That's Madame Laureate!

 

This summer, in a fit of loose-mindedness, I applied for the two-year honorary position of Cupertino Poet Laureate. They picked me! It's rather alarming to toot one's own horn, but any horn-tooting for poetry is always worthwhile. I will have many unofficial and official tasks. Right now I'm planning my events for the next two years and deciding on poems to read at my "inauguration" -- actually "just" an official welcome reception to be held in November. Watch this space for more information about that.

If you're interested in learning more about the position, you can read the city's press release here. And, you can see the actual video of the city council interrogating me about my plans, and hear me read a poem, here. I also include the poem, for those who like to see poetry on a poetry blog.

Birthday With Horses

How do the horses know
where to stand
so the bay shimmers behind them exactly
and Mt. Diablo rises above the watery basin
precisely centered like a waiting wedding cake? 

Cresting Page Mill Road, 10 a.m.,
I come this way every day. 

How do they know, dozens of horses,
where to stand – the sky
widest there.
They are all the colors
of Santa Clara Valley in September.

For your birthday, I notice them
and tell you.
You have lived here all your life
and you know, too,
where to stand. 

Hello, love.  
 ----------------------------

I am very grateful to the City of Cupertino, The Cupertino Library Commission, The Friends of the Cupertino Library, and the Cupertino Library Foundation for this opportunity.  

I am also grateful to walk in the great comfortable footsteps of David Denny, Cupertino's first poet laureate, who is also a great comfortable friend. You can buy his first book of poems on Amazon.com. 

Up-to-date events of interest to the Cupertino (and greater Santa Clara County) poetry-loving community can be found on our Facebook page "Cupertino Poet Laureate."