​The Chattanooga Chapter of the Joseph Campbell Mythological Society has asked me to emcee the 2024 production of their solstice celebration at Grace Episcopal Church, on December 15 at 6:00 PM. The event is not well publicized, but all are welcome. Contact me via Facebook messenger if you want to perform at this event with a story of rebirth or bringing the light.

For anyone who wants to perform, please remember that this is a performance, not an open mic. Please bring a short bio with your name on it as you want it announced to the audience. The preferred format is an index card.

There will also be a reading by three historical fiction authors at Reve Coffee and books on Saturday, December 13, at 1:00 PM. 

My first book was a poetry anthology titled Southern Light: Twelve Contemporary Southern Poets. I collaborated with two other poets to produce this volume in 2011. It is out of print now, but authors retain the rights to their work. I am pleased to present a few of my poems from that volume, beginning with two poems appropriate to the season.
 
Christmas Papers
 
I was older when I noticed
the same color and pattern
on the Christmas papers.
 
Christmas morning, I rose with excitement,
and opened packages with scissors,
carefully cutting tape, so I wouldn’t rip the paper.
 
I was older when I noticed my mother
ironing on Christmas night. She ironed
the same towel again and again.
 
Under the towel, Christmas papers
lost their creases. They regained smooth surfaces.
She rolled the paper we could never replace.
 
Choosing between gifts and new paper,
she chose gifts.
 
Snow
 
Already the snow dissolves
at seven in the morning
in the Chattanooga dawn.
 
It returns me to an Ohio childhood
where I dragged my sled uphill
to skid back down again.
 
I would conclude the days sledding
and await my dad’s return, a rabbit
in his hunting coat.
 
Blood and guts defiled the whitest landscape,
cleaned up by dogs.
 
Then my mother was busy in the kitchen
with the rabbit in a pan and
vegetables from a Mason jar.
 
Birdshot lead between my teeth,
I could not taste the flesh
washed down with milk.
 
Awakened from this dream,
I breakfast on oatmeal with raisins.
The snow has melted.
 
This next one won an award from the Tennessee Writers' Alliance, and I read it at their awards ceremony at the Southern Festival of Books in Nashville, Tennessee. It has since appeared in several other publications, including The Southern Poetry Anthology, Volume VI: Tennessee.
 
Glen Falls Trail
 
I climb the limestone stairs
through an arch in rock,
into the earth’s womb,
pass through to a surprise:
George loves Lisa painted on a wall.
 
I wonder, did he ever tell her?
Did she ever know or think of him,
raise a brood of screaming children?
Did they kiss near wild ginger above the stony apse?
 
Did lady’s slipper orchids
adorn their meeting place where
deer drink from rocky cisterns?
 
Did their love wither
like maidenhair fern,
delicate as English Lace?
 
The symbols have outlived the moment.
There is only today,
only the murmur of water underground,
my finding one trickle into a pool.
 
I never knew this George or Lisa.
The rock bears their names in silence,
names the stream forgot long ago.
 
This last one shows my concern for environmental quality, which began before poetry became a passion and continues today.
 
Moonscape
 
The full moon obliterates
all but the brightest stars.
She casts shadows
on urban monoliths,
home to rats and divas.
 
Rainbows form and dissolve:
Neon stars announce coming events.
COLD BEER
SANDWICHES
SPICY BIKINI BAR
 
Alleys clog with dust.
Grit polishes glass.
I shade my eyes against smoke and soot.
Wind shakes neon signs.
 
The full moon rules above the skyline.
Despite burning questions about combustion,
downtown is looking up.
 
This post previously appeared in https://rayzimmerman.substack.com, my Substack newsletter.   The Substack version included a downloadable PDF with several of my Southern Light poems.
 
The blog on my website has a collection of fall photographs. Rather than the multicolored hillsides typical of fall photographs, I searched for perfect tiny scenes such as individual leaves and an acorn sitting in a bed of moss. https://www.rayzimmermanauthor.com/the-rains-come/fall-photos-2024.
 
