Saratoga Senior Center Poetry/Storytelling Open Mic, March 8

I was pleased to be the featured poet at this new series, filling in for Judith Prest (who is much prettier) who will re re-scheduled. The host & coordinator is Saratoga poet Rachel R. Baum (who is also more pretty than I am). She opened the event by reading her poem to an ex, inspired by Taylor Swift “Roping the Scapegoat” (but in my notes the title could be “Raping the Scapegoat” which I think it is not).

I read for about 15 minutes, followed by an open mic. I began with a Haibun by the recently gone poet Stuart Bartow from his book of Haiku, one branch (Red Moon Press, 2019), a piece that I had read to the ocean at Good Harbor Beach, Gloucester, MA after Stu’s death, then a poem by Judith Prest from Geography of Loss (Finishing Line Press, 2021) “Prayer for a Broken Land” a golden shovel eco-poem. Of my own work I read “Joe the Bartender,” 2 base all poems “Vamos Gatos” & “Waiting for Jacqueline Robinson” (both from Baseball Poems, A.P.D., 2019), then from my “poem cards” the imitation “Challenging Richard Brautigan,” a nod to Rachel’s recent chapbook from bottle cap press, Richard Brautigan’s Concussion.

I was happy to see poet Catherine Clark here, whom I first met many years ago at a NYS Writers Institute sponsored workshop with the late, great Irish poet John Montague. She read a couple poems from a poetry collection Oh Shining Moon, including the title poem, & the rural “King Road Spring Song.”

David Gonsalves, whom I see frequently down in Albany at other open mics, was up next; his first poem, titled “Honey & Thyme,” was an anaphoric repetition at the start of each line of the phrase “Consider the one…” then he also had a “Spring Song.”

Jay Rogoff, who had been the featured poet here last month, read an ekphrastic piece titled “Three Women” describing a painting by John Currin (from The Long Fault, Louisiana State University Press, 2008).

David Graham, who not only has been a featured poet at North Country poetry venues, including here, also shows up at open mics, in-person & online, said he stumbled on an old poem he barely remembered writing that fell into his series of graveyard poems, “Sounds Like Singing.”

Kathy Pelky (not sure of correct spelling) wanted to read a poem written by someone else, & she didn’t know their name, but it was a short poem the she carries around with her, containing the line, “one day I wrote a poem that was better than its author” — feel like that often myself.

Carol Shup Star, whom I remember seeing at the great Caffè Lena poetry open mic, read two visually bright poems, the first about morning glories, “Heavenly Blue,” the other titled “Moonlight Ashes.”

Rhonda Rosenheck, who also is out-&-about poet, began with a poem about craving peace “My Heart is in the East,” then a memoir piece, a combination of Haiku & tankas, “Massachusetts Past Life.” 

Julie Lomoe read a poem about her past life in NYC’s SoHo district, a piece for International Women’s Day, “Bela & the Rats.”

If you are available in the middle of the day this monthly open mic (with a featured reader) takes place on the 2nd Friday of the month (usually) at the Saratoga Senior Center, 290 West Ave,. Saratoga Springs, NY, at 1:00PM — check the events calendar on the website of the Hudson Valley Writers Guild for any changes.