POETS PLACE
JANUARY 2025
HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!! We are in for a new and exciting time ahead!! I’m so ready to watch the shit show unfold! As I’ve probably mentioned we are fortunate here in California to live in a sanctuary state. I’m hoping Newsom can protect our immigrants and foreigners from deportation. I don’t want to put my head in the sand but I may have to if we get covered up in shit!
Here we go…… All aboard the rides about to start!!!!
In protest of the new fascism authoritarian regime
By Linda Kaye
Soon the poets will be censored from expressing free speech
Soon some of us will summon death to escape the horrors of life
In protest I remain in my country as did the Russian poet Anna Akhmatova writing in secrecy under constant threat of search and arrest during Stalin’s terror
My way of thinking my values as an American my rights my freedoms are no longer popular
Idiocracy has replaced Democracy
We will no longer be the land of the free
And crown thy good with brotherhood from sea to shining sea
I hear what you won’t tell me
By Anna Mathai
You guess what I won’t say,
So we walk along this path together, only silence on the way.
The fog hangs low above us,
Through a forest of muffled howls,
As we carry on in-quiet
To a trap that’s only ours.
An owl puts one foot slowly down,
As we drink up all the still,
While it coups if you don’t know by now,
maybe you never will.
Anna Mathai is an Indian-American multidisciplinary artist based in Los Angeles, California. She frequently uses Venetian plaster and other plasters in her work. Her abstract works reference both the natural world and our internal ‘landscapes’ of emotion, blurring both real and intangible. . She often touches on concepts of femininity, rebellion, and otherness, with a touch of mysticality, in her figurative work. By pairing her writing with her visual art practice, Mathai creates an extra dimension in which viewers can experience her art and a loose construct to guide their own internal process of understanding. Mathai was born in the UK, but spent most of her childhood in the rural Deep South, which heavily influenced the concepts she explores in her art. Her work has been awarded, published, and exhibited globally. You can find her at www.byMathai.com or on Instagram @byMathai.
THE THING IS
By Mary Cheung
3 a.m.
12-31-2024
The thing is,
when you look back.
At pictures of your youth,
Of an unblemished and baby soft skin..
You reflect back at your life.
Oh,
How innocent and inexperienced you were.
Doe eyed.
Smooth, unrumpled and bland.
Plump and full of energy and youth.
But it still wasn't as,
Or ever could be...
As full and flavorful as it is not.
Ripened and matured.
Seasoned to perfection.
Through everything in your life.
And everything along the way,
That gave you every wrinkle,
Every age spot, every creek of your bones and joints.
And perfected it, to what it is now.
I get it now.
Why that 100 yr old brandy costs soooo much.
And that 10 yr old scotch....
Pales in comparison,
And could never match up to the other.
Still it's hard,
To not think sometimes,
That you might of lost something.
When the past reminds you of the vanity,
Of that youth.
Until you taste, the sourness
of that smooth, unripe plum.
And the unpleasantness of that,
jolts you into the realization,
Of how much more desirable you are now.
More beneath the surface.
More surprising,
More pleasant,
More to savor,
More to behold,
More tantalizing,
More lasting,
More bold.
The things is....
That's what we have to remember.
That it took Age....
To shape our perfection.
And will continue to.
So accept it,
Embrace it.
Let your life continue to unfold..
It only gets better.
Your spirit can never get old.
Mary Cheung is a multi-disciplinary artist. She has been creating art since she was young. Grew up the youngest in a family of eight. She came to America at the age of 2 and grew up in San Francisco. Attended American school during the day and Chinese school at night.
Mary has an AA degree in Fashion Design and a Best Costume Design Award from the NAACP. She often creates costumes for her art narratives and creations. Sometimes building the sets as needed.
Mary was the Producer for the Santa Rosa Spring Festivals 2011 and 2012, which incorporated live performances and festival games.
She produced the EVOLUTION Music and Arts event in 2013.
