Cat Russell's Blog, page 9
July 16, 2020
POEM: “To The Poetess”
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“To The Poetess”
epic battles of heroes on bloody foreign fields
or gods meddling in the lives of men and women
were not subject fit enough for your sweet lines.
instead you delved deep into the bittersweet
affairs of human hearts, the union of souls,
the intoxication of lovers sharing the common cup.
your words like wine lingered on the lips
of ancient vocalists thirsting for vintage reds
singing verses you cultured long ago.
your gleaming feast of words filled from apple trees
you strode by long ago as honey breezes blew waves
through your shining locks. your bold steps soon followed.
your words are only known to us from ancient admirers
or from torn and tattered fractions lining paper mache coffins.
How great your work when fragments alone
grant you immortality.
#
I wrote this poem last month when I was reading a free ebook, The Poems of Sappho , via manybooks.net
* image courtesy of publicdomainpictures.net via Creative Commons Licensing
July 2, 2020
POEM: “Patriotism”
“Patriotism“
The call to act with love
against the hate that spills into our streets
Not follow the same drummer’s beat, beat, beat
while others are simply beaten
Fighting hate with hate increases
the blaze across our states
Fighting hate with love abates outbreaks
soothes the aching wounds of history
Kindness is not complacency
Shake this world gently
Shake this world with love
Shake this world with peaceful protest
Shake this world with words
Words have power
Speak out.
*
Happy Fourth of July weekend!
I know this poem seems especially written for the current circumstances, but I actually wrote it June of 2018 as a response to a tweet I read on twitter about the usefulness of nonviolent protests. I was also inspired by this quote from Ghandi: “Where there is love there is life. In a gentle way, you can shake the world.”
Another special thing I’d like to do this weekend is offer my poetry collection, Soul Picked Clean, on sale at a discounted price to celebrate both the Fourth of July (Saturday) and my birthday (Friday)!
If you’d like a copy of my poetry collection, Soul Picked Clean, for only $10, please credit my paypal at this link , and don’t forget to include your address so I know where to mail the book!
Stay safe, stay well, and read often!
**
image
courtesy of
publicdomainpictures.net
via
Creative Commons Licensing
.
June 27, 2020
FOUND POEM: “Spider Flight”
“Spider Flight”
Spiders have no wings,
but take to the air
nonetheless. climb,
raise abdomens to sky,
extrude strands of silk,
and float away.
ballooning. away
from predators
competitors
toward new lands
abundant resources.
two-and-a-half miles up,
1,000 out to sea.
sense the Earth’s electric field,
use it to launch into air
thunderstorms crackle
around the world,
Earth’s atmosphere a circuit.
The upper reaches
a positive charge,
the planet’s surface
a negative.
operate within increase
those forces climb
twigs, leaves, blades of grass.
Plants, being earthed,
protrude into the positively charged
electric fields between the air around
and tips of leaves and branches
spiders detect
ruffle tiny sensory hairs on feet,
like when you rub a balloon
and hold it to your hair
a set of movements Tiptoeing—
help gauge wind speed direction.
prepare for flight
#
*Found poem based on text found in article, Spiders Can Fly Hundreds of Miles Using Electricity , by Ed Yong published in the Atlantic on July 5, 2018.
** image courtesy of publicdomainpictures.net via Creative Commons Licensing .
June 5, 2020
POEM: “Playing Inspires”
“Playing Inspires”
Doctors said
/he would never talk
/he would be/ quadrilegic/ for life
/cerebral palsy /diagnosed at 6
/two brain surgeries/ physical therapy
/he worked/ tried/ beat the odds
“Don’t use the word ‘can’t’”/ beat the odds
Shawn did his best/ took time to get better
/excelled at sports/ never needed a wheelchair
/when frustrated/ came back/ always
/listened/ tried/ pulled it together
/practiced every day to hone his skills
/every day came and worked/ beat the odds
/a good bowler/ a good teammate/ he’d high-five
/he listened/ tried/ beat the odds
/every day did his best/ to get better
/every day/ he took time/ excelled
/doctors said he would never talk/ he speaks well
Shawn Nolan’s doctors said
/he would never/
/bike/ basketball/ horseback/
/karate/ bowl/ weightlift/ swim
/patrol the neighborhood on his bike
/make sure everyone is safe
/inspire kids with disabilities
/to beat the odds
/kids with disabilities
/Shawn makes sure
/other kids with disabilities/ never forget
“Don’t use the word ‘can’t.”
#
I composed the above found poem by taking bits from an online article, rearranging, adding and subtracting words and phrases, to make something new. The article by Roger Gordon was an inspirational sports story about a young bowler, Shawn Nolan, born with cerebral palsy, who is a competitive athlete.
*image courtesy of www.publicdomainpictures.net via Creative Commons License.
