—Photos Courtesy of Public Domain
A STITCH IN TIME
Sara sits at her sewing machine
trying to patch her life together.
She has chosen soft, silky fabric,
and strong thread, cut the material
carefully to fit the way she wants to live.
She must maintain control as she feeds
the fabric into the machine,
pedaling and guiding it through,
for the needle lays down stitches
faster than she ever imagined.
Sara sits at her sewing machine
trying to patch her life together.
She has chosen soft, silky fabric,
and strong thread, cut the material
carefully to fit the way she wants to live.
She must maintain control as she feeds
the fabric into the machine,
pedaling and guiding it through,
for the needle lays down stitches
faster than she ever imagined.
IN MEMORIAM
At the beginning of Yom Kippur, the Jewish Day
of Atonement,
I arranged four glasses, memorial candles, on two
small, metal trays,
two on each. The glasses were half-filled with
tallow. A cotton wick
ran down the center of the wax and was affixed to
a metal plate
at the bottom of each glass.
I decided the first candle should represent the souls
of all the people
who had died during the past year, whether or not
I knew them.
With a fired match I lit the candle and invited them
into my home,
all those souls, regardless of race or religion.
Alongside the first, the second candle, represented
the soul of my father.
On the second tray was a candle for my mother's
soul, and the fourth
candle was for my brother. I burned these candles
in their memory.
Their spirits would inhabit my home for the next
twenty-four hours or as long as each candle burned.
The flames flickered with life, casting shadows all
through the night. I watched them dance into dawn,
wondering which would leave first and what the
order of their departure might mean.
I saw the first candle go, then the second. Only the
two on the second tray remained when I fell asleep
again. I thought, when
I awoke, that I would not
know which was the last to be extinguished. Soon I
realized it was really each
candle's proximity to the windows in the room and
the amount of wax in each glass that determined
when each spirit left.
MINNOWS IN A POND
We create the water's fluid motion
like minnows in a pond darting frantically,
going nowhere, afraid of what may happen next
when a veil of disappointment falls over us.
Do not despair. Be calm and stay aware.
Let the water settle. Hold onto hope,
the lifeline of humankind. We must wait patiently
in a still cove of clarity before — —
we are able to act or react in our own best interests.
___________________
Today’s LittleNip:
FIND STRENGTH IN ADVERSITY
—Linda Klein
There is something good about adversity.
It brings like-minded people together.
We must seek each other out. I feel more than ever
that you are my sisters and brothers.
Together we can accomplish anything.
___________________
—Medusa, with thanks to Linda Klein for today’s fine poetry!
Hold onto hope!
For future 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?
Guidelines are at the top of this page
at the Placating the Gorgon link;
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?
Guidelines are at the top of this page
at the Placating the Gorgon link;
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!
