Placerville, CA
—And then scroll down for
Form Fiddlers’ Friday, with Poetry by
Joe Nolan, Lynn White,
Stephen Kingsnorth, Nolcha Fox,
Caschwa, Christina Chin, and
Marjorie Pezzoli
THE BLEIKELLER, BREMEN
The mummied tiler lies still where he lay
under the spired roof from which he fell,
miraculous proof of death with minimal decay.
In 1450 when he smashed his mortal clay
on the market square, they bore him to this cell.
The mummied tiler lies still where he lay.
His lidless eyes are open to the meager ray
a candle issues over his diminished shell,
miraculous proof of death with minimal decay.
But if he watches, in the vaulted stony day
under Sankt Petri, visions of heaven or hell,
the mummied tiler lies still where he lay.
Composed forever under hands that pray,
he lies expressionless, a broken bell;
miraculous proof of death with minimal decay.
The Lord preserves here in an unearthly way.
The centuries expire with solemn knell.
The mummied tiler lies still where he lay,
miraculous proof of death with minimal decay.
The mummied tiler lies still where he lay
under the spired roof from which he fell,
miraculous proof of death with minimal decay.
In 1450 when he smashed his mortal clay
on the market square, they bore him to this cell.
The mummied tiler lies still where he lay.
His lidless eyes are open to the meager ray
a candle issues over his diminished shell,
miraculous proof of death with minimal decay.
But if he watches, in the vaulted stony day
under Sankt Petri, visions of heaven or hell,
the mummied tiler lies still where he lay.
Composed forever under hands that pray,
he lies expressionless, a broken bell;
miraculous proof of death with minimal decay.
The Lord preserves here in an unearthly way.
The centuries expire with solemn knell.
The mummied tiler lies still where he lay,
miraculous proof of death with minimal decay.
SPOOKORAMA
I keep my ghosts and hauntings
private—not like the man
in a corner house
I drive past almost every day,
where Halloween tradition begins
the first night in October.
Mountains of artificial skeletons,
ghouls, witches with cauldron,
a ghost-girl on a swing,
three-headed dog at the gate.
The guy who lives there
must have ransacked the local home
improvement store for its latest
spooky lawn décor.
Where does he keep all this
embarrassment of horrors
when trick-or-treating’s done?
What does he do the rest of the year?
MIMICRY
This wreath of baling
twine hung on a ranch T-post
catches first sunlight—
not with a spiderweb’s grace
and it captures no insects.
This wreath of baling
twine hung on a ranch T-post
catches first sunlight—
not with a spiderweb’s grace
and it captures no insects.
ORIGAMI
She’s folded a crane
of eggshell paper, careful
of how the wings must
rest until it’s time to fly
on a string attachment to
a bamboo skewer.
Outside the learning center,
overhead, cranes fly.
She’s folded a crane
of eggshell paper, careful
of how the wings must
rest until it’s time to fly
on a string attachment to
a bamboo skewer.
Outside the learning center,
overhead, cranes fly.
AT HOME DEPOT
Halloween display: my dog
looks askance at gigantic
dog skeleton. “Those bones are
not chewable!”
____________________
SPOOKY KITCHEN
Witches nodding & mumbling
over their cauldron bubbling
green. My pup says: “Doesn’t smell
real yummy to me!”
Halloween display: my dog
looks askance at gigantic
dog skeleton. “Those bones are
not chewable!”
____________________
SPOOKY KITCHEN
Witches nodding & mumbling
over their cauldron bubbling
green. My pup says: “Doesn’t smell
real yummy to me!”
Today’s LittleNip:
95667
—Taylor Graham
This place is rural farmland, not in a city.
Why the city’s zip code?
Cities like to extend their reach,
claim more land than they deserve.
Listen to what the blue heron says.
