Sappho’s Delights: Poems 1984 - 1997

 

Sappho’s Delights: Poems 1984 - 1997

A delicious collection of feminist and lesbian poetry that chronicles the adventures of a young baby crone as she crosses the country and discovers home.

These tasty morsels span almost a decade. From coming out as bisexual during high school in Maryland, a frisky four years of college in Connecticut (with an interim in zesty California), a healing year in Northern Idaho, participating on the Global Walk for a Livable World (where she walked from Los Angeles to Flagstaff, Arizona), living as a lesbian separatist, as well as opening the feminist bookstore in Santa Cruz, California.

Friends, lovers, cats, and companions are celebrated through poems, haiku, songs, ramblings, and even some blues. Dip your toes into the honey!

Pandemic Blues: Poems and Prose 2020 - 2023

  

Pandemic Blues: 

Poems, Prose and Photography2020 - 2023

A collection of poetry, prose, letters, and photographs during the outbreak of COVID-19 in the United States. A time of lockdowns and long walks, isolation and virtual friendships, chalk art, and free libraries. Between impeachments, infections, and insurrections, there was a lot to be blue about.

Kate

5.0 out of 5 stars I could barely put this book down!

I was immediately drawn into Kayla’s words and experiences. This book showed me I wasn’t alone in my pandemic blues, and Kayla was able to put words to many of the same thoughts and feelings I had. A great read, with engaging photos. Highly recommend! - Kate

Kaileigh O.

5.0 out of 5 stars A Beautiful, Heartfelt Journey from the COVID-19 Pandemic

Through the rollercoaster of emotions that was the COVID-19 pandemic. Kayla Garnet Rose captures the essence of those times with her beautiful collection of poetry, prose, letters, and photographs. Reading this book felt like revisiting a period of lockdowns, long walks, and virtual friendships. It beautifully encapsulates the sense of isolation and the moments of connection we find in unexpected places, like chalk art and free libraries.

What I loved most about this book is how it resonates with the collective experience of living through such a tumultuous time - the impeachment, infections, and insurrections. Kayla Garnet Rose's words provide a sense of comfort, reminding us that we were not alone in our pandemic blues. As a 27-year-old woman, I found solace in the pages of this book, knowing that others felt the same way I did during those challenging days. It's a poignant reminder of our shared humanity, and I highly recommend it to anyone looking to reflect on the past and find hope for the future.

Whale Fall

Dear Dad,

Hope you are full of gentle quiet

Ashes, bits of bone, and debris

Scattered on the sea

Now layered, feeding the osedax

Snot covered flowers

Indeed

Letting Go

More than a thousand 

Peace cranes

Meditations

Secret frustrations

Friendships unfulfilled

 

Clearing

So nobody else goes

What the hell am I going to do

With all this dusty crap

 

Thousands Released

Paper cranes

Cancelled checks

All the same

 

Passed

Closed Dad’s eyes

Tried his jaw

Maybe he had

More to say 

 

Church of Chip

Forays

Camping thirsty minutes 

Away

New Brighton Beach

Yellowstone

Morro Bay

My time to

Light candles

 

Love Notes

Little poems

Clothes pins 

Time of

Attachments

Momo

Momo

Hiccups

Black cat

Itchy ears

Itchy feet

Want to travel

What do I 

Want to hear

Grief Like Hot Flashes

 

Grief Like Hot Flashes

Arise in a moment

Demand attention

Eventually, disperse 

Vibrissae

 

Vibrissae
A Collection of Cats, Facts, and Whiskers

Inspired by the Santa Cruz Museum of Art And History's exhibit on local collectors, this book was a collaboration between a mother and daughter. Kayla Rose, a crazy cat lady at heart, has collected over a hundred cat whiskers that she found around the house over two decades from a medley of family pets. She wrote the poem to honor all the past, present, and future cats who bring joy into their lives. 

5.0 out of 5 stars Witty and Perceptive.

Kayla and Amber Rose are wise in the ways of cats. No subtlety escapes their eyes. Full of humor and insight, this small book reveals much in its short pages. Well worth the time.

Holding On

Holding On

I would have held on to

That burnt-out light bulb

For twenty years or more

If you had asked

I did lose the Queen of Hearts

If we meet

I'll have to take off my clothes

I returned the tombstone

Anti-apartheid Bear with

The leather feet

All the past

Treasures

The Adventures of Baby Moon

The Adventures of Baby Moon
Written and Illustrated by Nona Kayla

Join Claire de la Lune in the Adventures of Baby Moon. A charming illustrated children's book filled with pleasing watercolors, perfect for reading at storytime, bedtime, or any time. Claire discovers the seasons, connects with family and friends, and yes, even helps to save the day.

