Ashland is a home for live entertainment
By Barry Vitcov
Theater, music, visual arts! Ashland and Southern Oregon offer so many choices. This issue of the Poetry Corner features two poems inspired by two popular venues. The first is Rae Otto’s “Enchanted Evenings,” drawn from her experiences during Thursday night Ashland City Band concerts at the Lithia Park bandshell. How many of us remember picnicking on the lawn, listening to the band with ice cream dripping down our chins, while counting the resident deer and wild turkeys?
This season’s Oregon Shakespeare Festival’s production of “Macbeth” inspired Andy Anderson’s poem “Poor Macbeth,” with his rumination over the tragedy’s curse. Andy explores, with comic commentary, the superstition surrounding “M,” the “Scottish” play, or this year’s company’s reference as “Mackers.” Is it really possible to simply swat away one witch? Or deal with two with competent help? Are witches that powerful?
Enchanted Evenings
By Rae Otto
“Strike up the Band”
traditional rendition
launches summer concerts,
our favorite tradition
on summer evenings
relishing melodious delights
with a variety to please
many musical appetites.
Booming brass, cymbals crash,
trumpet’s blare, rat-a-tat of snare
crooning clarinet, sassy sax
trombones and tubas providing fanfare.
Clapping, smiles, dancing, cheering
spirited, joy-filled reactions
to Dixieland, marches, folk dances
show tunes, popular attractions.
Celebration, camaraderie
among family, friends, community
for harmonious festivity
it’s a great opportunity!
Rae Otto has lived in Ashland for 44 years after teaching in Montgomery County, Maryland, and Renton, Washington, retiring in ’98 from the Eagle Point School District. When Lawson Inada became Poet Laureate of Oregon in 2006, he presented a program on poetry to AAUW and challenged participants to form poetry groups. Although this was a new experience for her, Rae and others launched a group writing poetry and have continued for the last 18 years, giving each other support in their writing and also friendship during the challenges and joys of life.
Poor Macbeth
By Andy Anderson
How can you blame poor Macbeth
For it is three witches, not just one.
You can deal with one with a swat of the hand.
Maybe, with competent help, deal with two.
But three cooking in their large cauldron
Through the night adding delicious spices:
Poisonous mushrooms, rat tails and snake heads.
How can you blame poor Macbeth
With his lady who had him by the balls
Encouraging, directing, demanding him
– one more spoonful of the witches brew.
She placed the knife in his hand
Like a baby’s rattle to an infant.
If you don’t, my love, there’s no dessert.
How can you blame the actors
Calling it the “M” or the “Scottish” play.
They fear falling off a ladder, tripping into the audience
Worse, to forget their Shakespearean lines.
Omnipresent are the three witches’ evil cackle
Stage left, stage right, at the dressing tables.
Who can resist three witches? And sold out again!
How can the “M” curse be explained
Say the rational who don’t believe in ghosts
Because they’ve never met one — not yet.
The ambulance drivers line up outside
Waiting for “M” to end, knowing they’ll be needed.
“There’s always at least one victim
For you can’t beat three witches.”
Andy Anderson moved to Ashland eight years ago from Sacramento. He has lived two years in Cold War Europe, Austria and Spain, and two years as a Peace Corps volunteer in Southern Chile. His life’s work was as a director of tribal and community health centers. He began writing poetry in 1978, inspired by Charles Bukowski’s numerous poetry chapbooks. Andy’s collection of poetry “Groundhog Café” is available from Amazon or Bloomsbury Books.
Poetry Submissions Welcomed!
You are invited to submit original work to the Poetry Corner. There are only two restrictions: First, poems need to show a connection to Ashland and/or Southern Oregon. Your interpretation of that connection is fairly loose! Second, poems need to be aligned to the left margin. The publishing platform used by the Ashland.news has issues with the creative use of space! There are no length restrictions but try to keep your poems to no more than 30 lines. Be sure to include the title of your poem, your name as you would like it to appear, the city or town in which you reside, and, if you wish, your preferred pronouns.
To submit poems, send to Barry Vitcov at [email protected].
Dec. 16: Corrected submission email address.
