—Poetry and Photos by Taylor Graham,
Placerville, CA
—And then scroll down to
Form Fiddlers’ Friday for poetry by
Nolcha Fox, Joe Nolan, Stephen Kingsnorth,
Keith Snow, and Claire J. Baker
—And then scroll down to
Form Fiddlers’ Friday for poetry by
Nolcha Fox, Joe Nolan, Stephen Kingsnorth,
Keith Snow, and Claire J. Baker
WHY THIS OBSESSION?
I’m walking the ragged fringe of broad paved road soon to turn vacant fields into industrial park. Wild oats—bleached summer-flammable— obscure a red fire hydrant. Star thistle, skeletonweed. Tucked in a dead-grass pocket, trash. Empty can of chicken breast; biotin & collagen; fireball cinnamon whisky; Campbell’s Kitchen Classics; book titled California Gold. Why do I care? Why write about it? In a former life was I profligate of resources, turning treasure into trash?
Golden is grass but
can it convert cast-aways
into poetry?
I’m walking the ragged fringe of broad paved road soon to turn vacant fields into industrial park. Wild oats—bleached summer-flammable— obscure a red fire hydrant. Star thistle, skeletonweed. Tucked in a dead-grass pocket, trash. Empty can of chicken breast; biotin & collagen; fireball cinnamon whisky; Campbell’s Kitchen Classics; book titled California Gold. Why do I care? Why write about it? In a former life was I profligate of resources, turning treasure into trash?
Golden is grass but
can it convert cast-aways
into poetry?
TRAIL SNACKS
They’re right here, free for the picking—juicy-
ripened in the shade of oaks. And the health benefits!
Blackberries, sweet temptation without the guilt.
My dog, meanwhile, is grabbing greens —
a tall moisture-loving grass I can’t ID, I hope it isn’t
toxic. Maybe she needs more fiber. Maybe it just
tastes good—fresh green when the annual grasses
are dry as a sheaf of matchsticks ready to burn.
They’re right here, free for the picking—juicy-
ripened in the shade of oaks. And the health benefits!
Blackberries, sweet temptation without the guilt.
My dog, meanwhile, is grabbing greens —
a tall moisture-loving grass I can’t ID, I hope it isn’t
toxic. Maybe she needs more fiber. Maybe it just
tastes good—fresh green when the annual grasses
are dry as a sheaf of matchsticks ready to burn.
ODE TO A MOLE
As if sleeping in the middle of the trail
this pleasant morning, late July—
your soft midnight pelage glowing faintly
in the sun, damp-ruffed as if my dog
had mouthed the cat in search of fleas.
What roughed you so, and left you lying?
O solitary subsurface creature,
your tunnels improve the soil; and where
is your leaf-lined chamber? Today
you’re a transitory landmark on my hike;
shadow cast on earth and only shadow;
killed but not consumed; ungraved;
far from your home in the realm of Under.
As if sleeping in the middle of the trail
this pleasant morning, late July—
your soft midnight pelage glowing faintly
in the sun, damp-ruffed as if my dog
had mouthed the cat in search of fleas.
What roughed you so, and left you lying?
O solitary subsurface creature,
your tunnels improve the soil; and where
is your leaf-lined chamber? Today
you’re a transitory landmark on my hike;
shadow cast on earth and only shadow;
killed but not consumed; ungraved;
far from your home in the realm of Under.
REMEMBERING THE COW CAMP MEADOW
a borrow-&-give-back on
Richard Aldington’s “Au Vieux Jardin”
I’ve stopped here, halfway to the pass,
this meadow among rooted conifers
under cumulus clouds dreaming nimbus
pulling the storm mantle closer,
mules-ears tattered by a summer summit wind,
and creekside willow turning up its palms
as if in surrender
to the season tipping toward fall,
and what the flycatcher sings this midday
is the brevity of our time here
and the wildflowers rattling their seedpods
believing we wouldn’t return.
Mules-Ears
HIGH MEADOW, LATE JULY
Mules-ears, paintbrush—
summer’s hush is
wind-rush through pines—
columbine’s crown
defines grace as bowing, shadowed down.
WAVELENGTHS
Here’s an old jacket someone ghosted
onto liveoak in battered woods
(used to be Miwok land never ceded),
whose living trees surrendered to waves
of last winter’s storms, atmospheric rivers.