Loki

 

Coyote, Coyote, Coyote

we have a complex relationship. I have a coyote vertebrae I found out in the desert many years ago. Coyotes recently ate one of my cats, Mango. The trickster, jokester, slyster, heister. 

It has taken me a long time to get this far in this painting, and I see more to do. Meanwhile, I make book covers and remake the pressed wildflowers from the Appalachian trail that my fairy stepson brought me, as well as creating a fra,e for my recently deceased sister-in-law, Carol. Since her death, both of her sons/my nephews have passed, as well as my across-the-street neighbor, Anita - we had been on the same street for thirty years.

Saturn Return in Pisces. Bless astrology for giving me some context, because certainly, I feel my faith has been being tested.

Seed Ritual

Seed Ritual

Find some seeds - pumpkin, sunflower, poppy, wildflowers

Whatever floats your fancy

Hold them in your palm and whisper your wishes

Imbue them with your hot breath

Walk around your house, church, or favorite field

Clockwise or counter, notice what feels right

At each of the four directions (and the cross directions)

Throw your seeds, scatter them

To the wind that they may find fertile ground

To the ants to feed the hive mind community

To the squirrels and chipmunks stuffing their cheeks with abundance 

To the birds, who will fly into your dreams 

Invite in the rain 

Release any frustrations, cry 

Welcome the sun f

Feel a sense of energy begin to build.

Trust that you'll be able to weed out 

What is weak or ineffectual 

Focus and simplify 

Nourish your dreams 

As they unfurl from a mere thought to full manifestation 

Shelter your dreams - tell no one 

Until you see sure signs of growth,

Ready for assistance

Immune to criticism

 Of the naysayers

Just like the rose is immune

With its thorns.

Seeds of hope

Seeds of change.

Seeds of peace

And seed money

Flourish into abundance 

Benefiting all the creatures of the earth

This or something better now occurs 

For the greatest good

So mote it be. Blessed be.

Berkana

Paper Whites

Paper Bark

Quivers

When I was in first grade, living in McLean, Virginia,  I had the biggest crush on Birch, who sat two desks away from mine in the second row. For some reason he wore little wrist sweatbands, maybe to emulate Bjorn Borg, the Swedish tennis champ of the time. We were partnered for the Horah dance at the holiday pagent, but he got sick and I had to dance with Ross instead.

Now when I look at the birch tree in my front yard, I'm aware of the rising sap, the way the Elm is stealing the sun away from it, and the spread of roots from the nearby bottlebrush. Yet it thrives, pushing out new leaves, allowing the bark to peel when need be.

F is for Family

F is for Family
Baby Katharine’s Alphabet Adventures

A special ABC to celebrate alternative, extended, blended, and birth families! 

Welcome to the world, Katharine,

How wonderful you will be!

Because you are the blossom,

Of the most amazing family tree!

Inguz

 

Genes splice

To our delight

Replicating

Mutating

Changing

Evolution

Revolutions

Beginnings

"Once in a lifetime...

    Same as it ever was..."

                -Talking Heads

It's hard at the moment to not make a laundry list of the earth's woes. It's not so much a question of "what is happening"but "what am I doing about it?"

And that starts with loving yourself. Making peace with yourself. Change old patterns. Adopt a calm certainty. Notice all of the preparation it takes before emergence. Evolution - life is good, and it will get better. Allow yourself a sense of completion, and fulfillment, kisses on both cheeks, and job well done. A merging, a partnership, all that was unravelled will be knitted together again.

Grieving Ritual

Grieving Ritual

Find a small ring-sized cardboard box or fabric pouch

Fill it with a pinch each of rosemary, sage, lavender 

Write on slips of paper

Names of what has died

Friends, relationships

Parents, ancestors, pets 

Children, grandchildren,, miscarriages abortions 

The children you will never know.

Add photos, locks of hair, old threads

Decorate the box, seal it shut

Wrap it in pretty paper 

Add a paper or fabric bow, just not plastic 

Choose whether to

Burn it - 

Cast the ashes 

To the wind, into the sea

Flush it away

Bury it - plant some seeds on top

Forget-me-nots, purple pansies,  catnip

Find a running stream

Weigh it down with stones, add

A carved heart

The watch that had seen better times

Feast