Monthly Archives: November 2015
Poetry from Tempest Brew
hoof
it started growing
when I was a teen
and now
there’s no stopping it
the small sign
of the devil inside
the trickster figure
they told me lived there
ephemera
a loop
a coil
a half-signature
of personhood
stacked and collected
in a pile
of other
docs
and
forms
Poetry from Joan Beebe
CELEBRATING HOLIDAYS
The year flies by and all too soon,
we think of so many things we have to do.
The list is long so getting ready takes time,
The kids have their list and I have mine.
We think we will stop all the extras this year,
But suddenly find ourselves the same
As decorations appear.
We run to the mall several times a week
And walk the mall over for the items we seek.
We promised ourselves to keep the spending lower
But we look at our checkbook and know the marketing power.
So, sadly we try to sort our mistakes
Balancing our checkbook, — have we got what it takes?
We promise again that next year we’ll do better
And I know what I’ll do, I’ll write myself a letter
As a reminder of the promise I’ve made
And then make my list before what I will need fades.
Essay from Elizabeth Hughes
Holiday Gifts
At this time of year the signs, fliers and containers come out for gifts for the needy. After Christmas I see brand new books either in our recycle bin or outside the trash room due to the kids not wanting that particular book. If I may make a suggestion, for babies and toddlers, get the cloth or card board books. Something that tiny hands can hold easily and won’t tear. Not all parents will or can read to their children, so something like a cloth book with bright colors and cute pictures would be great for them.
For older and elementary school children, get a gift card to a book store, that way the child can pick out the book that will stir their imagination and get them excited about reading. It doesn’t even have to be a major book store. Used books stores probably have gift cards or certificates also. The older child will come closer to reading if they are able to find something that really interests them. It will also make them feel good about their gift and the experience of picking out one of many books that are out there. Please if you do get a gift card, pick one that they are able to buy something with and not just a $5 gift card. The child probably will not find what they want with a small amount. I am not saying it has to be a lot, but just the price of a book.
Poetry from Julian Raine
memory comes
as a scent in the air, maybe
or in the cracks on the sidewalk
or in the colors of my clothes
or in the rain
as it falls
from the grey
and it reminds me
of the way i felt
the way that i was, then
when i was a child
and all the moments
in between
sort of bind together
the child to the old woman
i am to become
they belong to each other
and all at once
they belong to life
just as they belong to death
the dream that dreams from life
as we are as much the earth as the earth itself
the old blood the rivers vein
the cacophony of the earth
and the quiet of the earth
or the flower
to all the things that need to be
the flowers sweet
Poetry from Bruce Roberts
Hayward Public Library
Cold steel door handles
startle my senses
alert,
eyes scanning
people, shelves, books–
ever the books–
inching off their appointed spots,
creeping closer,
daring me to approach.
I slip past the librarian,
whose wire-rims notice nothing
but my overdues,
taking breath,
deep, tense,
boldly, I enter the stacks.
The hairy hand
around my ankle
springs from
The Rue Morgue
blue book, clear cover,
white-knuckle grip–
Poe me,
but I’m ready.
I kick out hard,
freeing my leg and leaping
20,000 leagues away,
finding Nemo
in brown leather binding,
and giant squid tentacles–
slithery, insistent,
suction cups on my eyes,
my eyes!