LUSCIOUS, Music Art, Live Body paint Art Event IN 2014 followed by
OPEN FLOOR IMPROV EXPERIMENT whose purpose was to engage the community, encourage local business growth and artists involvement. Her real passion and drive come from being able to engage the community while bringing hope, healing, joy, and human connection.
It is her goal to be able to continue to do this while making an impact on society’s values and thinking.
“I hope that I can be a role model for others to find their own true voice in life through my art."
WALKING HOME
by jerry the priest
at dawn, walking home
the highway reminds me of thumbing rides
out of St. Louis that Easter.
My fingers ached from the cold
but that's nothing to the pain between us.
It's three months since our first kiss.
I'd rather have died of grief
than known the difficulty of loving you.
last night, you finally showed up
I saw the whole thing, as for once
I forgot to shut my eyes.
The morning sky through bare trees
reminds me of walking at dawn
in the hills outside Boseman
I cursed my luck and questioned god.
but that's nothing to the tantrums
I threw on your behalf.
It's two months now, since the rape trial.
I's rather have bled from every hole
than compounded that mistake
last night, you forgot to distrust me.
I caught the whole show, as for once
you failed to run screaming
Walking home, this cul de sac
reminds me of Halifax in November
by bicycle, at dawn.
It was a real kick in the ass.
but that's nothing to the walls
that fell last night.
It's one month, only,
since you clubbed me with that 2x4.
I'll exhaust every sunrise
for another breath of you.
jerry the priest, legal name Jerome Dunn, has been creating material for exhibition, publication and live presentation since 1979, when he studied experimental music at the University of Redlands. A vocal performer since early childhood, his formal study of music began with his first trombone lesson in 1967.
Essays, poems, stories and illustrations have appeared in Coagula Art Journal, La Quadra, the Nervous Breakdown, Bombay Gin and others, and his guitar/vocal/ trombone work and lyrics are featured on Cheap Disaster (’92), Stark Aloe Vera (’95), and Lovely Children (2011).
He’s lived and taught in Katmandu, Nepal, Istanbul, Turkey, Boston, Massachusetts, Boulder, Colorado, Portland, Oregon, San Francisco/San Leandro/Los Angeles, California, and written in Banaras, Bodhgaya, Konya, Damascus, Petra, Jerusalem, Mexico City, San Cristobal de las Casas, Antigua, Buenos Aires, Seattle, New Orleans, Chicago, Denver, Santa Fe, Bar Harbor, Vancouver, Halifax, Atlanta, Asheville and Manhattan, among other locales.
Still by Alex S. Johnson
The wheel revolves, and we
mutter
Blasphemies, small palms to
close the sun's mouth.
Everything froze. A lamp burst open and
shook its gory seeds
Like a hand of glory burning the midnight oil,
clutching an old
Photograph.
Burning, where it starts at the
edge and
Tip-toes its way to the two sewn-shut
Lips
In the sky above the
Final hill
The dying begins now, and
aching hearts thunder the
Split skies. Who knew, who foresaw
Agony upon
Agony without a
Clear
Resolution, not even a blue
speckle of
Your laughter
A hand of dust explodes in space
like a dove blackened by solar winds
Melancholia sweeps her dark wings
above the endless ribbon of graves.
Alex S. Johnson's biggest inspiration was seeing Allen Ginsberg read "Plutonian Ode" at the Whole Earth Festival when he was 14 years old. This began a journey that continues to this day. At 58 years old, he is the publisher of Nocturnicorn Books, a boutique imprint that works with the elite of the literary world, including such names as Ellyn Maybe, Poppy Z. Brite, Aram Saroyan, Helene Cardona, Caitlin R. Kiernan, David J. Haskins (BAUHAUS), Kari Lee Krome (THE RUNAWAYS) and Jarboe (SWANS). He and his partner in crime Alea Celeste Williams have numerous projects in store for readers in 2025. Alex's forthcoming books include WHITE ON WHITE: A LITERARY TRIBUTE TO BAUHAUS, a brand-new dark satire collection titled TWILIGHT OF THE DOOM HIPPIES (Horror Sleaze Trash Publications) and various collaborations with Juliet Cook, Daniel G. Snethen, Nolcha Fox, Barbara Harris Leonhard, Michelle Fairchild, Jeremy Reed, Sandy DeLuca and Catfish McDaris, among others. Johnson lives in Carmichael, California with his family.
