Cari Lewis recently moved from San Jose California to Fresno She has been writing poetry for several years. Cari Lewis studied glass blowing at San Jose State University where she received a B.A. in Art with an emphasis in ceramics and glass. She currently works for Bob Kliss in Fresno at Kliszewski Glass. To learn more about Kliszewski Glass, see their website at http://www.klissglass.com.
About the poems in this selection, she writes, " The first two poems are about the Central Valley and the last one is about Capitola, which I miss because I now live in the Central Valley."
editor's note: Poems submitted to The Journal must concern the Central California region. Poems concerning nature, the environment, the landform, the flora, the fauna and the people of Central California are preferred. We are seeking poetry which is indigenous to the region. We define Central California as that region that lies west of the California/Nevada border, east of the Pacific Ocean, North of Santa Barbara, and south of Sacramento.
Hot Stuff
Some say it's hot
Standing in front of the Gloryhole
The sweat pours down my face
But we love it
The hot wind pours in from outside
The dust pours in as well
But we endure it
They have no idea
Try blowing glass in Fresno
That's what we do
Blazing at 1600 degrees
Opening the furnace door
Melting glass at 2150
Like I never knew it could
My shirt is soaked
Sticking to the curve of my back
The heat and what it can do
If it's not hot
We can't form it
Bringing with it smells of the valley
The warm soft aroma of fresh baked tortillas
The fermented stench of rotting grapes
Covering the beautiful glass on display
Coating it like a shell
I'm dusting constantly
We take the good with the bad
Suffering with the heat pays off
When we pull a beautiful piece from the Annealer the next
morning.
Driving home from the coast
The sun falling behind my right shoulder
Blinding me
As it reflects in the rear view mirror
The rolling hills ahead
Lush with spring grass
Like a sleeping giant under a quilt
The sun
In its steep angle
Pierces the hills
Creating dramatic shadows
Bright green
Meets
Deep black
The beauty amazes me
Between the cleavage of two hills
Peaks the moon
Rising
Preparing for night
It seems so close
But by the time I make it through the hills
It has risen far above me
The beauty of the hills behind me
And the flat valley stretches ahead of me
So plain
So dull in comparison
I only dream of the beauty now
As I sleep here in my
Flat Central Valley bed.
City by the sea
How I miss your moon
Watching waves crash
Sitting on the sand
The smell of salt
Fog on my face
Crashing waves collide
Shacking the shore
Parading down the pier
Holding hands
Littering of lights
Reflecting off reefs
The coziness of the cove
Sitting by the sill
Drinking my double mocha
Listening to music at Mr. Toots.
All text and images in The Central California Poetry Journal are copyrighted. Copyright by © by Scott Galloway2002. All rights are reserved. See main Journal page for copyright information.
Authors and poets submitting original materials to this journal retain all rights to their original work, except those rights specifically assigned in writing to Solo Publications including the right to publish the submitted work in The Central California Poetry Journal. The poems on this page are copyrighted by the author. Copyright © Cari Lewis
Return to Central California Poetry Journal Table of Contents
Send email to the Central California Poetry Journal
Return to Solo Publications On Line
Return to Solo Publications Web Index
Back To The Top
