Karen Klingman at Susan Dobay's Scenic Drive Gallery in Monrovia, 2011
between
warmth of lit candles
an uninvited guest
whispers to the host
is no one else coming
Tanka by Karen Klingman inspired by a painting by Susan Dobay, 2012
published in Poets on Site anthology, On Awakening: The Art of Susan Dobay
(Kathabela Wilson, ed., Poets on Site, Pasadena, 2012, printed by APC Gallery)
Rick Wilson played a specially selected set of melodies, including traditional hymns, pieces by J.S. Bach, Amazing Grace, etc. Karen's poems were printed on different colors of paper (green, blue, purple, pink, yellow and white). The poems were posted on the wall and poets picked the ones they liked to read. The printed program listed colors of Karen's poems and poets shared them in-between flute melodies. Poems were previously published in anthologies by Poets on Site (edited by Kathabela Wilson) dedicated to the art of Susan Dobay, Manzanar Plein Air Workshops, Poetry and Cookies (Edited by Pauli Dutton, Altadena Public Library), San Gabriel Valley Poetry Quarterly, and collections by Emerging Urban Poets (edited by Don Kingfisher Campbell).
Of my choices on yellow and white paper, I'd like to copy two poems here, as they resonate with some of my most favorite moods and poems.
Poets on Site in the park,with Rick and Kathabela Wilson, Just Kibbe,
Cindy Rinne, Sharon Rizk and Karen Klingman
Afternoon Delight
by Karen Klingman
orange blossoms burst
spray the yard with fragrance
insect voices hum
salute the afternoon
I sip my chamomile
watch a red winged blackbird
bathe in warm slats of sunshine
trellised on the lawn
rare the moment do I spend like this
just breathing
gazing at nothing special
yet brilliant in its everything
(c) 2008 by Karen Klingman
Karen Klingman reads her poem at APC Gallery in Torrance, 2010
Thoughts on Manzanar, Apple Orchard, Pine Trees by Henry Fukuhara
Sunshine melts purpled blue scars
along the western slope
silencing the pain
patches of emerald foliage
crown the white turbulence
offering up a bouquet of hope
(C) 2010 by Karen Klingman. Published by Poets on Site, Pasadena, in Kathabela Wilson, ed. "On the 12th Annual Henry Fukuhara Workshop "Observations & Interpretations" (2010)
I wrote about the same painting, also noting the two colors, yellow and purple that predominate in this surreal landscape seen by a blind painter (assisted by Chiz de Queiroz).
Entropy
By Maja Trochimczyk
for Henry Fukuhara in memoriam
everything falls apart
in the last hour – shapes,
colors reduced to primal hues
of coagulated blood
and sunlight – everything
memories cleansed of pain
by art, carefully crafting
each painted detail
until it stops being seen
contours no longer
matter
when the final surge
of energy
erases words of praise
for the unjust world
that promises
not to deliver eternal
happiness
and keeps its promise
wanly smiling over
vanities of vanities
everything
disintegrates
even the sweetness
of the mango juice
dripping down the
chin,
the tongue and
fingertips
already stained by blueberries,
on the first day of the summer
after the war ended
and all was supposed
to be well but was not
Karen participated in many poetry workshops with me and wrote witty, insightful comments on my pages, sometimes praising the beauty of the idea, at other times taking apart the weak, disordered words that captured it. When I think of her, these workshops first come to mind, so my farewell to Karen Klingman is a poem about them.
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Maja Trochimczyk, Erika Wilk and Karen Klingman at APC Gallery in Torrance, 2009
Henry Fukuhara Workshop Poetry Reading by Poets on Site. Photo by Kathabela Wilson
The Poet of Lost Cats
~ Karen Klingman in memoriam
She of the red head
Like her tabby cat, tiger in disguise
Witty claws waiting
To be drawn across
Thin skin of your poems
Leaving gold behind
The chaff is burning
Carmine flames ablaze
In the cobalt sky
The chaff is burning
Her words fierce and fiercer
Brilliance sparks up
The fabric of hours
Swirls with specks of ashes
Incinerated verse
Shredded thoughts fall
With the grace of minutes
On my tawny hair
Dressing me in orange
Hue of her good humor -
Karen's soul ascends
(c) 2013 by Maja Trochimczyk
What we need is more poetry by Karen Klingman. While she will not write anything new, we can gather and publish in one book what she has written. Poets collecting her verse for the memorial gathering have noted that they did not know many of her poems that were scattered in publications in Southern California and beyond. Editing such a book would be a wonderful tribute of love from her poet friends who greatly appreciated Karen's multiple talents.
Photos of Karen Klingman from Kathabela Wilson's gallery on Facebook. Poetry selected by Erika Wilk, Mina Kirby, and Kathabela Wilson.
