i am a doll dug out of a landfill by Melissa Eleftherion Body of the cave mouth Dissolution of salt Intuitive ash collects I vibrate to the speleothem the duodenum My heart holds the dirt like some sweet music i remember once a breathing green i remember once breathing i am a dull dig out…
Cold Gin and a Pandemic by Georgina Marie
Cold Gin and a Pandemic by Georgina Marie A swig of fresh lime squeezed over ice San Francisco’s Junipero gin with a garnish soothes the overwhelm of more bad news and sudden heat What I learned at home today: the length of estrangement becomes short in comparison to the weight of regret one hundred more…
Wishing Well by Aqueila M. Lewis-Ross
Wishing Well By Aqueila M. Lewis-Ross I wish you Love: We need it today more than ever As you find your way in this world You may see the change you want to see And do something to make a difference without conditions, but sometimes change is hard to do and loving is harder still…
Great Greats by Jeffrey Kingman
Great Greats family hatbox rolls beneath her hands asking, do cedar balls burn daguerreotype was shocked, melted every one so recent, the southern way to tinder buildings and her carriage seemed to be of two minds homestead barn’s drip of rainwater on the pig’s folded ear twitch tin basin sloshed heavy water and shoulders slant…
Salt Cedar by Tom Stanton
“Salt Cedar” SUNRISE CHORDS RISE SEE THEM GROW JUST THERE UPON MY FENCE GLORIOUS JASMIN COVER FORMING DELICATE MOUNTAINS A VIEW OF THE ISLAND OF CORK UNJARRED MEMORIES THROUGH YOUR SCENTED FLOWER BEING THERE MY 1ST FLIGHT FROM MY DOORSTEP TO THE COCKPIT OF MY FIRST PLANE YOU HAD PAINTED THIS VERY NOTE IN YELLOWS…
Masks by Wayne Goodman
MASKS I had to wear a mask To protect me from you The fear of someone seeing Me imperfect, as I was, Frightened me You wore a mask, too, For what reasons I Could not tell but Most likely similar Pain or sorrow With time, I learned To believe in myself That…
Poetry Open Mics and COVID-19
As of March 15, due to the coronavirus pandemic the CDC is recommending cancelling and postponing gatherings of over 50 people, and cancelling any gatherings in venues that cannot meet the 6 foot per person social distancing rules for the next eight weeks. For the latest updates regarding COVID-19, Solano County residents are encouraged to…
Open mic dates for 2020
Due to the governor’s orders as a result of COVID-19 pandemic as of March 2020 entertainment venues, including the poetry shows listed below, have been closed statewide. Stay home and write, folks. One day we will all get together again. These should be the dates for the Benicia & Vallejo poetry open mic shows in…
Jeremy Snyder is Vallejo’s 3rd Poet Laureate
Congratulations to Poetry by the Bay host Jeremy Snyder for becoming Vallejo’s 3rd Poet Laureate. He was preceded in office by Genea Brice (2015-2017) and D.L. Lang (2017-2019). His work appears in Verses, Voices, and Visions of Vallejo, and he recently hosted the Vallejo Poetry Slam. He has been hosting Poetry by the Bay since…
Vallejo Poetry Slam
Congratulations to Hakim for winning first place and Juanita J. Martin for winning second place at the Vallejo Poetry Slam held October 26, 2019 in the Joseph Room at Vallejo’s John F. Kennedy Library. Thank you to everyone who competed. Thank you to Provisions for donating a $50 gift card as a prize. The event…