The publisher has sold out of the initial print run of my new book, It’s Just a Phase. I am promised that a second print run will soon be available. https://walnutstreetpublishing.com/product/its-just-a-phase/.
 
The Chattanooga Chapter of the Joseph Campbell Mythological Society has asked me to emcee the 2024 production of their solstice celebration at Grace Episcopal Church, on December 15 at 6:00 PM. The event is not well publicized, but all are welcome. I still have a few spots open for anyone wishing to share stories of rebirth and bringing the light.
 
May the holiday season bring you joy and a return to your sense of wonder.
 
Merry Christmas,
Ray Zimmerman

Book Launch and Signing
 
My book will launch on Friday, November 1 at Walnut Street Publishing in the Clear Story Arts Building, 1673 S Holtzclaw Ave, Chattanooga, TN 37404.
Book sales begin at 6:00 pm.
I will be one of seven poets in a round-robin reading beginning at 6:45.
The book is $9.99 in person. Online purchases will include shipping costs.
https://walnutstreetpublishing.com/product/its-just-a-phase/
 
I will also have a signing with several other poets at Reve Coffee and Books at 1948 Northpoint Blvd #144, Chattanooga, TN 37415. November 2, 2024, from 12:00 to 2:00 PM. 
 
I have a signing at the Crazy Book Lady store in Acworth, Georgia from 12:00 to 4:00 on February 22, and I am seeking additional venues for readings and signings. 

Synopsis
In the natural world, time is cyclical. My latest book, It’s Just a Phase, includes several poems about cyclical events. The moon moves from a new moon through several phases to full. More phases take her back to the new moon. The Luna Moth lives in the adult phase for just a few days to mate and lay eggs which begin the cycle again.  Trees shed leaves in the fall, but new leaves grow in spring. Life is in flux, and observations reveal just one phase of phenomena always in motion.

This post first appeared on my substack publication,
https://rayzimmerman.substack.com. 
​
In the natural world, time is cyclical. My latest book, It’s Just a Phase, includes several poems about cyclical events. The moon moves from a new moon through several phases to full. More phases take her back to the new moon. The Luna Moth lives in the adult phase for just a few days to mate and lay eggs which begin the cycle again.  Trees shed leaves in the fall, but new leaves grow in spring. Life is in flux, and observations reveal just one phase of phenomena always in motion.

Walnut Street Publishing will launch It’s Just a Phase on November 1 at Clear Story Arts which is home to their office. The pre-launch sale will begin two weeks before the launch. Copies will be available on the Walnut Street Publishing website at that time.

Coming Appearances

I will present some storytelling at 6:30 PM on Saturday, October 19 at Audubon Acres in Chattanooga’s East Brainerd neighborhood. Check the Chattanooga Audubon Society website for details.

At 2:00 PM on Saturday, October 19 I will give a poetry reading at Reve Coffee and Books. This will be the last chance to get the remaining copies of Healing and Conflict, though I will likely print more next year. I will also read a few poems from the new book and make pre-sale information available.

Hawk Watching in Appalachia

My friend Bill Haley is watching hawks at his lookout this week as part of International Hawk Migration Week. Sometime soon, a large flight of Broad-winged Hawks will come down the Appalachian Mountains and spotters are watching for them at several locations along the way. I interviewed Bill and some other hawk watchers for the article “Counting Hawks.” It appeared in Appalachian Voice a few years ago and is still available online.

A Few Poems

I lived on Cape Cod from September 1986 through May 1987. Many years later, I wrote a few poems remembering that time. I am pleased to present a few Cape Cod Poems. These poems are previously unpublished. 

Cape Cod Poems # 1 Escort (A Cascade Poem)
​
Why does a mother Right Whale need an escort?
Does the escort guard while a hungry calf nurses?
Does the escort lead her to better feeding grounds?
Does the escort watch while a tired mother rests?
 
A trio appeared on Cape Cod Bay.
Round backs parted waves as gracefully
as playful otters break the surface of a mountain pool.
Why does a mother Right Whale need an escort?
 
The calf circled two adults and waved its tail as
tourists waved, hollered, and snapped pictures,
the mother was unperturbed by the baby’s antics.
Does the escort guard while a hungry calf nurses?
 