____________________
Many thanks to Taylor Graham for her poems and pix for the season today! Forms TG has used this week include a Villanelle (“The Bleikeller, Bremen”); two Dodoitsus (“At Home Depot”; “Spooky Kitchen”); a Response to our Tuesday Seed of the Week, An Embarrassment of Riches (“Spookorama”); a Tanka that is also a Response to last week’s Ekphrastic challenge (“Mimicry”); an Oriental Octet (“Origami”); and a Zip Ode (“95667”). The Villanelle, the Oriental Octet, and the Zip Ode were all responses to last week’s Triple-F Challenges. TG writes: “I dug out a very old Villanelle that seems to fit the season. ‘Origami’ is from Saturday's Japanese celebration at Wakamatsu [Farm in Placerville].”
In El Dorado County poetry this week, Poets and Writers of the Sierra Foothills in Camino features readers from Issue #1 of the new El Dorado County journal, Slope & Basin, including Moira Magenesen, Stephen Meadows, Taylor Graham, Jarana Nerone, and other contributors. Plus, it’s time to sign up for another Capturing Wakamatsu workshop at Wakamatsu Farm in Placerville, led by Taylor Graham and Katy Brown, coming a week from Sunday, 11/2. And for info about EDC’s regular workshops, scroll down to Medusa’s Kitchen’s http://medusaskitchen.blogspot.com/p/wtf.html/. For more news about such 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!
95667
—Taylor Graham
This place is rural farmland, not in a city.
Why the city’s zip code?
Cities like to extend their reach,
claim more land than they deserve.
Listen to what the blue heron says.
____________________
Many thanks to Taylor Graham for her poems and pix for the season today! Forms TG has used this week include a Villanelle (“The Bleikeller, Bremen”); two Dodoitsus (“At Home Depot”; “Spooky Kitchen”); a Response to our Tuesday Seed of the Week, An Embarrassment of Riches (“Spookorama”); a Tanka that is also a Response to last week’s Ekphrastic challenge (“Mimicry”); an Oriental Octet (“Origami”); and a Zip Ode (“95667”). The Villanelle, the Oriental Octet, and the Zip Ode were all responses to last week’s Triple-F Challenges. TG writes: “I dug out a very old Villanelle that seems to fit the season. ‘Origami’ is from Saturday's Japanese celebration at Wakamatsu [Farm in Placerville].”
In El Dorado County poetry this week, Poets and Writers of the Sierra Foothills in Camino features readers from Issue #1 of the new El Dorado County journal, Slope & Basin, including Moira Magenesen, Stephen Meadows, Taylor Graham, Jarana Nerone, and other contributors. Plus, it’s time to sign up for another Capturing Wakamatsu workshop at Wakamatsu Farm in Placerville, led by Taylor Graham and Katy Brown, coming a week from Sunday, 11/2. And for info about EDC’s regular workshops, scroll down to Medusa’s Kitchen’s http://medusaskitchen.blogspot.com/p/wtf.html/. For more news about such 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!
It’s time for more contributions from Form Fiddlers, in addition to those sent to us by Taylor Graham! Each Friday, there will be poems posted here from our readers using forms—either ones which were sent to Medusa during the previous week, or whatever else floats through the Kitchen and the perpetually stoned mind of Medusa. If these instructions are vague, it's because they're meant to be. Just fiddle around with some challenges— Whaddaya got to lose… ? If you send ‘em, I’ll post ‘em! (See Medusa’s Form Finder at the end of this post for resources and for links to poetry terms used in today’s post.)
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!
* * *
Last Week’s Ekphrastic Photo
Poets who sent responses to last week’s Ekphrastic photo were Joe Nolan, Lynn White, Stephen Kingsnorth, and Nolcha Fox:
THE LIGHT-CATCHER
—Joe Nolan, Stockton, CA
A mystic spider
Spun a web
To try to catch the sun,
But only sifted light
Through its fine threads.
* * *
THE SPIDER’S SOLACE
—Lynn White, Blaenau Ffestiniog, North Wales
She tries
to square the circles
of a world in chaos.
She weaves
her threads
preying
to bring some solace
and order,
some colour and pleasure
when the light shines through.
It’s all she can do.
* * *
FOOL’S GOLD
—Stephen Kingsnorth, Coedpoeth, Wrexham, Wales
It’s more than dew on fluid lines,
this trip-wire trigonometry,
where see-through elasticity,
is spring bounce string trapezium.