** original article written by Roger Gordon
May 29, 2020
POEM: “Oasis”
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"Oasis"
warm water streaming over strained muscles taut with the tension of
a thousand
stir-crazed hours of intrusive solitude within a small space yet
none purely owned by me excepting this waterproof box
where for five too short minutes
steam tingles wet skin
voice reverberates
Beatles and Aretha
bounces against panels
of thin
acrylic as
peppermint
suds wash my
worries
down the
drain
alongside
white
soapy
bubbles... .. . .
#
Thank you for visiting my blog! I’ve been wanting a break from all the depressing news lately, so I thought I’d share this poem as (hopefully) a little break for you too: an oasis in this shared storm we’re all weathering.
Wherever you are, stay safe, stay well, and read often!
* Image courtesy of www.publicdomainpictures.net via Creative Commons License .
May 15, 2020
POEM: “Orpheus the Coward”
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“Orpheus the Coward”
I did not kill myself for love.
I didn’t tear apart my broken heart,
show its bloody pieces to the world
unless you count my music.
In that I laid myself bare,
my grief as exposed as an infant
left on a lonely hill
for beasts to feast upon.
I did not kill myself for love.
I didn’t choose to die,
to trap us both in that deep darkness,
breathe the earth above our heads
as we quake in Hades’s rich domain,
both doomed to finally drink
from that fatal river that makes us forget
each other.
I did not kill myself for love.
I chose to run to hell
to bring my love to life,
to calm the viscous demon-dog’s rage,
to bring salt tears to the icy cheeks
of Hades and his Queen,
to rescue my wife of a single day,
to bring her back to that same day’s sun.
I did not kill myself for love.
I chose to lead her back
from those cold depths,
feel her silent steps
behind me but never look to see.
The price of her freedom
my uncertainty.
But the Fates are bitches
that toy with human lives:
my feet touched earth,
yet still I looked back too soon.
She remained in darkness.
I lost her at the border
between life and death,
dark and light, fear and hope.
Her fading farewell,
as translucent as the hand
I reached for
but could not grab.
No second charm would work
on Hell’s cold denizens.
I did not kill myself for love.
I sat and thought and tried
to find a way through the fog
of my brain to win her back again.
None came, but as I struggled
to compose my next hopeless plan,
alone with my lyre,
just me and my pain,
I was torn apart,
my body as broken as my heart.
I did not kill myself for love,
but I was not sorry to go.
#
Thank you for visiting my blog! The above poem was inspired by the Speech of Phaedrus in Plato’s Symposium in which Orpheus was dubbed a coward because he did not die for love like a more traditional hero.
Wherever you are, stay safe, stay well, and read often!
*Image courtesy of www.publicdomainpictures.net via Creative Commons License.
May 1, 2020
POEM: “An Apology to My Reader”
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“An Apology to My Reader”
Let me first say
an apology is not warranted
although I am sorry
you didn’t like my work,
I am sorry my words offend
or cause you pain, open wide
that hole in your heart
–yet isn’t that a part
of art’s ultimate calling?
–to make us feel something,
not always some things
we want but to unearth
what’s buried deep inside. It’s
the horror of the disgorged grave
as well as the exhilaration
of a ballerina’s pirouette,
the dispepsia of an undigested
bit of tainted beef versus
the ecstacy of a lover’s embrace,
the shoulders shrugged against
the enigma of an ignorant world
and the melancholic mind’s eye
turned inward despite willing
ourselves blind, so while
I wish you every happiness,
I also admit I want praise,
adulation even as I question
why anyone would spend
their hard earned cash, tender
payment to buy a book of mine.
I am sorry you are unhappy
with my words, with time
I tendered writing, recording,
with the hours, days, weeks
of creating stories, drawing imagery,
imagining metaphors, birthing similes,
reworking prose and poetries, so although
an apology is not warranted,
I will extend you this one exception:
I’m sorry, but I don’t give refunds.
#
Thank you for visiting my blog! I hope you enjoyed that little bit of snarky humor. I actually do have some more pandemic-themed poems, but I wanted to do something different this week. This particular poem was inspired by a prompt from Cuyahoga County Public Library ’s Read + Write: 30 Days of Poetry . Wherever you are, stay safe, stay well, and read often!
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*Image courtesy of www.publicdomainpictures.net via Creative Commons License.