Whale milk is thick with butterfat, thick enough
to be toxic for humans. Right whales make milk
from plankton, which they strain from gulps of water.
Does the escort lead her to better feeding grounds?
 
No one knows why the escort comes along.
The escort may be of either gender.
Perhaps presence is its purpose.
Does the escort watch while a tired mother rests?

Cape Cod Poems # 2

Fatal Popularity (Another Cascade Poem) 

Humpbacks sank when killed; difficult to harvest.
Finbacks, greyhounds of the sea, outran boats.
Right Whales float when dead; the Right Whale to kill.
Where thousands swam, three hundred remain.
 
The tourists wanted Humpbacks,
leaping and lob tailing, as in the video,
appearing to breach just for them.
Humpbacks sank when killed; difficult to harvest.
 
A harpooned whale could pull the whaleboat under.
Sunken Humpbacks missed sharp flensing knives.
Still, many died to fuel the whale oil trade.
Finbacks, greyhounds of the sea, outran boats.
 
On Cape Cod Bay, a calf emerged,
huge, but smaller than the mother’s tail.
The whales easily floated, buoyant with blubber,
Right Whales float when dead, the Right Whale to kill.
 
Slow swimmers, easily retrieved, rendered
Right Whales hunted to near extinction,
for lamp oil, corset stays, and sailor’s pay.
Where thousands swam, three hundred remain.

Cape Cod Poems
#3 Facing Monomoy Island
 
Waves beside the seawall,
within the realm of fog,
revealed and then obscured the rocks.
Trees and flotsam suddenly appeared.
 
Only in sudden encounters will two predators
come face to face at such close range.
Mist framed a Harbor Seal with a dog-like head.
His round hunter’s eyes met my round eyes.
 
I noticed the whiskers on his broad face.
Did he notice my shaggy beard?
Before he disappeared beneath the waves
he seemed to give a start.
 
We stared a moment, man to seal,
or was it seal to man?

​Cape Cod Poems #5 Drowning (A Villanelle)

They came ashore at Salt Pond ringed with sand,
The rescue efforts were surely doomed to fail
but no one knows why Pilot Whales must strand.
 
Pulled out to sea, they swim back onto land.
The rescuers braved choppy waves and hail.
They came ashore at Salt Pond ringed with sand.
 
The highest price, black market teeth command.
Cut jaws away, give poachers time in jail,
but no one knows why Pilot Whales must strand.
 
For safety, they hunt fish in family bands
with teeth and tactics like the Killer Whale.
They came ashore as Salt Pond ringed with sand.
 
One freezing worker was bitten on the hand
as on the shore, the beasts began to flail,
but no one knows why Pilot Whales must strand.
 
We found one, after five days not so grand,
turned back with gags, our faces surely pale.
They came ashore as Salt Pond ringed with sand,
but no one knew why Pilot Whales must strand.

​One of the mannequin legs at Braking Legs Theater, photographed by Ray Zimmerman. The theater began as a venue for dance performances and recitals, but its schedule also includes jazz, performance art, open mics, and other events.

As much as I like live theatre, I don’t make it to many shows, so I was pleased to learn of a presentation at Chattanooga’s Barking Legs Theatre on Sunday, August 18. Members of the Rhyme N Chatt Interactive Poetry Organization teamed up with Chattanooga playwright Peggy Douglas to give a series of Dramatic Readings of poetic monologues.

Watch Rhyme N Chatt’s video of the performance on YouTube.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MBxh6GV5enM&t=678s

I made plans to attend as soon as I heard of this event. Presentations by Rhyme N Chatt are always excellent, and I have recently become a member. The playwright is a friend and was the 2022 Tennessee Arts Commission Playwright Fellow. She has written and produced a dozen plays and Walnut Street Publishing just released We Speak: Voices from Chattanooga’s Disregarded, a collection of monologues drawn from several of her plays. https://walnutstreetpublishing.com/product/we-speak/.