Trail encircling the pond is partly
under water. I sensed a spirit
of the place before I saw that effigy
in faded fabric hung as watchman
at a portal.
Beyond cattails and willow,
the pond opens its blue mouth to sky
and a single swan floats, hardly rippling
the surface,
air, water, and spirit—
what other wavelengths
unmeasured
on this hushed morning in July?
Here’s an old jacket someone ghosted
onto liveoak in battered woods
(used to be Miwok land never ceded),
whose living trees surrendered to waves
of last winter’s storms, atmospheric rivers.
Trail encircling the pond is partly
under water. I sensed a spirit
of the place before I saw that effigy
in faded fabric hung as watchman
at a portal.
Beyond cattails and willow,
the pond opens its blue mouth to sky
and a single swan floats, hardly rippling
the surface,
air, water, and spirit—
what other wavelengths
unmeasured
on this hushed morning in July?
Clarkia (Waxy Checkerbloom)
Today’s LittleNip:
WAXY CHECKERBLOOM
—Taylor Graham
In this fire-desert
tiny pink flares from burned soil—
ever-changing time.
______________________
Today's treasure is from Taylor Graham, poet extraordinaire, and we thank her for dropping in on us this morning! Forms she has sent us today include a Haiku (“Waxy Checkerbloom”); an Ekphrastic poem based on the photo she sent (“Wavelengths”); an Ode (“Ode to a Mole”); a Borrow-&-Give-Back (“Remembering the Cow Camp Meadow”); a Ya-du (“High Meadow, Late July”); and a Haibun with Zappai (“Why This Obsession?”). To read Richard Aldington’s “Au Vieux Jardin”, see https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poetrymagazine/poems/12591/au-vieux-jardin/.
TG writes: “The "borrow & give back" is a prompt I've run into: take someone else's poem, write it out then remove even-numbered lines and write your own in their place; then remove odd-numbered lines and write your own. Maybe someone has a name for this prompt?”
For more about El Dorado County poetry events, past and future, go to Taylor Graham’s Western Slope El Dorado poetry on Facebook: www.facebook.com/ElDoradoCountyPoetry/. And click on Medusa's UPCOMING NORCAL EVENTS (http://medusaskitchen.blogspot.com/p/wtf.html) for details about 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.
The August issue of Sacramento Poetry Center’s “Poet News” is out; see https://www.sacpoetrycenter.org/poetnews/.
And now it’s time for…
FORM FIDDLERS’ FRIDAY!
WAXY CHECKERBLOOM
—Taylor Graham
In this fire-desert
tiny pink flares from burned soil—
ever-changing time.
______________________
Today's treasure is from Taylor Graham, poet extraordinaire, and we thank her for dropping in on us this morning! Forms she has sent us today include a Haiku (“Waxy Checkerbloom”); an Ekphrastic poem based on the photo she sent (“Wavelengths”); an Ode (“Ode to a Mole”); a Borrow-&-Give-Back (“Remembering the Cow Camp Meadow”); a Ya-du (“High Meadow, Late July”); and a Haibun with Zappai (“Why This Obsession?”). To read Richard Aldington’s “Au Vieux Jardin”, see https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poetrymagazine/poems/12591/au-vieux-jardin/.
TG writes: “The "borrow & give back" is a prompt I've run into: take someone else's poem, write it out then remove even-numbered lines and write your own in their place; then remove odd-numbered lines and write your own. Maybe someone has a name for this prompt?”
For more about El Dorado County poetry events, past and future, go to Taylor Graham’s Western Slope El Dorado poetry on Facebook: www.facebook.com/ElDoradoCountyPoetry/. And click on Medusa's UPCOMING NORCAL EVENTS (http://medusaskitchen.blogspot.com/p/wtf.html) for details about 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.
The August issue of Sacramento Poetry Center’s “Poet News” is out; see https://www.sacpoetrycenter.org/poetnews/.
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 received responses to last week’s Ekphrastic photo of the odd cat from Nolcha Fox, Joe Nolan, and Stephen Kingsnorth:
PARKING ATTENDANT
—Nolcha Fox, Buffalo, WY
We all want Milo
to tend to our car.
His light feet patrol
the back lots with no sound.
He’s scourge of the rats
that infest seedy haunts.
