Babes in Waiting

6:00am 


Quiet Streets in Ventura  

     The streets are quieter this week. I could swear I saw a tumble weed rolling down Main Street in Ventura. The Razor Babes are up in San Francisco touring through UC Santa Cruz, Alcatraz, the Naked Bulb and other celebrated venues. Wait, Alcatraz and the NAKED BULB?! I can't wait to see the pics and postings for those shows! I can see it now: "Babes Behind Bars" or "Naked Babes Behind Bars"! For those of us left behind waiting breathlessly to hear news of their travels, time is traveling slowly. I've been working around the house, writing and editing my own poetry, doing homework and taking tests, and finally, sitting down to write this blog. There was so much frenetic and frantic energy around the Babes departure that I have that feeling of after Christmas, when every gift has been opened, Christmas dinner eaten and all is done and put away. In this case, it was business cards, bumper stickers, t-shirts, duct tape bags and wallets, car rentals and lodgings, but similar in energy and excitement. There is an emptiness or quiet place inside my heart today. This is the time for me to re-group and be ready. For what I'm not sure, but I am preparing myself for their return.

Intelligent Design Poetry Reading

     As you may know, IDAC has a poetry reading and open mic on the 3rd Wednesday of the month at the Coffee Connection in Ojai. On May 16th, Barry Miller was our feature. Barry was great as always, bringing his particular brand of poetry to the stage. He performed my favorite, "The Hard of Hearing Hooker". There is a You Tube post on the IDAC Facebook site if you would like to check it out. Barry is a weathered soul and understands hard-luck stories. His lyrical baritone makes it easy to listen to any story he has to tell, even if they may be hard to hear in some cases. Thank you Barry for gracing us with your words and charm.

     I heard a young man perform at the open mic I haven't heard before. His name is Patrick and he read a poem about being the son of a beatnik poet. It was a very powerful work and I appreciate Patrick sharing it with us. Other highlights of the evening: B.J. Riley drove down, then up, from Santa Maria to Ojai to read for us, Nancy Gross, editor and publisher of the The Bubble, Ojai's premier literary magazine, was in attendance, and finally, Mr. Wao (wow!), our host, stood up at the end and sang a wonderful George Michael song. Mr. Wao wowed us with his talent and sweet tenor voice.

     I performed a piece I've been developing regarding my dad and the music he loved and created and the magic he seemed to wield over the hearts of his wife and eight children. I sing a bit at the beginning and at the end, and there is a rhythmic poem in-between. My performance has been really well received so far and that makes my toes tingle :-) Our next poetry night will be June 20th from 6:30pm - 8:30pm. If you have a piece of poetry, song, music, or other art form you'd like to share, please bring it! We encourage all who want to speak to come and be heard!

Sneak Preview

     Want to see something that will push the boundaries of poetic performance to new levels? Want to be amazed? Be at the Sylvia White Gallery on June 1st at 8:00pm. John White is the host for the evening. That's all I can say right now. Stay tuned for updates.


     Sunrise in Oxnard is beautiful and the air is sweet with the aroma of fresh strawberries in the fields. I look out the window and wait.


  
 

Goodnight B.J. Riley, Wherever You Are

Musings on Rhythm and Rhyme in Santa Maria

May 3, 2012
by: Maggie Garey, aka SuperRed

     It was late afternoon yesterday when my friend Albert and I entered our Toyota TARDIS^* and traveled through time and space from eclectic, surf-drenched Ventura to the rolling, wine-covered fields of Santa Maria. We stopped at the Rest Area—the one right before the tunnel that would turn us away from ocean—to take pictures of the magenta clouds lounging above the unusually verdant and lush green foothills and found ourselves parked next to a 1972 Chrysler Imperial. The car was black and she showed her years, like an old Prom Queen whose past beauty can still be seen behind the dents and bruises of time. The faux leather roofing was peeling off as though she had bad sunburn. I took some cool pictures of Albert and the car, but we had to do it quickly and duck for cover before her owner came back from the Men’s. As we continued our journey, I reflected on the fact that Santa Maria is 97 miles from Ventura. I have new respect for B.J. Riley who travels down from Santa Maria to the Artists Union Gallery in Ventura every week for the Tuesday Night Poets group. That’s commitment!

     Poets, and those who love them, spend a lot of time in coffee shops and art galleries. Café Noir on Broadway Street in Santa Maria is an excellent venue; lots of open space, large windows and a very friendly staff. There is a creative vibe in the air, and the poets who read last night really “brought it” and I was impressed by the caliber of their readings. One of the baristas who worked there even came up and read one of her poems. Very cool! Our host, Terry, is a tall, angular man with eyes that crinkle; a sign that he laughs a lot. He read some of his poetry and performed with power and mature skill. His son, Champion, (what a great name!) was also there and read some of his poetry and performed on his acoustic guitar and sang. He is pretty young, and I'm sure he will be a force to recon with as he matures. I was so inspired by the work of the poets and the welcoming atmosphere, I raised my hand and stepped to the mike to read “Trepidacious Kamikazes”, a poem Albert and I wrote together a few years back. As though angels sat on my shoulders and guided heart, mind and speech, I read with more feeling and freedom than I have ever done before. It was a very exhilarating feeling. I floated.

    On the return trip, we didn't so much as drive, as teleport. The miles melted and time became all wibbly-wobbly and not at all linear. Before I knew it, we were home, safe and sound to sleep, to dream, to travel.

* Time and Relative Dimensions in Space, Doctor Who, BBC