Annual Arts Fest - Part Two

Here's one of Rem Murphy's poems.

              Your Fancy Coffee Table Book

You’re living it up, dear reader,

I see you’re really enjoying your coffee table book,

There you are, re-visiting the high Sierras,

Courtesy of Ansel Adams,

Pondering the mysteries of ancient Egypt,

With its mastabas and mummies,

Marveling at vintage John Deere tractors,

Nomadic peoples of the Middle East,

Poring over the Great Big Book of Taxidermy,

Gaping at underwater dogs,

Gazing starry-eyed

At Frauen auf Baumen, Women in Trees.

This time, however,

We’re going to turn the tables,

All that fabulous artwork,

All that pinkish sunset scenery,

Vivid enough for the ViewMaster

Your mother threw away,

The hooded Bedouin herding his goats,

The icy black and white photography

Riding the wave of your palm,

Shooting the curl of your fingers,

As they glide, let us say nimble

As a pickpocket’s

Through the thick glossy pages,

Like I said, we’re turning this around,

This time the fancy coffee table book

Is going to look at you.

Look at the nerdy suburbanite,

Exclaims the soaring Douglas fir

Alone atop its mountain ridge,

Look at the lady in curlers, says the goat,

Look at the guy with the five o’clock shadow,

Remarks the woman in the sycamore.

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More photos, including some repeats

 Donna Krause read a couple of honest, poignant short stories. Hey, where was her pipe-smoking companion, Denny?

 Oh, c'mon, I can't really be that petite. Next year I'll probably be as small as Thumbelina. Wouldn't it be funny if people kept shrinking until they were as small as a grasshopper.

 Gianni has a nice look about her with blond hair and a flush of pink on her forehead. She showed us a tattoo on her bony chest of roses. Ouch!