April 16, 2020
POEM: “The Great Pause”
“The Great Pause”
our world holds its breath
as Mother Nature exhales
sighs of relief recede
clouds of carbon dioxide
from towering cityscapes
over brilliant barren avenues
satellite images clear like
a slate wiped suddenly clean
wildlife boldly ventures out
exploring storefront windows
from sunlit asphalt lanes
goats nibble untamed hedges
wolves play in lush backyards
occupy empty park benches
pink flamingos stroll across
pristine snow-white beaches
stags sport oak and maple racks
high and wide as their forest homes
mounting marble cathedral steps
beneath brilliant sun stained glass
as grey-skinned dolphins swim
unmolested in blue-green waters
while for once we are the ones
trapped behind translucent glass
looking out at the world
from inside
#
Since we are midway through National Poetry Month, I thought I’d take a moment to review. As you know, all in-person poetry events have been cancelled or postponed due to the current pandemic, but the poetry community has come together in other ways. I was honored to have my poem, “Poet,” featured on April 5th for Cuyahoga County Public Library’s Read + Write: 30 Days of Poetry!
April 23rd is Shakespeare’s birthday, so be sure to honor the Bard by reading a book, watching a play (online), or sharing poetry! I’ve linked a few free resources, in case you don’t know where to start, and many libraries offer free online materials as well through their own websites, as well as apps like Hoopla and Overdrive. Local theatres are struggling now (for obvious reasons), so you could make a donation to your local playhouse or attend a local online event (like Ohio Shakespeare Festival). You could also do some silly celebrations, such as Talk-Like-Shakespeare Day!
Also, since this blog is mostly poetry, you may not be aware that I’ve written quite a bit of prose over the years, mostly flash fiction. Lately I have been featuring a weekly free flash fiction post and podcast on my Patreon. This is my way of providing some free reading material for people currently stuck at home, as well as generating excitement for my upcoming book, An Optimist’s Journal of the End of Days and Other Stories!
I hope you enjoyed my poem! Remember, if you are quarantined at home, you are helping to save lives. If you need to venture out to work to keep everyone else going during these difficult times, thank you. Your efforts are appreciated, and my heart goes out to you all.
Take solace in the good things, and try to get through the bad. Stay safe, stay well, and read often!
April 3, 2020
POEM: “Social Distancing”
“Social Distancing“
Socially distant, virtually inseparable
the links between us:
the ways we touch others,
not warm fingers interlaced
but swept across cool keyboards,
music shared across balconies,
tasting notes like a crisp wind
crossing borders and boundaries,
not the comforting embrace
but the smiling face miles away,
countries or continents or
six full feet apart
so long as we’re not six feet under
we can bridge any distance.
smoothly typed texts, raised
voices spanning gaps, our words
heard by ears, read by wide eyes,
felt by drumming heartbeats:
emotion’s rising tide.
in this new world of isolation,
We all pull together.
#
April is National Poetry Month, and although many poetry and writing events have been cancelled due to the current world crisis, we have also come together in other ways through technology. Many open mics, book launches, and other meetups have switched to virtual venues, and people are searching for new ways to come together, support each other, and consume art.
So in the spirit of this unity, I’d love to share some online venues to help get through these trying times. My favorite poetry magazine, Rattle, has a podcast and a virtual open mic called Rattlecast that meets/posts weekly. The FaceBook group for Latitudes Poetry Night has switched from monthly (in person) meetups to weekly Wednesday night (online) Open Mics as a way to support others during quarantine. Different libraries have switched to online meetups for book clubs such as Barberton Library’s monthly Hooks and Books.
There are also free downloadable ebooks from ManyBooks.Net, Project Gutenberg, and (for audiobooks) Librivox. And, last but not least, many libraries have online resources as well for checkouts–as well as other events. My favorite of these is the annual Read + Write: 30 Days of Poetry via Cuyahoga County Public Library; just sign up on the site for April emails with poems from Ohio poets as well as writing prompts.
This year, on April 5th, one of my poems from Soul Picked Clean will be the featured poem for Read + Write. I’m so honored to be part of this event and beyond thrilled!
So, I hope you enjoyed my poem! If you can, I urge you to take advantage of some of these online resources. If you are quarantined at home, you are helping to save lives. If you need to venture out to work to keep everyone else going during these difficult times, thank you. Your efforts are appreciated, and my heart goes out to you all.
Take solace in the good things, and try to get through the bad. Stay safe, stay well, and read often!
March 30, 2020
2020-03-30: Virtual Poetry Reading for Soul Picked Clean by Cat Russell!
Today is the one year anniversary of the Book Launch for my first published book, my poetry collection, Soul Picked Clean.
Since an in-person event is obviously not possible now, I wanted to celebrate online! I read a few of my poems, explain the thoughts behind them, and talk about how to keep in touch online. Enjoy!
If you would like to attend my FaceBook LIVE Book Birthday Party tonight, please visit: https://tinyurl.com/rhmzktp
PODCAST LINK: https://authorcatrussell.podbean.com/mf/play/53ujkf/2020_03_30PoetryReading-SPC-CatRussell.mp3
*image courtesy of publicdomainpictures.net via Creative Commons License.
