—Public Domain Photos Courtesy
of Joe Nolan, Stockton, CA
familiar territory
the bell tolls
four o'clock
I start my stroll
across the grassy knoll
into a sea of death
red brick walls
around souls locked away
winter has banished
us into the throes
of hades
that frozen abyss
that familiar territory
a bitter sting
the bell tolls
four o'clock
I start my stroll
across the grassy knoll
into a sea of death
red brick walls
around souls locked away
winter has banished
us into the throes
of hades
that frozen abyss
that familiar territory
a bitter sting
OFF THE GRID
Approach the night
galloping legions of
mythical creatures
drawn up from lucid
dreams.
Waters freeze as do
stars fazed diamond
dimension morphed.
Sounds of bird nor bat
shall rattle senses now
caged.
Approach the night
ocean tide surrender
fading into shoreline.
We have faded from
stage of life the radar
can no longer detect
our whereabouts.
PTSD
At 18
I dropped out of college
and eloped with the Army,
boot camp was hell, and
it sounded like a metal trash
bin being thrown against the
wall at 4am; Satan sounded
like a drill sergeant named
Tower.
I was his "own special project"
he robbed me of the old me and
like a lifeless lump of clay, he
molded me into the broken
"warrior" here before you now,
writing this horrible poem;
a poet without a heart or soul,
just a man longing to go backwards
in time, living life for me, this time;
I could have been "the something"
that I knew I could be, "the something"
that mother & father said I would never
ever be.
____________________
Today’s LittleNip:
You never change things by fighting the existing reality. To change something, build a new model that makes the existing model obsolete.
―Buckminster Fuller
____________________
Wayne Russell visits us in the Kitchen occasionally (since 2010!), and we’re glad to have him back with us today. Wayne is a creative writer who was born and raised in Florida; when he first visited us, he lived in New Zealand. He moved to Ohio in late 2016. His first book of poems, Where Angels Fear, was published by Guerilla Genius Press in 2020 and is available on Amazon at https://www.amazon.com.au/Where-Angels-Fear-Wayne-Russell/dp/B087HFGT26/. His second book of poetry is titled Splinter of the Moon and will be available via Silver Bow Publishing in early 2024. Welcome back to the Kitchen, Wayne!
____________________
—Medusa
At 18
I dropped out of college
and eloped with the Army,
boot camp was hell, and
it sounded like a metal trash
bin being thrown against the
wall at 4am; Satan sounded
like a drill sergeant named
Tower.
I was his "own special project"
he robbed me of the old me and
like a lifeless lump of clay, he
molded me into the broken
"warrior" here before you now,
writing this horrible poem;
a poet without a heart or soul,
just a man longing to go backwards
in time, living life for me, this time;
I could have been "the something"
that I knew I could be, "the something"
that mother & father said I would never
ever be.
____________________
Today’s LittleNip:
You never change things by fighting the existing reality. To change something, build a new model that makes the existing model obsolete.
―Buckminster Fuller
____________________
Wayne Russell visits us in the Kitchen occasionally (since 2010!), and we’re glad to have him back with us today. Wayne is a creative writer who was born and raised in Florida; when he first visited us, he lived in New Zealand. He moved to Ohio in late 2016. His first book of poems, Where Angels Fear, was published by Guerilla Genius Press in 2020 and is available on Amazon at https://www.amazon.com.au/Where-Angels-Fear-Wayne-Russell/dp/B087HFGT26/. His second book of poetry is titled Splinter of the Moon and will be available via Silver Bow Publishing in early 2024. Welcome back to the Kitchen, Wayne!
____________________
—Medusa
Wayne Russell
For 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—
and keep an eye on this link and on
the daily Kitchen for happenings
that might pop up
—or get changed!—
during the week.
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.
Find previous four-or-so posts by scrolling down
under today; or there's an "Older Posts" button
at the bottom of this column; or find previous poets
by typing the name of the poet or poem
into the little beige box at the top
left-hand side of today’s post; or go to
Medusa’s Rapsheet at the bottom of
the blue column at the right
to find the date you want.
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
(http://medusaskitchen.blogspot.com/p/wtf.html)
in the links at the top of this page—
and keep an eye on this link and on
the daily Kitchen for happenings
that might pop up
—or get changed!—
during the week.
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.
Find previous four-or-so posts by scrolling down
under today; or there's an "Older Posts" button
at the bottom of this column; or find previous poets
by typing the name of the poet or poem
into the little beige box at the top
left-hand side of today’s post; or go to
Medusa’s Rapsheet at the bottom of
the blue column at the right
to find the date you want.
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!