Without effective radar scan,
here’s deck band hooking landing craft;
but spun with grace, lace Halloween,
and cross that insect flight path hung,
A fly soon in the ointment held
despite much exercise, its wings;
already scuttled, spider site,
prey paralysed, purse silken wrapped.
I am not skilled to understand
the killing fields of nature’s ways,
or daily battles to survive
full time required for gene pool growth.
But know that beauty here brings death,
a silver lining for a grave;
as sunrise burning on chill air,
foreboding, not for unaware.
With ease I see fine gossamer,
but then, not I, that tortured corpse;
nor spider babies, beaked by bird,
itself played by marauding cat.
That woman, old, swallowed a fly;
in Liza’s bucket, hole comes round.
So know that cycle turns in world
like web surrounding all the globe.
Here delicate but yet so strong—
unseen wields macro influence.
And if your lore re-incarnates,
might wings fly back as spiderman?
* * *
THE LIGHT-CATCHER
—Joe Nolan, Stockton, CA
A mystic spider
Spun a web
To try to catch the sun,
But only sifted light
Through its fine threads.
* * *
THE SPIDER’S SOLACE
—Lynn White, Blaenau Ffestiniog, North Wales
She tries
to square the circles
of a world in chaos.
She weaves
her threads
preying
to bring some solace
and order,
some colour and pleasure
when the light shines through.
It’s all she can do.
* * *
FOOL’S GOLD
—Stephen Kingsnorth, Coedpoeth, Wrexham, Wales
It’s more than dew on fluid lines,
this trip-wire trigonometry,
where see-through elasticity,
is spring bounce string trapezium.
Without effective radar scan,
here’s deck band hooking landing craft;
but spun with grace, lace Halloween,
and cross that insect flight path hung,
A fly soon in the ointment held
despite much exercise, its wings;
already scuttled, spider site,
prey paralysed, purse silken wrapped.
I am not skilled to understand
the killing fields of nature’s ways,
or daily battles to survive
full time required for gene pool growth.
But know that beauty here brings death,
a silver lining for a grave;
as sunrise burning on chill air,
foreboding, not for unaware.
With ease I see fine gossamer,
but then, not I, that tortured corpse;
nor spider babies, beaked by bird,
itself played by marauding cat.
That woman, old, swallowed a fly;
in Liza’s bucket, hole comes round.
So know that cycle turns in world
like web surrounding all the globe.
Here delicate but yet so strong—
unseen wields macro influence.
And if your lore re-incarnates,
might wings fly back as spiderman?
* * *
A Response Haibun from Nolcha Fox:
I MIGHT BE A SPIDER
—Nolcha Fox, Buffalo, WY
I weave word webs to trap dream drops and nightmares. See how they glitter and entice. They are diamonds. Look closer, you see the mourning of winter, the joy of spring. You rub them between your fingers. See how everything you touch turns into stardust. It clings to your body and clothes. You can’t brush it off. You are trapped. See how you change into a bird with no wings. You will never be the same.
Writing
is a very
sticky business.
* * *
Caschwa’s (Carl Schwartz’s) Response to the Ekphrastic Challenge of Friday, Oct. 10 is a Concrete Poem. See the light blinking?
BROKEN TAILLIGHT
—Caschwa, Sacramento, CA
look
down
down
down
from the roadway
see a brake light
still lit
still lit
still lit
the red crystal gone
gone
gone
gone
tempers flaring
flaring
flaring
after a following too closely incident
writes its own chapter on road rage
* * *
Here is a Haibun from Carl:
AWFUL IMPRESSIONS
—Caschwa
An AI CI and an AI PI met at a bar
where it is indisputably hard to be
either confidential or private. Rather
it was a worst case scenario as each
individual proudly boasted about how
much forbidden information they knew
and then went on to share those treasures.
Once AI is your
partner, all confidence and
privacy is gone
* * *
Carl also send us a Haiku and a Haiku Chain, also known as a buncha Haiku:
—Caschwa
An AI CI and an AI PI met at a bar
where it is indisputably hard to be
either confidential or private. Rather
it was a worst case scenario as each
individual proudly boasted about how
much forbidden information they knew
and then went on to share those treasures.
