—Public Domain Photos
TOOTHBRUSH
I see you in
my toothbrush
clearing off
tartar on my emotion
and plaque in my thinking
with the smooth
touch of your eyes
Reaching each
nook and cranny
of body and mind
Purging the
germs gathered
from daily living
I am being purified
by the passing
of each breath
coming from the sky
The cosmos has
your touch
Just like the
I see you in
my toothbrush
clearing off
tartar on my emotion
and plaque in my thinking
with the smooth
touch of your eyes
Reaching each
nook and cranny
of body and mind
Purging the
germs gathered
from daily living
I am being purified
by the passing
of each breath
coming from the sky
The cosmos has
your touch
Just like the
Toothbrush
(prev. pub. in Literary Revelations, USA, 2023)
WILD NIGHT
Night's wild locks are open
Stars are like bedazzling hairpins
Tucking them in
But youthful night will end
Into a clear day
Clear of mystery
Clear of night’s beauty and charm
Naked to stark reality
The day is like death
Will stand and stare through
No matter how much the sky
Sparks all night
(prev. pub. in Literary Revelations, USA, 2023)
Night's wild locks are open
Stars are like bedazzling hairpins
Tucking them in
But youthful night will end
Into a clear day
Clear of mystery
Clear of night’s beauty and charm
Naked to stark reality
The day is like death
Will stand and stare through
No matter how much the sky
Sparks all night
(prev. pub. in Literary Revelations, USA, 2023)
MY STORY IS BEING TOLD
the warmth of her lap
nested my being
in her body’s texture and fold
a story remained untold
the wrinkle around her eye
held my sky
the pores on her face
bled into the ink on my page
her legs itched
her elbow cried through scratchy years
in my tears
her silver hair shined wisely
on my skin
her brow was thick
like her blood running in my vein
she had fingers of many kind
but the one I remember holding
is still mine
grandmother is long gone
but her warm lap nests my being
in her body’s texture and fold
my story is being told
(prev. pub. in The Lothlorian Journal, USA,
November, 2024)
the warmth of her lap
nested my being
in her body’s texture and fold
a story remained untold
the wrinkle around her eye
held my sky
the pores on her face
bled into the ink on my page
her legs itched
her elbow cried through scratchy years
in my tears
her silver hair shined wisely
on my skin
her brow was thick
like her blood running in my vein
she had fingers of many kind
but the one I remember holding
is still mine
grandmother is long gone
but her warm lap nests my being
in her body’s texture and fold
my story is being told
(prev. pub. in The Lothlorian Journal, USA,
November, 2024)
ESCAPE
mind seeks comfort
remembering old times and
grandmother’s food
looking for old hinges to
hang new jackets or surplus thoughts
failing to wrap around
the present moment
mind wandered elsewhere
when grandmother’s food was sitting
right at the table
always looking to escape
what is, for that, which is not,
which never was the way
it wanted it to be, and
will never be, because
the ocean of reality cannot fit
in a small bubble of mind
can mind accept the moment
as is, rather than trying to escape it?
(prev. pub. in Cultural Reverence, India,
June 2024)
(prev. pub. in Cultural Reverence, India,
June 2024)
Today’s LittleNip:
THE BEE
—Shailja Sharma
Capsuled in the tulip flower
The bee asked herself
“Who brought me here?”
And then she said
She was like the deer
Who looked for scent everywhere
To find it inside its own body
The echo of her own longing
Brought the bee there
The lava of her melting heart
Traveled her to places
Where no one could be
She created her own paths
With her own obstacles
And then questioned the petals
Of the innocent tulip flower
“Who brought me here?”
(prev. pub. in Cultural Reverence, India, 2023)
___________________
Shailja Sharma, Ph.D., USA, is a mental health provider and a widely published author. Apart from scholarly publication and editorial service, her literary writings have been internationally acclaimed; her publications have appeared in numerous literary journals/forums of repute across the USA, Canada, UK, and Asia; and her writings have appeared in #1 Best Selling anthologies published nationally and internationally. Dr. Sharma has also been awarded literary honors for her writing contributions in international languages. Welcome to the Kitchen, Shailja, and don’t be a stranger!
____________________
—Medusa
THE BEE
—Shailja Sharma
Capsuled in the tulip flower
The bee asked herself
“Who brought me here?”
And then she said
She was like the deer
Who looked for scent everywhere
To find it inside its own body
The echo of her own longing
Brought the bee there
The lava of her melting heart
Traveled her to places
Where no one could be
She created her own paths
With her own obstacles
And then questioned the petals
Of the innocent tulip flower
“Who brought me here?”
(prev. pub. in Cultural Reverence, India, 2023)
___________________
Shailja Sharma, Ph.D., USA, is a mental health provider and a widely published author. Apart from scholarly publication and editorial service, her literary writings have been internationally acclaimed; her publications have appeared in numerous literary journals/forums of repute across the USA, Canada, UK, and Asia; and her writings have appeared in #1 Best Selling anthologies published nationally and internationally. Dr. Sharma has also been awarded literary honors for her writing contributions in international languages. Welcome to the Kitchen, Shailja, and don’t be a stranger!
____________________
—Medusa
A reminder that
Mosaic of Voices features
Joe Nolan and Kevin Walton
in Lodi today, 2pm;
Sacramento Poetry Alliance presents
Jeanne Allred and Sarah Pape today, 4pm;
and Sacramento Poetry Center presents
Bill Carr: Liquid Juice tonight, 6pm.
For info about these and other
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!
Mosaic of Voices features
Joe Nolan and Kevin Walton
in Lodi today, 2pm;
Sacramento Poetry Alliance presents
Jeanne Allred and Sarah Pape today, 4pm;
and Sacramento Poetry Center presents
Bill Carr: Liquid Juice tonight, 6pm.
For info about these and other
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!
