Thrilled to once again to have the honor to read poetry with a live jazz band. Not just any live jazz, but Dave Williams and friends. Not only am I reading, but I get to share the stage with other Poety Goddesses: Elmast Kozlyan, Raundi Moore-Kondo, and JL Martindale. Come out to CALB at the Shore (above Shenanigan’s) 423 Shoreline Village Dr. in Long Beach on Sunday, May 17th between 5 and 8:30 pm. Count on some serious enchantment!
Your arm hit the blinds
they swung like a pendulum
brightlight
brightlight
piercing my eyes you
held up your hand
to stop the sun
to shade my face
it felt just like love
so I sunk
into you
in the silence
First published in First Literary Review East and included in All the Tiny Anchors.
I was truly honored to feature with eight other poets on April 18th at the San Gabriel Valley Poetry Festival. Discovered the incredible, Teresa Mei Chuc, among other familiar readers, including Raquel Reyes-Lopez. If you don’t know her, she’s a gifted poet and a beautiful soul. What I’m even more excited about is that you can watch videos of all the performances recorded by the host, Don Kingfisher Campbell, on You Tube. Click on this link to watch my set and this one to watch all the other sets.
The wonderful editors at Pyrokinection have been kind enough to publish a little postcard poem I wrote called “To Hello Kitty from My Little Pony at We Labs“. It’s a special poem to me because I wrote it the second time I ever attended The Poetry Lab almost two years ago. The same place I met many people who would come to change my life forever. You can read this poem and many others at all the incarnations of Kind of a Hurricane Press.
My dear friend, Esmeralda Villalobos, is having an art show at our favorite local coffeehouse, Viento Y Agua on Friday, April 17th from 7-10 pm. I have had the honor of using her art on the cover of two of my books, Unanchored and All the Tiny Anchors. I am once again honored to be able to read poetry at her art show, this time with a favorite poet and friend, Raquel Reyes-Lopez. If that was not enough, we will be joined by two incredible musical acts, King Kang and Bearcoon. Find out more information on the Facebook event page, or just come down to 4007 E. 4th St. on Long Beach.
The first time you kissed me
I should have seen it coming
You were animal-starved
pawing hungry at my hips
You were hurricane-tongued
bracing me against your mouth
I pulled up fierce to match you
claw for claw around your neck
I could not hear us breathing
deafened by your torrent eyes
I did not recognize the beast
devouring my skin like victory
I wasn’t your prey or your prize
bound to be death-squandered
I had waited beyond time for you
to lay yourself down at my feet
I had hoped for honey sweet
and slow to drench my lips
with tenderness. But I—
I should have known
First published in Pyrokinection, also included in All the Tiny Anchors
Listen on SoundCloud.
April is National Poetry Month and I will be celebrating poetry every weekend, including a feature at the San Gabriel Valley Poetry Festival in Pasadena on April 18th. The event began in April 2000 and includes month long celebrations of poets from all around the Southern California area. Check out their Facebook page for updates. I will join my poetry sister, Raquel Reyes-Lopez, as well as many other wonderful poets from 3-5:30 pm on Sunday, April 18th, at the Santa Catalina Branch of the Pasadena Public Library on 999 E. Washington Blvd. in Pasadena. Don’t miss the slew of amazing poets on April 11th, from 3-5:30, including Elmast Kozloyan, Raundi Moore Kondo, Joe Gardner, and more!
The newest issue of In-flight Literary Magazine is out today! I have two very different poems up, “What I Mean When I Say My House Is Now a Park” and “Paint”. One is a memory of my young childhood house that has since been demolished and the other is a lyrical poem. There are many other fabulous poets, including my friend, Don Kingfisher Campbell. Take a few minutes and read a poem for the first day of National Poetry Month!
Sarah Thursday 