Once AI is your
partner, all confidence and
privacy is gone
* * *
Carl also send us a Haiku and a Haiku Chain, also known as a buncha Haiku:
EVENT SECURITY
—Caschwa
Can’t own that title
until you are the first wave
of response for drips
* * *
IONIC ADVICE COLUMN
—Caschwa
Ornamental scrolls
on the capitals leaves out
most information
so before citing
see all, then know all, well no,
you didn’t see all
your perfect recall
or passing the bar first time
just doesn’t matter
you’ll need good proof that
the weight of the evidence
supports what you claim
now trade shoes with a
paralegal, whose work must
pass all scrutiny
* * *
Christina Chin and Marjorie Pezzoli have sent us, not exactly Tan-Renga, but what they’re calling “Collaborative verse”:
—Caschwa
Can’t own that title
until you are the first wave
of response for drips
* * *
IONIC ADVICE COLUMN
—Caschwa
Ornamental scrolls
on the capitals leaves out
most information
so before citing
see all, then know all, well no,
you didn’t see all
your perfect recall
or passing the bar first time
just doesn’t matter
you’ll need good proof that
the weight of the evidence
supports what you claim
now trade shoes with a
paralegal, whose work must
pass all scrutiny
* * *
Christina Chin and Marjorie Pezzoli have sent us, not exactly Tan-Renga, but what they’re calling “Collaborative verse”:
CLIMATE CHANGE
—Christina Chin (plain text) and
Marjorie Pezzoli (italics)
whispers echo
the truth lost in the twist
and turn
erasure of pages
headlines rewritten
pretenders rampage
masked intentions
trip on a fragile line
words weave webs of lies
* * *
SCHOOL PASTE
—Christina Chin (plain text) and
Marjorie Pezzoli (italics)
whispers echo
the truth lost in the twist
and turn
erasure of pages
headlines rewritten
pretenders rampage
masked intentions
trip on a fragile line
words weave webs of lies
* * *
SCHOOL PASTE
—Christina Chin (plain text) and
Marjorie Pezzoli (italics)
new ice age
unnatural disaster
blank history pages
horrific
post-war conflict
files destroyed
* * *
And here is an Ekrastic poem by Stephen Kingsnorth, based on this public domain photo as it appeared on the post by Luis Cuauhtémoc Berriozábal on Saturday, Oct. 18. 2025:
Marjorie Pezzoli (italics)
new ice age
unnatural disaster
blank history pages
horrific
post-war conflict
files destroyed
* * *
And here is an Ekrastic poem by Stephen Kingsnorth, based on this public domain photo as it appeared on the post by Luis Cuauhtémoc Berriozábal on Saturday, Oct. 18. 2025:
CHARACTER
—Stephen Kingsnorth
This should be Dutch by hints of style;
The House of Orange has appeal.
Though plaster wash is fading now,
as complementing autumn leaves
have fallen, leaving stark dark limbs.
Those balconies were confidence,
to cobble view near head-height low,
but look out posts for leisure time.
I know it’s not uneven floor
that staggers frames above the door;
this corner sure built on a hill,
so cause may be split level sign,
design to manage rise or fall.
I like stone arched, few roundels too,
wave roof adapted as inclined,
with centred graphic metalwork.
How now top corner scab erased,
bruised skin where plaster needs applied?
And every wound brings orange less,
as if mock orange tree in bloom.
What draws a property to stand out,
to make its mark despite its age,
estate that wears an air of grace,
for dowager is in her place?
I do not know if plumbing works,
past glories of this upper class;
who cast these plans as taking shape?
I simply know it catches eye,
and pleasure’s mine for what I see.
Beyond the pristine in the plant—
or makeup on the facial skin,
I deem it character that counts.
—Stephen Kingsnorth
This should be Dutch by hints of style;
The House of Orange has appeal.
Though plaster wash is fading now,
as complementing autumn leaves
have fallen, leaving stark dark limbs.
Those balconies were confidence,
to cobble view near head-height low,
but look out posts for leisure time.