His seamless tuxedo
is always well-pressed.
He treats us like royals,
so thrilled that we show.
He knows we will leave
a big tip of catnip.
* * *
TUXEDO-CAT
—Joe Nolan, Stockton, CA
Tuxedo-cat
Seems to walk on air.
Maybe levitate.
His countenance
Seems to concentrate,
But we can tell
He’s walking on glass,
Making me an ass
For falling for his illusion.
It’s all about the dashboard,
The dashboard, the dashboard,
The context underlying
Seeing bottoms of feet,
As though suspended.
Nice trick!
Cute art!
I know several journalists
Who’d like to take apart
The story of Tuxedo-cat
Who walks on glass
As a spoof
Against the common ass.
* * *
CATTERY
—Stephen Kingsnorth, Coedpoeth, Wrexham, Wales
Take half the screen, this glassy cat,
you capture moggy’s walking air,
his vague acceptance someone’s there
with little more than paws for thought.
Witches the more familiar,
new world view through the looking glass;
these cats eyes say road stud’s abroad,
speed dating what he sees inside.
The tales he’ll tell, tomfoolery,
this cat o’nine with whiplash claim,
though soon to be on hot tin roof—
what will insurers think of that?
In this glasshouse, room with a view,
there is, out back, Old Possum too—
that nom de plume godchildren knew—
is this feline a practical?
Appointed mayors and astronauts,
a station master in Japan,
Mačak ignited Tesla’s flow—
Ta-Miu is dead but mummified.
With flex and balance, instinct tuned,
traversing gradient aside,
try washer, wipers, cad thinks blade,
just not for me, this cattery.
* * *
Here is a Zappai from Keith Snow. Notice that in features nature, which would be a Haiku, but it introduces the poet, a Senryu. So it’s a combination Haiku/Senryu, qualifying it as a Zappai, one of our Triple-F Challenges from last week. My understanding is that all three forms are 5/7/5, actually, but the Haiku is about nature, the Senryu is about the human condition, and the Zappai is the ones that don’t fit in either category. Again, see Robert Lee Brewer’s explanation at https://www.writersdigest.com/write-better-poetry/zappai-poetic-form. Here is Keith’s Zappai:
PARKING ATTENDANT
—Nolcha Fox, Buffalo, WY
We all want Milo
to tend to our car.
His light feet patrol
the back lots with no sound.
He’s scourge of the rats
that infest seedy haunts.
His seamless tuxedo
is always well-pressed.
He treats us like royals,
so thrilled that we show.
He knows we will leave
a big tip of catnip.
* * *
TUXEDO-CAT
—Joe Nolan, Stockton, CA
Tuxedo-cat
Seems to walk on air.
Maybe levitate.
His countenance
Seems to concentrate,
But we can tell
He’s walking on glass,
Making me an ass
For falling for his illusion.
It’s all about the dashboard,
The dashboard, the dashboard,
The context underlying
Seeing bottoms of feet,
As though suspended.
Nice trick!
Cute art!
I know several journalists
Who’d like to take apart
The story of Tuxedo-cat
Who walks on glass
As a spoof
Against the common ass.
* * *
CATTERY
—Stephen Kingsnorth, Coedpoeth, Wrexham, Wales
Take half the screen, this glassy cat,
you capture moggy’s walking air,
his vague acceptance someone’s there
with little more than paws for thought.
Witches the more familiar,
new world view through the looking glass;
these cats eyes say road stud’s abroad,
speed dating what he sees inside.
The tales he’ll tell, tomfoolery,
this cat o’nine with whiplash claim,
though soon to be on hot tin roof—
what will insurers think of that?
In this glasshouse, room with a view,
there is, out back, Old Possum too—
that nom de plume godchildren knew—
is this feline a practical?
Appointed mayors and astronauts,
a station master in Japan,
Mačak ignited Tesla’s flow—
Ta-Miu is dead but mummified.
With flex and balance, instinct tuned,
traversing gradient aside,
try washer, wipers, cad thinks blade,
just not for me, this cattery.