Three Winter Haiku
By Sonny Tristan
1
Winter without snow
My duvet has depression
White foam fades in sand
2
Skies turn more grey now
People act like grey is bad
Winter’s finest shade
3
Winter won’t talk much
Does quiet mean death or peace?
We’ll hear more come Spring
Sonny Tristan started writing poetry when the world stopped. He spent decades artist adjacent, works daily using words, enjoys making poetry, reading it, hearing it, and being unsure of its, or his, destination. He remains super impressed with other people’s lives and thinks daily about maybe getting one of his own.
2025
By G. Billie Quijano
A palette of palabras
Manifestation of new dreams
Closure, reflection, renewal
Align, connect rhythms, cosmic harmony
Ancestral whispers
Celestial occurrence
Tradition, tapestry of soul
Inner knowing
Magic ignites
Release declaration into the divine
Spirit journeys, known and unknown
Sacred soil embraces corazón vibration
Listen to echoes of stillness
Madre universo, muse
Gratitude for blessing we receive
Poetry of affirmations
The nuance of vida
Oracles of enlightenment
Collage of consciousness
Dance into power
Run towards love
Drink the nectar of paletas
Within colores, can beauty come
Synthesis of truth
Operas of freedom
Swagger of imagination
Gangster in thought
Fragrance of allure
And with this palette of palabras
A bond of conexion…
G. Billie Quijano-Artista, Chula, Mestiza, Poeta, Provocateur, Renaissance Mujer
"Growing Up Straight and Catholic”
By Champion ElCid
Greetings All!
In an attempt to talk a bit more about myself, I thought to start posting a few journals about my life. Normally I would be extremely hesitant to do this as I've said before I am a pretty private person in real life and don't talk much about myself at all. There are very few people who know me and who also know everything about me and that's mostly by my choice, since this is the internet though and I am posting under a name I thought maybe it was time to share a few things. Again almost no one I know IRL even knows I write or what my name on the internet is (I think there are only about 3 people who know my internet name) so I am still a bit removed from what I post here. I guess another reason I wanted to post about some events in my life is honestly because I don't really talk about them with people. I guess a part of me maybe wants to talk about some of these things but it's always a bit hard talking about them with people you know, cause you're worried about what they might think. I had actually meant to post this one during June in pride month as while I'm not gay or Bi, I had wanted to post my perspective (as a straight person) on what I was told growing up about gay people, and how I came to change my mind on that issue. Also while I have an idea of what I want to talk about in this journal entry I also am kind of writing it as I feel it, so I apologize if it feels a little incoherent.
I guess to start with let me say I am a straight Latino guy (if you didn't already know that or were curious) and I was raised in a Catholic family. I actually did go to a private school that had a dress code like the one Anne goes to. (which is why I know there's no way they would ever let Luz wear her leggings as part of the uniform) and went to Church every Sunday. Now I know recently the church has tried to "have it both ways" in regards to gay people but let me tell you that growing up at least I was ALWAYS taught that gay people were sinners by priests, nuns, and teachers. So when I see now that the church is trying to "backpedal" that issue it already disgusts me because I know what I was taught and now you want to try and say "no that isn't what we said" so let me just say to all you young Catholics out there that whatever the church may be trying to say now, just know that it wasn't what they said back then.
