The Poetry Connection | Connecting You with Poetry

A Peek Into the Life of the Poet Laureate of Santa Barbara, Plus Poetry by CM Rivers

Councilmember Kristen Sneddon (right) and Poet Laureate Melinda Palacio at the Milpas Christmas Parade | Photo: Courtesy

The City of Santa Barbara is searching for the next Poet Laureate. Although my term ends in March, you have not heard the last from me. I will continue to promote poetry, plan events, and write poems. One event I am looking forward to is another edition of Poetry in the Parks at the Presidio’s Alhecama Theatre. This year, we had poets and two musical acts. Next year, we will add dancers to the presentation celebrating Poetry in the Parks. (FYI: the Presidio is Santa Barbara’s only State Park.) The festivities will once again take place in April during National Poetry Month.

[Click to enlarge]: Left: Family members celebrating the King Palm tree and plaque honoring Sojourner Kincaid Rolle. Right: A plaque honoring Sojourner Kincaid Rolle. | Photos: Courtesy

People often ask me about the role of the Poet Laureate. For me, the role is about promoting poetry and producing events to reach as many local residents as possible. When my neighbor, City Councilmember Kristen Sneddon, asked me to ride in the Milpas Holiday Parade, I responded with a yelp and a yes. Who can say no to riding in a vintage convertible while waving to the community? It may have been the first time a Poet Laureate has ridden in the Milpas parade, but I am sure it will not be the last. In addition to giving readings and workshops, I have made it my mission to think outside the box in order to have a stronger community impact as the city’s poetry ambassador. Applications for the next Santa Barbara Poet Laureate will be accepted until February 14 at sbac.ca.gov/poet-laureate.

In addition to the Milpas Christmas Parade, events from my December schedule included the Montecito Light Up a Life Hospice event, supporting poets David Starkey and Catherine Abbey Hodges at their Chaucer’s book signing, attending the Goleta Valley Poetry Series at the Goleta Valley Library, participating in the local author event at the Santa Barbara Public Library, and reading a poem at the tree dedication for Poet Laureate Emerita Sojourner Kincaid Rolle, whom we lost to cancer last November. To find Sojourner’s King Palm Tree behind the County Courthouse on Santa Barbara Street, look for the fifth tree down from Anapamu Street.

I am always surprised by how Santa Barbara is both a small and large town. It’s small in that I have met more people in public places who now recognize me as the Poet Laureate. I am also pleasantly surprised when I meet a new poet. There just might be a new candidate for Poet Laureate whom I have not met. Now is your chance. A few weeks ago, at the central library’s local author day, I met CM Rivers. This week’s poetry connection features three poems by CM Rivers.

From left: Councilmember Kristen Sneddon, State Senator Monique Limón, Mayor Randy Rowse, and Poet Laureate Melinda Palacio at the Milpas Christmas Parade | Photo: Courtesy

Snapshot, 1975
by CM Rivers

It’s easy to get carried away looking at what’s on the surface,
though I agree with you when you say it’s all in the details.

Truth is, all this one shows is a funky old farmhouse kitchen
with a linoleum floor, the burnt sienna of an August afternoon

filtering in through the window above an aluminum sink,
a baby boy in blue overalls on the flight deck of a high chair,

the ecstasy of a pan of brownies upon him, a single candle
at its center, plump feet dangling like two spools of thread,

stubby fingers doing a Jackson Pollock on the canvas
of his sunny face in a chocolate medium, while somewhere

Jimmy Carter is speaking out against racial segregation
and Steve Martin does a show with an arrow through his head.

But this was when you were still new and whole, before
time and circumstance both graced and unraveled you,

before you held this year’s photograph in your crooked hand

and saw your face illuminated by the prairie-fire on the cake.

Last Supper
by CM Rivers

Look, here’s the deal – I’ll be at Pepe’s in Wooster Square,
New Haven, having two slices, one plain and one white clam,

fresh out of a 650-degree coal-fired oven, even if I have to wait
in line for an hour and change, and even if I gotta eat it

off the hood of my dead uncle’s car like I did the first time
I ever had it, hands and mouth smudged with charcoal,

on a drive from Ithaca to Newport one summer, when
I stumbled across the place by accident before stepping

into an Italian bakery next door and digging
into a cannoli the size of a bulldog’s head,

slot-machine cherries in my eyes, pistachios in my teeth,
and everyone singing Happy Birthday in Sicilian

to a 98-year-old woman named Lorraine, which happens
to have been my mother’s name.

Councilmember Oscar Gutierrez at the Milpas Christmas Parade | Photo: Courtesy

Dasher
by CM Rivers

Of all the mornings, this was the one
when a bizarre sound curdled the milk
of my concentration. I rose from my desk

to discover a hummingbird had flown
inside, whistling through the kitchen
to perch, ornamentally, upon the highest bough,

like some spritely herald from a faraway land,
before whizzing the twinkling contraption
of itself amongst the tangle of plants

along the mantle and the stockings hung there,
then shot out with a flash like a motorized comet
back to more familiar habitat,

leaving me to lose interest in my gingerbread
and wreathed in the smoke of surprise,
having just opened the gift of unexpected

astonishment. So it is that we find curiosity
to be the fountain of youth, and wonder
the waters flowing from it.

About the Author: CM Rivers grew up reading to the sound of rain on the roof in Oregon’s Willamette Valley. His work has appeared in literary magazines and journals around the U.S. He is the author of two books of poetry: How to Carry Soup (2019 Homebound Publications Poetry Prize) and Along the Way ~ Poems for the Wayward (2024 Nautilus Silver Medal for Poetry). His poetry has been nominated twice for the Pushcart Prize.

Upcoming Poetry Events:

January 8: Blue Whale Poetry Reading, featuring Gabriella Klein and Sean Colletti, 5:30-7 p.m., Unity of Santa Barbara Chapel (227 E. Arrellaga St.)

January 11: Cello and Poetry with Catherine Abbey and Rob Hodges, Ojai Vineyard Tasting Room (109 S. Montgomery St., Ojai), 6 p.m.

January 12: The Art of Ekphrastic Poetry Workshop with David Starkey, Faulkner Gallery at S.B. Central Library, (40 E. Anapamu St.), Sunday, 2-3:30 p.m., registration required.

January 16: Poetry Book Club, discussing Creature by Marsha de la O, 6:30-7:30 p.m. at Timbres Books (1910 E. Main St., Ventura).

January 25: William Stafford Annual Reading, 2 p.m., at the First Crossing Day Use Area on Paradise Road in Los Padres National Forest. George Yatchisin will be the first reader and Emily Sommermann will play the violin.