Placerville, CA
—And then scroll down for
Form Fiddlers’ Friday, with poetry by
Nolcha Fox, Stephen Kingsnorth,
Caschwa, and Claire J. Baker
MAKING SENSE OF IT
This morning I take to the trail with
chaos of the brain and fabric of
our lives eating away at the hard-trod-
den ground beneath me. The trail laughs at
me, its dead leaves on their way to com-
post rotting to feed generations
of leaves which it becomes in time. I
take everything to and from the trail.
This morning I take to the trail with
chaos of the brain and fabric of
our lives eating away at the hard-trod-
den ground beneath me. The trail laughs at
me, its dead leaves on their way to com-
post rotting to feed generations
of leaves which it becomes in time. I
take everything to and from the trail.
MUSINGS IN THE RAIN
Immersed in winter green along the trail,
I hardly notice this morning’s light rain.
My dog and I are the only walkers.
No birdsong from the ravine, secret dark
wildness in midst of city, its trees cloaked
in ivy escaped from nearby backyards.
What I notice today is rock—small slate
fallen on the paved trail, a mini land-
slide down a cutbank which delicate ferns
try to hold together. I didn’t know
we’d had so much rain in sporadic storm.
The soil must be supersaturated,
yet they say we’re still in drought. Immersion
is such a sometimes thing, bone-dry & then
atmospheric river and back again,
our wildland fire season all year long.
SHADOW OF GREEN
Our daily walks take us along the railroad,
to public parks, and thru old Gold Rush towns,
the rotation system random, by whim
and circumstance. What if yellow barrier tape
blocks a trailhead? My dog and I go
somewhere else. That day we were walking
downtown when Otis suddenly pulled me
toward a shady green alcove trellised with vine—
a narrow gate. I peered through lattice
and saw the foot of a back staircase shining
white in midst of shadowy dark.
Who might use those stairs? Did someone live
up there? My dog stood pensive, waiting
for me to open the gate. Who opens gates
from mere curiosity? I still wonder
what my dog might have showed me.
GETTING THERE
Tree fallen
on rusty rails where
no train runs
anymore—
on muddy side-path run prints
of boots, paws, and hooves.
DRIVING THE MET
Mormon Emigrant Trail 3 years after fire
How winter softens everything
with white, those black silhouettes of trees
against pale lavender-pink-gold promise
of sunrise over distant mountains.
From where we stand
to the far horizon,
earth is robed in snow and those
leafless needle-less black tree trunks,
charred branches eloquent
as hands and fingers signing without words.
INHALING THE NEWS
Before dawn my laptop gives me the news:
plane crash, soldiers and figure skaters dead.
Insurgents marching against another
government. But a hundred years ago
sled dogs and their mushers braved a blizzard
to save a town from the “strangling angel”
diphtheria. Siberian sled dogs—
maybe ancestors of my rescue dog,
Otis! And suddenly he’s nudging me
in the ribs, me sitting with my laptop
that spews communicable diseases—
grief and fear of our world. Now he’s on his
back on the floor, offering his tummy
to rub, the furry-warm familiar scent
of live dog against the strangling angel,
world news. Stand up & move. It’s almost dawn.
_________________
Today’s LittleNip:
QUEEN OF THE NIGHT
—Taylor Graham
close her call
cold as snow strike
penetrating
winter black night
her talon grip on life
small creatures crouch
buried in earth
their safe burrows
she flings her flight
one glimpse
by moonlight silent she
passes us by
_________________
Today Taylor Graham takes us with her and Otis up and down the Sierra foothills as they struggle to return from fires. Thanks to TG and Otis for today’s tales of the hills in the rain.
Forms TG has used this week include some Normative Syllabics (“Making Sense of It”); a Shadorma (“Getting There”); some Blank Verse (“Inhaling the News” & “Musings in the Rain”); a response to Medusa's Ekphrastic Photo last week (“Driving the MET”); and a Response Poem (which is also a Split Sequence, with random words) to last week’s Queen of the Night Triple-F Challenge. “Shadow of Green” is in response to our recent Tuesday Seed of the Week: Down the back staircase.