* * *
Here is a Zappai from Keith Snow. Notice that in features nature, which would be a Haiku, but it introduces the poet, a Senryu. So it’s a combination Haiku/Senryu, qualifying it as a Zappai, one of our Triple-F Challenges from last week. My understanding is that all three forms are 5/7/5, actually, but the Haiku is about nature, the Senryu is about the human condition, and the Zappai is the ones that don’t fit in either category. Again, see Robert Lee Brewer’s explanation at https://www.writersdigest.com/write-better-poetry/zappai-poetic-form. Here is Keith’s Zappai:
Hawk eats a squirrel
Like a thousand times before
First time I've seen it
—Keith Snow
(prev. pub. in Experimental Forest and
the Susquehanna River Journal)
* * *
Claire Baker has sent us a Double Tanka:
PERFECT RECLINER ANGLE
—Claire J. Baker, Pinole, CA
Lit pole lamp reflects
on eyeglass rim a prism—
lightly curved rainbow,
memories to claim and hold,
gathered from two pots of gold.
Anticipation
blesses the pastel journey
to the birthplace of colors
you have claimed as yours alone,
gladdened by each tint and tone.
* * *
And here is Stephen Kingsnorth’s Sum Flower Monorhyme in response to our Tuesday's Seed of the Week, Sunflowers. He says that a Sum Flower is “… simply a sunflower—but looked at through the eyes of a mathematician (as the accompanying image)... since its natural design of seed layout includes the arithmetical and scientific formulae/features mentioned in the poem”:
—Claire J. Baker, Pinole, CA
Lit pole lamp reflects
on eyeglass rim a prism—
lightly curved rainbow,
memories to claim and hold,
gathered from two pots of gold.
Anticipation
blesses the pastel journey
to the birthplace of colors
you have claimed as yours alone,
gladdened by each tint and tone.
* * *
And here is Stephen Kingsnorth’s Sum Flower Monorhyme in response to our Tuesday's Seed of the Week, Sunflowers. He says that a Sum Flower is “… simply a sunflower—but looked at through the eyes of a mathematician (as the accompanying image)... since its natural design of seed layout includes the arithmetical and scientific formulae/features mentioned in the poem”:
—Public Domain Illustration
Courtesy of Stephen Kingsnorth
SUM FLOWER
—Stephen Kingsnorth
Agèd saint, face east as prays,
sun-dried, bees, full pollen days,
from central disc, outer rays,
mystic maths laid in its blaze,
fruit in Fibonacci ways,
Fermat’s spiral interplays,
golden ratio displays,
anointing oil, final phase.
_____________________
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!
See what you can make of these challenge, and send it/them to kathykieth@hotmail.com! (No deadline.) Maybe a Monody?
•••Monody: http://www.shadowpoetry.com/resources/wip/monody.html
•••AND/OR give TG’s prompt a shot:
•••Borrow-&-Give-Back: Take someone else's poem, write it out then remove even-numbered lines and write your own in their place; then remove odd-numbered lines and write your own.
•••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 “Sunflowers”.
____________________
MEDUSA’S FORM FINDER: Links to poetry terms mentioned today:
•••Ekphrastic Poem: notesofoak.com/discover-literature/ekphrastic-poetry
•••Borrow-&-Give-Back: Take someone else's poem, write it out then remove even-numbered lines and write your own in their place; then remove odd-numbered lines and write your own.
•••Haibun: www.writersdigest.com/write-better-poetry/haibun-poems-poetic-form
•••Haiku: www.shadowpoetry.com/resources/haiku/haiku.html
•••Monody: http://www.shadowpoetry.com/resources/wip/monody.html
•••Monorhyme: www.shadowpoetry.com/resources/wip/monorhyme.html
•••Ode: www.poetryfoundation.org/learn/glossary-terms/ode
•••Ya-du: https://www.writersdigest.com/write-better-poetry/ya-du-poetic-forms
•••Zappai: https://www.writersdigest.com/write-better-poetry/zappai-poetic-form
____________________
—Medusa
Today's Ekphrastic Challenge!
Make what you can of today's
photo, and send your poetic results to
kathykieth@hotmail.com/. (No deadline.)
* * *
—Photo Courtesy of Public Domain
Make what you can of today's
photo, and send your poetic results to
kathykieth@hotmail.com/. (No deadline.)
* * *
—Photo Courtesy of Public Domain
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.
clicking on them once, then clicking on the x
in the top right corner to come back to Medusa.
rainbow on the windowsill:
joy in a blue vase—
please last another day...