I guess while we're on the subject let me talk a bit about the real life Ms. Bryant. Yes, she was a teacher at my school, if I were to use her real title it would be sister Bryant, I almost thought about doing that, but decided not to. While I never personally witnessed her go off on a gay person she was rather infamous in the school for a certain habit she had. I swear to you I'm not making this up, what she would do is go around the school with a ruler (perhaps one she used to use when it was still okay to hit people with) and she would measure the length of the girls' skirts. If they were even an inch too short she'd write them up for a uniform violation fine or in some more extreme cases march them to the office and make them change into a skirt of appropriate length (she would keep extra stores of them in her office). I never had any real personal interaction with her, but needless to say almost none of the students liked her. So I don't think my characterization of her in my fanfic was too far a stretch.
I had religious classes in school growing up and we were explicitly told on more than one occasion that homosexuality was a sin. In addition to all the other sins Catholics are famous for (sex outside of marriage, abortion, etc.) Oh and to really hammer in the whole "abortion is a sin" they made us watch a video of a "live abortion" happening (it was supposedly the view of the baby while it was happening, because yeah...that's not propaganda at all...). I bring up the abortion stuff because of recent events happening in U.S. as that's another sour point I have about the church. But all in all you can see that's the kind of viewpoints I was given growing up and for a time the ones that made up my world view. I should also say that the time period I grew up in was not very LGBT-friendly. There were all kinds of jokes made at gay people's expense and getting made fun of or bullied for being gay was a very real thing that happened to people at my school. People were always quick to deny accusations of being gay, and there was never any positive representation in media like we have today.
Side note, that's exactly why shows like Owl House and Kipo are SO IMPORTANT! We need to teach kids that being gay is okay, We need them to know it's normal and there's nothing to be ashamed of
I had a group of friends growing up and as it turns out one of them was gay. I'm glad I didn't know at the time as I probably would have reacted negatively to that. I didn't find out until years later and as I write this I hope she's doing okay. She was a real fun person who had an amazing heart so I hope wherever she is she's doing well.
In addition to the church, there was also my dad...my dad is a VERY complicated subject that is probably better left for another entry. Suffice it to say he was the kind of person who would likely have reacted VERY negatively if I was gay. I know this because of something my mom told me much later in life (at the time I didn't know it, and my mom wouldn't tell me until after her and my dad were divorced) but apparently he was...worried I might be gay. I assume he was "worried" because I didn't show an interest in "guy" things when I was younger. I had an interest in theater, singing, and dance as well as in writing poetry, and just writing in general. I wasn't into sports like at all, nor did I really have an interest in traditional "Latino" things (cars, beer, etc.) In addition to all that I didn't really have much luck with dating in high school (I guess in that way it's a bit "heartwarming" that my dad thought the reason I had no luck with girls was because I was gay and not a loser).
Anyway looking back it does explain certain actions my dad took around that time. One such action being to invite me to hang out with him and his friends after he played gold. Despite me still being a teen he let me have a beer with them (and this is how I discovered I didn't like beer) and just shot the breeze with them. At the time I didn't think much of it and it was an opportunity to hang with my dad so I actually enjoyed it at the time. I also remember one of his friends who once told a rather interesting story about how he was making out with a woman who turned out to be transsexual, and how after he found out he quickly beat her up...and of course, my dad and all his friends thought he was in the right and that the women had "tricked" him and deserved it. And if I'm being 100% honest my teenage self also agreed with him....sorry
Well, life goes on and eventually, I went off to college and this is where my views on homosexuality and other things began to change. The thing is because religion had been so drilled into me when I was young I still went to church in my early 20's. I even made sure to still give them money, I even did my best to follow all the rules and such. But slowly that started to change. There were three big factors for that change so let me tell you about them.
