James Lee Jobe and Nick Le Force
Monday, June 10 at 7:30 PM
Sacramento Poetry Center, 1719 25th Street
Host: Stuart Canton
James Lee Jobe is the fourth Poet Laureate of Davis, California. His two year term lasts until September 2020. He also hosts two ongoing poetry series in Davis. Among his five chapbooks are What God Said When She Finally Answered Me, Rattlesnake Press, and Red Skelton’s Ghost, Cold River Press. Jobe’s poems have been published in magazines, journals, and anthologies across several decades. He is a student of Zen Buddhism and is on the board of directors of a homeless shelter in Davis.
How often does a burrowing owl get a shower?
— I wonder.
I am watching some burrows as the first raindrops fall;
Only one small owl is out there, alone like me.
“Here we are, little friend.”
He spreads his wings as the light rain begins,
And he is looking up, ignoring me.
“Are you giving thanks?”
— No answer,
So I pull out my prayer beads
And give thanks for both of us.
Just in case.
He has the good fortune to travel extensively and has conducted courses in Australia, Canada, China, Greece, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, Italy, Singapore, etc. He has published 7 books of poetry: Heaven In Our Hearts, Endless Horizon, Divine Whispering, The Poetry of Life, The Work of Being Yourself, Falling Before Grace, and Bearing Witness. All available through amazon.com. as well as 3 books of non-fiction. Some of his poems have been translated into Chinese, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Portuguese, and Spanish.
Much of our experience depends on the context in which it occurs, and even more so, on the context of meaning in which we cast it. The word “context” derives from the middle English con + texere, which means “the weaving together of words.” When you elevate the weaving together of words into an art form, you have poetry. Nick LeForce, the Transformational Poet, has been dazzled over the years with the power of language to shape our experience and mold the world in which we live. He integrates poetry into his work as a life-coach and as an international trainer in effective communication providing tools to help people overcome challenges and achieve their dreams. His vision is to create a world where people see and bring out the best in each other.
The Shipwrecked Soul
Beware the captain–
That sails only on smooth waters;
That drops anchor only in safe harbors;
That lets aboard only familiar faces;
That will not brook strong winds or stormy weather;
Whose life, well lived, is a deadly comfort–
Never to be dashed against the rocks of passion.
Never to be dismembered on the shores of love.
Yet a life so well lived, it hides a shipwrecked soul
I have been such a captain.
But now I set out on unknown seas
With sails full open–
Guided only by whispers in the wind;
By images in white capped waves;
By patterns in the flight of birds;
And by bits of news from distant ports.
In search of that soul survivor–
The almost forgotten fragments of Self
That shall heal the world as the world heals me.
