I am no longer able to head the North Shore Poets’ Forum, because I have a conflict on Saturdays. In any case, the regular attendees decided NOT to host an Open Mic this year in honor of National Poetry Month. There are, however, other open mics on the North Shore. You might want to go to the Tin Box Open Mic at the Swampscott Library, April 1, 6 p.m. to closing, or to Zumi’s on April 20, 6 p.m., for the Ipswich Poetry Group Open Mic. I’m sure there are others.
As I usually do, I am sharing a poem, this time in honor of Lawrence Ferlinghetti’s 100th birthday (March 24, 1919). He’s still kicking.
The photo is Ferlinghetti at 99.
The Changing Light
The changing light at San Francisco is none of your East Coast light none of your pearly light of Paris The light of San Francisco is a sea light an island light And the light of fog blanketing the hills drifting in at night through the Golden Gate to lie on the city at dawn And then the halcyon late mornings after the fog burns off and the sun paints white houses with the sea light of Greece with sharp clean shadows making the town look like it had just been painted But the wind comes up at four o’clock sweeping the hills And then the veil of light of early evening And then another scrim when the new night fog floats in And in that vale of light the city drifts anchorless upon the ocean
From How to Paint Sunlight by Lawrence Ferlinghetti. Copyright © 2000 by Lawrence Ferlinghetti. Reprinted by permission of New Directions Publishing Corp. All rights reserved.
North Shore Poets' Forum 