The first was my cousin. I didn't see much of my extended family growing up but she was one of my cool cousins who I always got along well with. She was the kind of person who didn't care what others thought of her and she just had an ability it seemed to naturally bond with people. Right now she's one of the only extended family members I still keep in contact with (I don't really speak to the rest of my family, which is another topic for another time) but she was always cool and I was always close to her. But I found out that she was gay, and...well I remember feeling conflicted about that, not really knowing how to feel and even wondering if I should stop being in contact with her. Again my dad certainly had an opinion on that as she would eventually come out to her parents and after that the whole extended family found out. Her mom (my mom's sister and a very staunch Catholic) was not happy and would eventually disown her, her dad was cool with it though. Once it became public knowledge she was gay my dad suggested I stop associating with her, partly for that, but also he seemed to think she was a "bad influence" on me. At the time I was really confused, but I still saw her at family gatherings and we still remained close. I eventually decided it didn't matter and we kept in contact. In the present day she and my mom are pretty close too and I'm glad we still keep in contact and see each other.
The next was a professor I had in college who was also gay. She was also one of the nicest people you'll ever meet and one who I really respected. It was meeting her that made me really start to question if everything I had been told about gay people growing up was true. She was a great professor and one who was almost like a second mother to me (during college my mother and I were going through a bit of a rough patch in our relationship, wow I just realized....there is a lot I'm talking about in this entry that I might have to elaborate on in a future entry...if I feel like it...sigh...) so yeah getting to know this professor made me really start to wonder if "gay people were really sinners" and I was slowly starting to see that this wasn't true.
The final straw for me was some sort of proposition on the voting ballot. I can't remember exactly what it was (I think it was called Prop 8) about whether or not gay marriage would be legalized in CA. And there were more than a few news stories running at the time about how the Catholic Church was donating money (sorry can't remember if the prop was for or against gay marriage, it was a long time ago) but they were doing their best to make sure gay marriage wasn't legalized. And for me that was the final straw. At that moment I knew I no longer wanted to be a Catholic and I no longer wanted to support what they stood for, and most importantly I knew I didn't want to give them any of my hard earned money anymore (yes I was still giving the church money as a struggling college student) I haven't looked back since, and well I think I can say that in the present I am glad that my younger self had the integrity to realize this.
So that's the story of how this straight, Latino guy went from being a Catholic to an atheist and gay ally. Sorry if it didn't sound that compelling in this journal entry, but it's honestly a story I've never really told anyone. Well, my brother knows, but really that's about it. I guess part of the reason I made this journal entry was to tell that story. It's a bit weird to think back on that time and realize how different things were. But it's also good to know that things have changed. For all that's wrong in the world I am glad that shows like Owl House and Kipo exist to give young kids some positive representation these days.
Well I guess that wraps up this story. Let me know what you think and if you'd like me to do another entry of my life. I want to try and talk about things from my past, and yeah I feel it's a bit easier to do so through this veil.
Thanks for listening, I hope I continue to impress you!
ChampionElCid lives in Los Angeles, he currently works four different jobs so he doesn't often have the time he'd like to write. When he was young he read Don Quixote for the first time and that book left an impression on him. He later learned of a real-life Spanish Knight named "El Cid" who embodied many of the ideals that Don Quixote strived for. Thus he decided to take that name when creating a profile on the internet and that name has stuck. You can see more of his poems on Vocal, which would really help him out as he earns money based on how many views his work gets. Thank you for this opportunity, I hope I continue to impress you...
