2nd Sunday @ 2: Poetry + Prose, March 8

Poetry in the Time of the Coronavirus, but clearly less than 50 people here, hosts Nancy Klepsch (“Pandemics make me cranky”) & me (Dan Wilcox).

& I was up first on the sign-up sheet with a poem, “The Poet’s [Poet’s] Decalogue” based on a poem by Sharon Mesmer, in American Poetry Review, November/December 2019, based on a poem by Gabriela Mistral, then a flash-back to past epidemics, in 2 parts.  Dave DeVries is the host of the long-running open mic at the Colonie Town Library on the 3rd Tuesday where they sometimes select words for folks to incorporate into a poem to read at the next gathering, his first poem “Blurred Vision” was one of those poems, his 2nd poem in funny rhymes was titled “A 2nd Chance.” Bob Sharkey’s poem “After St. Patrick’s Day” was printed appropriately enough on green paper (Bob said he couldn’t remember reading it out before, but I distinctly remember it with its description of a unique snow globe); earlier in the week he had announced the winners & other honorees of the 2020 Stephen A. DiBiase Poetry Contest & read today cento composed of lines from some of his favorite entries “Lie Down Here in the Green Green Field.”

Kate Laity made a welcome return to the 2nd Sunday @ 2 to read a piece of short, noir fiction, “Lavender” originally published here in Punk Noir Magazine.  Certainly not “noir” Sally Rhoades read a piece from her ongoing memoir about growing up in foster homes, a piece she wrote only a few hours ago. Co-host Nancy Klepsch began with a piece I’ve heard before (& like) “My Clit Thinks for Me,” then the anaphoric (“Send me …”) “I Am the Algorithm.”

Karen Fabiane began with a piece on music written yesterday “Most of the Notes,” another new piece, a long series of ex’s “You’re In the Big City Now,” & ended with “Clingy Men” who created the Bible. Tara seems to like to work in forms, today a piece titled “Invalid” which she said combined a Haiku with a villanelle not sure what she meant but I only heard it once, as I did her 2nd piece, a short untitled poem. Earlier Nancy had been discussing the possibility of doing this gathering online on one of the conferencing platforms out there, Lauren Pinsley had wanted to tell a story about that & was added to the bottom of the list, a hilarious tale of someone falling asleep during a conference call whose loud snoring triggered the camera — it could happen soon at an online poetry open mic, stay awake.

We are not certain what will transpire for Poetry in the Time of the Coronavirus here on the 2nd Sunday @ 2: Poetry + Prose at the Arts Center in Troy, but we hope to let you know.