I know it’s not uneven floor
that staggers frames above the door;
this corner sure built on a hill,
so cause may be split level sign,
design to manage rise or fall.
I like stone arched, few roundels too,
wave roof adapted as inclined,
with centred graphic metalwork.
How now top corner scab erased,
bruised skin where plaster needs applied?
And every wound brings orange less,
as if mock orange tree in bloom.
What draws a property to stand out,
to make its mark despite its age,
estate that wears an air of grace,
for dowager is in her place?
I do not know if plumbing works,
past glories of this upper class;
who cast these plans as taking shape?
I simply know it catches eye,
and pleasure’s mine for what I see.
Beyond the pristine in the plant—
or makeup on the facial skin,
I deem it character that counts.
__________________
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!
See what you can make of these challenges, and send your results to kathykieth@hotmail.com/. (No deadline.) We fool around a lot this season, partying for Halloween and the season to come, but it is also a season of contemplation, coming to the end of the year as we are. So write yourself a Boketto, which says there is only THIS moment:
•••Boketto: poeticbloomings2.wordpress.com2016/05/11/inform-poets-boketto
•••AND/OR how about a Duplex:
•••Duplex: https://www.readpoetry.com/try-this-trio-3-poetic-forms-to-push-your-writing
•••AND/OR follow Caschwa’s lead with a Concrete Poem. Can you make the poem look like what it represents?
•••Concrete Poetry: poemanalysis.com/poetic-form/concrete-poem
•••See also the bottom of this post for another challenge, this one an Ekphrastic one.
•••And don’t forget each Tuesday Seed of the Week! This week it’s “Magicians I Have Known”.
____________________
MEDUSA’S FORM FINDER: Links to poetry terms mentioned today:
•••Ars Poetica: www.poetryfoundation.org/learn/glossary-terms/ars-poetica
•••Boketto: poeticbloomings2.wordpress.com2016/05/11/inform-poets-boketto
•••Concrete Poetry: poemanalysis.com/poetic-form/concrete-poem
•••Dodoitsu: www.writersdigest.com/whats-new/dodoitsu-poetic-forms
•••Duplex: https://www.readpoetry.com/try-this-trio-3-poetic-forms-to-push-your-writing
•••Ekphrastic Poem: notesofoak.com/discover-literature/ekphrastic-poetry
•••Haibun: www.writersdigest.com/write-better-poetry/haibun-poems-poetic-form
•••Haiku: https://www.poetryfoundation.org/learn/glossary-terms/haiku-or-hokku AND/OR www.shadowpoetry.com/resources/haiku/haiku.html
•••Oriental Octet: https://allpoetry.com/list/609282-Oriental-Octet AND/OR https://allpoetry.com/list/609282-Oriental-Octet
•••Response Poem: creativetalentsunleashed.com/2015/11/18/writing-tip-response-poems
•••Tanka: poets.org/glossary/tanka
•••Tan-Renga: https://www.graceguts.com/essays/an-introduction-to-tan-renga
•••Tuesday Seed of the Week: a prompt listed in Medusa’s Kitchen every Tuesday; poems may be any shape or size, form or no form. No deadlines; past ones are listed at http://medusaskitchen.blogspot.com/p/calliopes-closet.html/. Send results to kathykieth#hotmail.com/.
•••Villanelle (rhymed or unrhymed): www.writersdigest.com/write-better-poetry/poetic-forms-villanelle
•••Zip Ode: https://www.wlrn.org/write-an-ode-to-your-zip-code
__________________
—Medusa
Today's Ekphrastic Challenge!
Make what you can of today's
picture, and send your poetic results to
kathykieth@hotmail.com/. (No deadline.)
* * *
—Public Domain Photo Courtesy of Joe Nolan
Make what you can of today's
picture, and send your poetic results to
kathykieth@hotmail.com/. (No deadline.)
* * *
—Public Domain Photo Courtesy of Joe Nolan
A reminder that
the Frannie Dresser
six-week Zoom workshop,
“Writin’ With Critters”
starts today at 10am.
For info about this 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!
the Frannie Dresser
six-week Zoom workshop,
“Writin’ With Critters”
starts today at 10am.
For info about this 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!