profile https://vocal.media/authors/champion-el-cid
She/Her/They/Them
By R.G. Carrillo (Year’s end 2024)
She was a broken vessel
Men that engaged her
Could not make her whole
She was beaten
She was raped
She lost her innocence
At a very young age
She was left
By the side of the road
Those closest to her
Did her harm
Her father abused her
Her mother was silent
Her husband was violent
She thought the right man
Could fix her
She had abortions
She lost babies
She had miscarriages
She had many casual affairs
Looking for love
With all the wrong men
Her soul was hunting for relief
Their faces only desiring her flesh
She covered herself up
Then prostituted herself
Her pimps exploited her
Other men violated her spirit
She gave her trust to them
Who disrespected her being
Objectified for their satisfaction
Personified to a false beauty image
Glorified
Genderfied
Sexualized
She was dirt
She felt she had no worth
She attempted suicide
Once or twice
She was an immigrant
She was a single mother
She felt less than
Always searching
For that right man
The American dream
Hoping it would come true
She became a citizen
She could vote
She worked for women
With rich husbands
That lived empty lives
She was Christian
She prayed for a better life
She trusted in her God
Other women trusted
In material security
She looked for balance
She lived in shelters
She became homeless
She was giving up hope
She was America
Coda: Old glory
Your mother was Betsy Ross
Your grandmother Lady Liberty
You survived trials and traumas
Civil war tribulations
That split your sons apart
Assassinations
Riots
Political protests
That turned violent
Racial injustice
Of your own children
Mother of sorrows
Lady on the golden shore
Do you dream no more
Is your door no longer open
Your national midlife crisis
A setback
Manifest your destiny
Liberty diversity
Will set you free
A broad female consciousness
Will fertilize the land
Bring forth a bountiful harvest
Authenticate your constitution
She will rise to the occasion
Proud and strong
Resilient in all her aspects
Ronald G. Carrillo is a native Lincoln Hts Angelino, living in Eagle Rock and a retired LAUSD educator and influencer. He writes of his passion and rebirth into the golden age of living. He has been writing since high school and was initially influenced from the songwriters, Keith Reid, Joni Mitchell, Laura Nyro, Neil Young.
Thank you for joining us! We will continue to host writers and poets of all genres.
Please submit your written work to: lindakayepoetry@icloud.com
and include a short bio
Linda Kaye writes poetry, curates poetry, produces films, spoken word and art events and produces a poetry column POETS PLACE for the online publication LAARTNEWS throughout the Los Angeles area.
Linda’s poetry events have included several summer poetry salons, and shows at the Align Gallery, 50/50 Gallery, Gold Haus Gallery, Ave 50 Gallery and Rock Rose Gallery in Highland Park, The Manifesto Café in Hermon, Pilates and Arts studio in Echo Park, and Native Boutique, Zweet Café in Eagle Rock, The Los Angeles Makery in Little Tokyo. And at the Neutra Institute Gallery and Museum in Silverlake. Her first short documentary film “BORDER POETS” was a socially and politically inspired event with poets and musicians filmed at the border wall near Tecate, Mexico on the Jacumba, Ca. side of the US. The film co-produced by MUD productions is available for viewing on her website and on youtube. https://youtu.be/5Te4-dlhxco
Her rap music video project in collaboration with Mary Cheung, “ERACE-ISM” can also be seen on youtube. https://youtu.be/NfrbveNUBgg This video was accepted into the Ontario Museum of History & Art show “We the People” Yesterday, Today, and Tomorrow. February 2- April 16, 2023. So honored!!
And… February 19, 2022, she debuted her staged poetry production of “20 Years Left” at the historic Ebell Club in Highland Park! Two sold out shows with 2 standing ovations!! Check out the links to reviews and the video!
https://thehollywoodtimes.today/20-years-left-new-show-performance-poetry-music/
20 Years Left youtube live stream 2/19/22
Linda Kaye is a native Angeleno who grew up in the San Fernando Valley. She claims to be both a first-generation Valley Girl, and The Original Hipster. Educated at Antioch University and Cal State Long Beach in psychology and social work. Linda, now retired from medical social work, was working for her last seven years of employment as a psychotherapist and licensed clinical supervisor for an out patient mental health clinic. She was a licensed medical social worker for 30+ years working on the front line of healthcare, a private consultant for Physicians Aid Association and for skilled nursing facilities throughout California and Arizona. She was also an adjunct assistant professor at the USC Suzanne Dworak-Peck School of Social Work. Oh yeah.
Twitter/Instagram: lindakayepoetry
http://voyagela.com/interview/daily-inspiration-meet-linda-kaye/https://
shoutoutla.com/meet-linda-kaye-poet-poetry-and-theatrical-producer-filmmaker/