In El Dorado County’s poetry events this week, Taylor Graham and Katy Brown will facilitate another Wakamatsu Workshop in Placerville this Sunday (depending on the weather, of cours) and El Dorado County Poet Laureate Emeritus Lara Gularte will read in Lincoln this Sunday, 3pm. Plus, El Dorado County’s regular workshops are listed on Medusa’s calendar if you scroll down on http://medusaskitchen.blogspot.com/p/wtf.html/. For more news about these events and about EDC poetry—past (photos!) and future—see Taylor Graham’s Western Slope El Dorado Poetry on Facebook at www.facebook.com/ElDoradoCountyPoetry. Or see Lara Gularte’s Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/groups/382234029968077/. And you can always click on Medusa's UPCOMING NORCAL EVENTS (http://medusaskitchen.blogspot.com/p/wtf.html). Poetry is Gold in El Dorado County!
And now it’s time for…
FORM FIDDLERS’ FRIDAY!
Check out our recently-refurbed 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 and other ways of poetry. Got any more resources to add to our list? Send them to kathykieth@hotmail.com for the benefit of all man/woman/poetkind!
* * *
Poets who sent responses to last week’s Ekphrastic photo include Nolcha Fox, and Stephen Kingsnorth:
STANDING TALL
—Nolcha Fox, Buffalo, WY
No matter snow or ice
or baking summer heat,
no matter winds
of spring and fall
that tear off yearly leaves,
no matter pecking
birds and bugs
that penetrate their bark,
the soldier trees
stand tall and strong,
a line of warriors
nature grew to teach
us whiny human beings
that we can persevere.
* * *
CUSTODIANS
—Stephen Kingsnorth, Coedpoeth, Wrexham, Wales
I see the trees in fore snow ground—
though three would mind me, rising son—
but four reminds of wider lore,
the Greenman resting, passing on?
Beneath the blanket, under ground,
talk mycorrhiza, worldwide web,
seeds stratified, souls hibernate,
skeletal bark where freezing bites.
Before pinetum, ever green,
deciduous, for now undressed,
or are they ghosts, rose tint on white,
or rather wights, bear hint of shades?
The past now present, though be passed
a complement to living on,
while phloem and xylem, wizened source,
in spite, death sentence overcome.
Who serve as guardians of the wood,
thought dead but living, rooted well?
And undercover, secretly,
the cycle turns, regenerates,
by leaf or needle, auxin prompt,
the ground lies, laid awaiting draw,
despite the witness, eye for I,
a photo- synthesis replies.
So long as, pace stayed, human kind
remain in place, shared partnership,
our master, carbon capture race,
may lead us all in gracious ways.
Custodians of all, as all,
wellbeing, primary in call,
or will ambition steal our rôle,
and lead withal catastrophe?
* * *
Here is a Nonce poem by Caschwa (Carl Schwartz) in the form of axa/bxb/cxc/dxd/exe. It’s based on our current Tuesday Seed of the Week, Frustration:
CAN’T REMEMBER
—Caschwa, Sacramento, CA
I have worked with machines
that faithfully record all the
data presented to them by any means
and with people who undeniably possess
photographic memory, perfect recall without
any effort, struggle, or mess
having said that, I need to find a way
to communicate to people that my memory is
no more than a rough draft, too light to weigh
everyone involved will be soundly disappointed
if they regard the things I write
as being heavenly anointed
so it frustrates me to no end when I am compared
to perfection as if my memory serves all but me,
spreading thoughts and ideas that weren’t meant
to be shared
* * *
And here is a Cinquain from Claire Baker for our resident artist, Sam the Snake Man. Her poem is also based on our current Tuesday Seed of the Week, Frustration:
—Caschwa, Sacramento, CA
I have worked with machines
that faithfully record all the
data presented to them by any means
and with people who undeniably possess
photographic memory, perfect recall without
any effort, struggle, or mess
having said that, I need to find a way
to communicate to people that my memory is
no more than a rough draft, too light to weigh
everyone involved will be soundly disappointed
if they regard the things I write
as being heavenly anointed
so it frustrates me to no end when I am compared
to perfection as if my memory serves all but me,
spreading thoughts and ideas that weren’t meant
to be shared
* * *
And here is a Cinquain from Claire Baker for our resident artist, Sam the Snake Man. Her poem is also based on our current Tuesday Seed of the Week, Frustration:
Snake in a twist by Sam the Snake Man
QUESTION TO SAM,
THE SNAKE MAN**
—Claire J. Baker, Pinole, CA
Do snakes
get frustrated
unwinding endless coils,
cranky with the boring task, so
bare fangs?