Douglas spent years listening to stories of disregarded people and groups of people to produce her plays. Several monologues from her plays appear in the book, beginning with powerful stories by the incarcerated and ending with stories by Chattanooga Elders, many of whom are part of marginalized communities. Along the way, the reader will encounter numerous other groups. 

My Upcoming Performances

Walnut Street Publishing will release my new book of poems on November 1 with a Friday evening launch at Clear Story Arts. The book is now in the design stage. Information will appear on the publisher’s website as the launch date approaches.

Thanks to Reve Coffee and Books for becoming a vendor of my current books Healing and Conflict and We Are Water. They will have a table at the Chattanooga Public Library’s Local Authors Fair on September 7. I will be reading my poetry and distributing my free poetry posters. Walnut Street Books will have a sales table for their current titles. I have heard that 60 authors will participate through readings, sales tables, and workshops. https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61559199774266

My self-published books are still available at The Chattanooga Audubon Society’s gift shop at Audubon Acres and the Winder Binder Mercantile in Chattanooga. I am putting the finishing touches on a book of prose and poetry titled Spirit Birds, my name for cranes. I expect to release it sometime next year. Another prose book is on the back burner for now. https://shopwinderbinder.com/

In August I gave a poetry workshop for the Chattanooga Public Library’s Write and Chatt group. I hope to provide another in-person poetry workshop in Chattanooga and a similar online event sometime in the next two months. 

For those of you who write, please keep writing.

I returned to Amnicoa Marsh on July 12 and 13 and found the water levels remain low. The shoreline has receded considerably, but the buttonbush and American Lotus are blooming. These could be stress-induced blooms since the most prolifically blooming plants are standing on land with no water above it. This is not a natural habitat for the lotus. I walked a short distance toward the new shoreline with my hiking staff but retreated when it sank in. Luckily, I returned with my shoes intact. I also visited the wetland at Curtain Pole Road on July 13. Photos Follow:
Top L - Buttonbush on the North side of marsh Top R - Buttonbush on the South side of marsh.
Row 2 L - Trumpet Creeper on South side of Marsh R - View of the south side from across the marsh.
Row 3 L - Lous seed pod on South Side R View of South side from across the marsh (telephoto lens). 
Row 4 L - Great Egrets at Amnicola Marsh R - Great Blue Heron at the wetland at Curtain Pole Road. 

I recently visited Amnicola Marsh and photographed a wetland undergoing a water shortage. Links to previous posts about the marsh follow the photographs. They give a contrast that makes the photos more informative. 

Amnicola Marsh

My Substack post has more description of the current situation at the marsh. 
​https://rayzimmerman.substack.com/p/amnicola-marsh-is-drying-up  

https://www.rayzimmermanauthor.com/the-rains-come/amnicola-marsh ​  
​
August 5, 2022 https://www.rayzimmermanauthor.com/the-rains-come/last-week-at-amnicola-marsh

February 5,2020 https://www.rayzimmermanauthor.com/the-rains-come/amnicola-marsh3725918
August 5, 2020 https://www.rayzimmermanauthor.com/the-rains-come/amnicola-marsh
 
June 29, 2019 https://www.rayzimmermanauthor.com/the-rains-come/geese-above-amnicloa-marsh
May 1, 2019 https://www.rayzimmermanauthor.com/the-rains-come/geese-above-amnicloa-marsh

April 27, 2018, Reported May 5
https://www.rayzimmermanauthor.com/the-rains-come/more-april-observations
August 31, 2018 https://www.rayzimmermanauthor.com/the-rains-come/its-a-great-day-to-visit-the-riverwalk
April 29, 2018 Transcribed from my journal later that month
https://www.rayzimmermanauthor.com/the-rains-come/april-26th-2018
May 8, 2018 https://www.rayzimmermanauthor.com/the-rains-come/april-26th-2018

December 31, 2013: Hiwassee Refuge, Chickamauga Dam, and Amnicola Marsh
https://www.rayzimmermanauthor.com/the-rains-come/crane-viewing

I took these photos while attending the Trails and Trilliums Naturalist Rally at Beersheba Springs. The story of this event appears on my Substack page: https://rayzimmerman.substack.com/p/my-heart-is-ful.