) prompt:
I GOT THIS IDEA IN THE SHOWER
—Nolcha Fox
I’m a failure at most poetic forms,
like I was a fashion failure
in the corporate world, the world of suits
and pantyhose and heels.
Especially pantyhose. Look at them wrong,
and they ran so fast, they left
skid marks up and down my legs.
The only way to stop the runs at work,
(not that kind of runs, silly)
was a glob of fingernail polish
at start and stop. Which didn’t stop a thing.
My legs bore pearls of red and pink.
This is my first and last attempt at a sonnet.
Watch me run.
* * *
Here is a little Triolet with a fine ending from Claire Baker:
—Nolcha Fox
I’m a failure at most poetic forms,
like I was a fashion failure
in the corporate world, the world of suits
and pantyhose and heels.
Especially pantyhose. Look at them wrong,
and they ran so fast, they left
skid marks up and down my legs.
The only way to stop the runs at work,
(not that kind of runs, silly)
was a glob of fingernail polish
at start and stop. Which didn’t stop a thing.
My legs bore pearls of red and pink.
This is my first and last attempt at a sonnet.
Watch me run.
* * *
Here is a little Triolet with a fine ending from Claire Baker:
YET. . . .
—Claire J. Baker, Pinole, CA
—Claire J. Baker, Pinole, CA
Mumbling
prayers full of
habitual hot air
all sounding shallow, yet hot air
rises.
* * *
And here is an Ars Poetica from Stephen Kingsnorth:
SOLILOQUY II
—Stephen Kingsnorth
The poetry I breathe and pace,
time’s metred rhythm of my space,
is as the heartbeat, pulse of blood,
that tells me I am still, alive.
As pupils learning discipline,
I learn from watching, raising lid
on quirks or routines in the race,
before the breast pass winning tape.
Yet always questions, erotemes,
printers’ mark to stir the plot,
but only so that others, me,
better define who we should be.
The stroke of brush without regard
for patois, pidgin, franca style
of reading tribe beyond first line—
I envy artists, palette knife.
Their speech is universal framed,
a captured scene, momentous claim,
while I rely on cuneiform,
those codes translated from my pen.
Or music so, Terpsichore,
and sculptors building armature,
so here graffiti, street art scene,
when all we offer, wall of words.
The landscape, all the other gods,
suggest to me my love of verse
soliloquy, of self-possessed,
vein exercise for those who write.
_____________________
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 CHALLENGES!
—Stephen Kingsnorth
The poetry I breathe and pace,
time’s metred rhythm of my space,
is as the heartbeat, pulse of blood,
that tells me I am still, alive.
As pupils learning discipline,
I learn from watching, raising lid
on quirks or routines in the race,
before the breast pass winning tape.
Yet always questions, erotemes,
printers’ mark to stir the plot,
but only so that others, me,
better define who we should be.
The stroke of brush without regard
for patois, pidgin, franca style
of reading tribe beyond first line—
I envy artists, palette knife.
Their speech is universal framed,
a captured scene, momentous claim,
while I rely on cuneiform,
those codes translated from my pen.
Or music so, Terpsichore,
and sculptors building armature,
so here graffiti, street art scene,
when all we offer, wall of words.
The landscape, all the other gods,
suggest to me my love of verse
soliloquy, of self-possessed,
vein exercise for those who write.
_____________________
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 CHALLENGES!
Something different this week: Taylor Graham has found us three new forms; furthermore, she has combined them in various ways (see her poems above). Try them, either separately, or combining two or three of them to make new forms. See what you can make of this challenge(s), and send it/them to kathykieth@hotmail.com! (No deadline.)
•••Koori: https://medium.com/@Internationalpoetrynewsletter/modern-cbe315b33fb7
•••Ganta: https://medium.com/@Internationalpoetrynewsletter/modern-ganta-poems-and-how-to-write-ganta-poems-a6b08b655078
•••Shoa: https://medium.com/@Internationalpoetrynewsletter/modern-shoa-poems-and-how-to-write-shoa-poems-afc5c57d3af9/.
