—Poetry by Jeanna Ní Ríordáin, West Cork, Ireland
—Public Domain Photos Courtesy of
Jeanna Ní Ríordáin
SIGNS
Since my aunt’s passing, there’s been a series
Of strange happenings & unexplained events
My family are convinced she’s pulling strings
Beyond the grave & sending lots of luck our way
There’s been job offers & college spots, lottery
Wins & general good fortune
Old photos & mementos have showed up
In the most unexpected places
There’s been double rainbows & robins
Appearing on our doorsteps
Perhaps she’s had no hand in it & it’s
All just pure coincidence
Who knows?! It would be just like her to
Make mischief & play tricks on us
Either way, she keeps us guessing!
Since my aunt’s passing, there’s been a series
Of strange happenings & unexplained events
My family are convinced she’s pulling strings
Beyond the grave & sending lots of luck our way
There’s been job offers & college spots, lottery
Wins & general good fortune
Old photos & mementos have showed up
In the most unexpected places
There’s been double rainbows & robins
Appearing on our doorsteps
Perhaps she’s had no hand in it & it’s
All just pure coincidence
Who knows?! It would be just like her to
Make mischief & play tricks on us
Either way, she keeps us guessing!
FREE SPIRIT
In every family, there’s a bit of a rebel—a freethinker,
someone who marches to their own drumbeat
In my family, that was my aunt—she had so many
quirks & peculiar habits you could write a book on her!
She was a vegan before it was hip, she believed in
chakras & the power of crystals
A big fan of all things alternative, she’d make her
own clothes & homegrown remedies
She’d drive us demented with her leftist politics,
her wacky theories & outlandish philosophies
But, since she passed, the world is colourless
& every room feels flat & empty
Nothing is half as fun or exciting,
without her other-wordly energy
ZELDA IN PARIS
By all accounts, Zelda had a ball in Paris—the
veritable It girl of the 1920s, she was the life &
soul of parties
When she wasn’t hanging out with Hemingway or
Getting up to antics with her famous hubby
She was partying hard in jazz clubs or training
For the ballet
Though sometimes things got rather manic &
She often overdid it on the absinthe
She never failed to inspire or light up a room, to
Spread stardust, to raise eyebrows, to act as muse
By all accounts, Zelda had a ball in Paris—the
veritable It girl of the 1920s, she was the life &
soul of parties
When she wasn’t hanging out with Hemingway or
Getting up to antics with her famous hubby
She was partying hard in jazz clubs or training
For the ballet
Though sometimes things got rather manic &
She often overdid it on the absinthe
She never failed to inspire or light up a room, to
Spread stardust, to raise eyebrows, to act as muse
LE MARCHÉ FRANÇAIS
Exploring a French market tells you
All you need to know about the French
Their knowledge of wine & haute cuisine,
Their fondness for fish & poulets rôtis
Their love of antiques & all things vintage,
Fine art & quirky knick-knacks
Their eye for a bargain & talent for haggling,
Their penchant for sexy lingerie
Exploring a French market tells you
All you need to know about the French
Their knowledge of wine & haute cuisine,
Their fondness for fish & poulets rôtis
Their love of antiques & all things vintage,
Fine art & quirky knick-knacks
Their eye for a bargain & talent for haggling,
Their penchant for sexy lingerie
Today’s LittleNip:
THINGS TO THANK THE FRENCH FOR
—Jeanna Ní Ríordáin
Haute couture & haute cuisine,
Breton stripes & LBDs
Avant-garde art & quirky movies,
Chanel pearls & jaunty berets
Crème brûlée & rarefied notions,
The french kiss & the best lovers
_____________________
—Medusa, welcoming Jeanna Ní Ríordáin back to the Kitchen! Jeanna first visited us on July 30, 2023. Reach her at Instagram: @wordy89
Jeanna Ní Ríordáin
Sac Fun Fest takes place today in
Sacramento, with special guest poet
Brad Buchanan;
for info about this and other
upcoming poetry happenings in
Northern California and otherwheres,
click on
UPCOMING NORCAL EVENTS
Sacramento, with special guest poet
Brad Buchanan;
for info about this and other
upcoming poetry happenings in
Northern California and otherwheres,
click on
UPCOMING NORCAL EVENTS
(http://medusaskitchen.blogspot.com/p/wtf.html)
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!
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!
(A cookie from the Kitchen for today):
slash across the sky—
crack of light splits
angry black clouds,
promise of hopeful
days ahead~