**For Sam, Medusa’s
fine artist, with humor
____________________
Many thanks to today’s writers for their lively contributions! Wouldn’t you like to join them? 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!
•••Poulters’ Measure: https://www.poetryfoundation.org/education/glossary/poulters-measure
•••AND/OR need to get something off your chest? How about writing a Complaint:
•••Complaint: https://www.poetryfoundation.org/education/glossary/complaint/. Write a Complaint poem using the word, “clinquant”.
•••See also the bottom of this post for another challenge, this one an Ekphrastic one.
•••And don’t forget each Tuesday’s Seed of the Week! This week it’s “Frustration”.
____________________
MEDUSA’S FORM FINDER: Links to poetry terms mentioned today:
•••Blank Verse: literarydevices.net/blank-verse AND/OR www.masterclass.com/articles/poetry-101-what-is-the-difference-between-blank-verse-and-free-verse#quiz-0
•••Cinquain (Crapsey): poets.org/glossary/cinquain AND/OR www.poewar.com/poetry-in-forms-series-cinquain/. See www.poetryfoundation.org/poets/adelaide-crapsey for info about its inventor, Adelaide Crapsey.
•••Complaint: https://www.poetryfoundation.org/education/glossary/complaint
•••Ekphrastic Poem: notesofoak.com/discover-literature/ekphrastic-poetry
•••Nonce Poetry Forms: www.writersdigest.com/editor-blogs/poetic-asides/nonce-forms-what-they-are-and-how-to-write-them
•••Normative Syllabics: hellopoetry.com/collection/108/normative-syllabic-free-verse AND/OR lewisturco.typepad.com/poetics/normative-syllabic-verse
•••Poulters’ Measure: https://www.poetryfoundation.org/education/glossary/poulters-measure
•••Response Poem: creativetalentsunleashed.com/2015/11/18/writing-tip-response-poems
•••Shadorma: www.writersdigest.com/editor-blogs/poetic-asides/poets/shadorma-a-highly-addictive-poetic-form-from-spain
•••Split Sequence: http://www.hsa-haiku.org/frogpond/2022-issue45-1/essay.html
__________________
—Medusa
Today's Ekphrastic Challenge!
Make what you can of today's
picture, and send your poetic results to
kathykieth@hotmail.com/. (No deadline.)
* * *
—Photo Courtesy of Public Domain
Make what you can of today's
picture, and send your poetic results to
kathykieth@hotmail.com/. (No deadline.)
* * *
—Photo Courtesy of Public Domain
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.
Poets’ bios appear on their first MK visit.
To find previous posts, type the name
of the poet (or poem) into the little
beige box at the top left-hand side
of this column. See also
Medusa’s Rapsheet at the bottom
of the blue column on the right
side of this column to find
any date you want.
Miss a post?
You can find our most recent ones by
scrolling down under this daily one.
Or there's an "Older Posts" button
at the bottom of this column.
(Please excuse typos in older posts!
Blogspot has been through a lot of
incarnations in 20 years!)
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.
Poets’ bios appear on their first MK visit.
To find previous posts, type the name
of the poet (or poem) into the little
beige box at the top left-hand side
of this column. See also
Medusa’s Rapsheet at the bottom
of the blue column on the right
side of this column to find
any date you want.
Miss a post?
You can find our most recent ones by
scrolling down under this daily one.
Or there's an "Older Posts" button
at the bottom of this column.
(Please excuse typos in older posts!
Blogspot has been through a lot of
incarnations in 20 years!)
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!