While you’re at it, find names for the various combinations, including TG’s examples above.
•••AND/OR write some One Sentence Poems; see http://www.onesentencepoems.com/osp/ for Nolcha Fox’s example.
•••See also the bottom of this post for another challenge, this one an Ekphrastic photo.
•••And don’t forget each Tuesday’s Seed of the Week! This week it’s “Squirrelly ”.
•••Hey—nobody tried the Canzone last week! Give it a shot:
•••Canzone: https://poemanalysis.com/poetic-form/canzone
•••AND/OR write some One Sentence Poems; see http://www.onesentencepoems.com/osp/ for Nolcha Fox’s example.
•••See also the bottom of this post for another challenge, this one an Ekphrastic photo.
•••And don’t forget each Tuesday’s Seed of the Week! This week it’s “Squirrelly ”.
•••Hey—nobody tried the Canzone last week! Give it a shot:
•••Canzone: https://poemanalysis.com/poetic-form/canzone
____________________
MEDUSA’S FORM FINDER: Links to poetry terms mentioned today:
•••Ars Poetica: www.poetryfoundation.org/learn/glossary-terms/ars-poetica
•••Canzone: https://poemanalysis.com/poetic-form/canzone
•••Companion Poem: https://poemanalysis.com/genre/companion-poem
•••Ekphrastic Poem: notesofoak.com/discover-literature/ekphrastic-poetry
•••Ganta: https://medium.com/@Internationalpoetrynewsletter/modern-ganta-poems-and-how-to-write-ganta-poems-a6b08b655078
•••Koori: https://medium.com/@Internationalpoetrynewsletter/modern-cbe315b33fb7
•••Normative Syllabics: hellopoetry.com/collection/108/normative-syllabic-free-verse AND/OR lewisturco.typepad.com/poetics/normative-syllabic-verse
•••One Sentence Poems: http://www.onesentencepoems.com/osp
•••Shoa: https://medium.com/@Internationalpoetrynewsletter/modern-shoa-poems-and-how-to-write-shoa-poems-afc5c57d3af9
•••Sonnet Forms: https://blog.prepscholar.com/what-is-a-sonnet-poem-form AND/OR poets.org/glossary/sonnet AND/OR blog.prepscholar.com/what-is-a-sonnet-poem-form
•••Triolet: www.writersdigest.com/personal-updates/triolet-an-easy-way-to-write-8-lines-of-poetry
•••Triversen: www.writersdigest.com/write-better-poetry/triversen-poetic-form
•••Word-Can Poem: putting random words on slips of paper into a can, then drawing out a few and making a poem out of them.
For more about meter, see:
•••www.studiobinder.com/blog/what-is-iambic-pentameter-definition-literature
•••www.pandorapost.com/2021/05/examples-of-iambic-pentameter-tetrameter-and-trimeter-in-poetry.html
•••nosweatshakespeare.com/sonnets/iambic-pentameter
•••www.thoughtco.com/introducing-iambic-pentameter-2985082
•••www.nfi.edu/iambic-pentameter
____________________
—Medusa
Make what you can of today's
photo, and send your poetic results to
kathykieth@hotmail.com/. (No deadline.)
* * *
—Photo Courtesy of Public Domain
For upcoming poetry happenings in
Northern California and otherwheres,
click on
UPCOMING NORCAL EVENTS
in the links at the top of this page.
For more about National Poetry Month,
including ways to celebrate, see
https://poets.org/national-poetry-month.
And sign up for Poem-a-Day at
https://poets.org/poem-a-day/, plus
read about Poem in Your Pocket Day
(this year, April 27) at
https://poets.org/national-poetry-month/poem-your-pocket-day/.
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.
For more about National Poetry Month,
including ways to celebrate, see
https://poets.org/national-poetry-month.
And sign up for Poem-a-Day at
https://poets.org/poem-a-day/, plus
read about Poem in Your Pocket Day
(this year, April 27) at
https://poets.org/national-poetry-month/poem-your-pocket-day/.
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.
