Village Poets of Sunland Tujunga join the California State Poetry Society in presenting poets Cindy Rinne and Bory Thach with their collaborative book "Letters under Rock" during Virtual Village Poets Monthly Reading on November 22, 2020 at 4:30 pm to 6:30 pm. Two Open Mike segments are included before and after the features. This presentation is partly sponsored by the Dignity Health Foundation, through a grant for "Close to Nature" Project for Phoenix Houses of Los Angeles, with the California State Poetry as one of the collaborating partners. Bory Thach recently joined the Editorial Board of the California Quarterly, the journal of the CSPS, published since 1972.
ZOOM READING INVITATION
Maja Trochimczyk, CPSP President, is inviting you to a scheduled Zoom meeting.
Topic: Village Poets and CSPS Present Cindy Rinne and Bory Thach
Time: Nov 22, 2020 04:30 PM Pacific Time (US and Canada)
Join Zoom Meeting by email invitation only!
This presentation is partly sponsored by the Dignity Health Foundation, through a grant for "Close to Nature" Project for Phoenix Houses of Los Angeles, with the California State Poetry Society as one of the collaborating partners.
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Cindy Rinne and Bory Thach with their new book
ABOUT THE POETS
Cindy Rinne creates fiber art and writes in San Bernardino, CA. Represented Poet by Lark Gallery, LA, CA. She was Poet in Residence for the Neutra Institute Gallery and Museum, Los Angeles, CA. A Pushcart nominee. Her poems have appeared in literary journals, anthologies, art exhibits, and dance performances. Cindy is the author of several books: silence between drumbeats (Four Feathers Press), Knife Me Split Memories (Cholla Needles Press), Letters Under Rock with Bory Thach, (Elyssar Press), and others. Her poetry appeared or forthcoming: Anti-Heroin Chic, The Poetry Barn, Verse-Virtual, LitGleam, and others, plus several anthologies including: “Feminist Pilgrimage” edited by Stacy Russo and We Are Here: Village Poets Anthology edited by Maja Trochimczyk and Marlene Hitt (Moonrise Press, 2020). www.fiberverse.com
Bory Thach was born in a refugee camp located on the border between Thailand and Cambodia. His family immigrated to the United States when he was four years old. He served in the U.S. Army and deployed to Iraq in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom. He holds an MFA from California State University San Bernardino. Fiction and creative nonfiction fall under the art of storytelling, while poetry for him is more of a study of language, an art form. His work appeared or is forthcoming in: Pacific Review, Urban Ivy, Arteidolia, and Sand Canyon Review, plus We Are Here: Village Poets Anthology edited by Maja Trochimczyk and Marlene Hitt. In 2020, Thach joined the Board of the California State Poetry Society as one of the Editors of the California Quarterly, to serve along with Maja Trochimczyk, CSPS President, Maura Harvey, and Terry Ehret. His first volume to edit will be CQ vol. 47 no. 1, Spring 2021.
SAMPLE POEMS
Dear Nomad, Ancestors/Dream
I lean sideways in front of the cypress mirror and
brush my hair one hundred times as my mother
taught me. Soak this dress with three figs
across the bodice on powder blue cotton, in the oasis,
squeezing water into my mouth. Beyond my reach,
the inherited dress floats through the layers of stacked
beings encased in clouds while light brown rabbits,
sensitive and kind, scamper like gusty winds in four
directions. Heavenly and earthly realms join.
Ashen wolf and deer my origin. Date palms
reach, attempting to grab the dress which dodges
like a balloon. I set the brush down, smooth my dress,
and watch rabbits leap in salt grasses.
Tell me the truth.
Be my witness.
The dress. The dress. The dress.
Dear Wanderer,
Love deserves an aftertaste
before night fades into the sunrise.
Purple lightning through dark clouds,
sage green sky over dead tree.
An arm-like hand to hold up the Milky Way.
Infinite stars conquer storm
and preside over turmoil. A cloud of empty ghosts
moves toward the crows. Lacking strength
I see another trembling
kiss by your lips separated by yin and yang.
Break away from the spider’s web. Awaken
to truth without intoxication
like tornado over water,
the red afterglow above ionosphere,
I become helpless as drifting
leaves of lavender.
A dreamland I miss and regret
where we borrow happiness…
Dear Nomad,
Hush/Unchanged
Blue dawn brightens
Pleiades, icy sun,
And hibiscus like snowflakes
Planted as totem.
Against the drifting fog,
Three guardian trees
Imprint the shrouded mountain.
I vibrate in the unbroken
Starlight as mist,
As angel.
Hush.
Dear Wanderer,
The past comes back, gathering like a flower
Withered wishes. It’s amazing how sea, sky
Share the same color. I watch you fly
Up into that seafloor,
So endlessly wide and eternal.
We reach the flooded sky—
Widespread wings.
Love unchanged. My tears flow back to you.
As burning incense turns to snow, and lightning
Bolts dance in our palms.
One yields a lotus
The other a red string.
Dear Nomad,
Haunted/Vibrations
How many tomorrows?
Earth mother, my skin splits like textured
flakes of an old oak tree. Sunken eyes.
My hands unknot the webs. I sit cramped
in the corner radiating pyramids.
I mourn the loss
maiden to crone
alone in an ice cave, an entrance
guarded by Garnr.
Fever
chills
encompass me.
Is this not baptism by thorns?
You would salve my wounds.
Instead, I drink tea of holly
leaves trying to heal.
Where are you?
River runs beyond my stomach.
I wear a death mask. Is Hel,
one-half bones, the other divine
preparing the transition of my soul?
Seers and shamans will travel
for my counsel. I will give them
holly for strength and wisdom.
I need
to see you.
Dear Wanderer,
Born from the Earth, a child of nature
among purity and innocence. Spiritual
happiness. Tranquil love between you
and me. Face paler than snow
with ember eyes.
Why do you seem so familiar?
I’m in a stream of stars at night,
reflecting on the waves.
Delicate lilacs cover your wounds.
Sharp eyes transform into fire.
Birds, paper the sky, only to leave star
trails. Calm, my mind as passionate
mountains where twilight dawns
into late spring, and time itself
spikes non-linear.
Unable to turn away, I stare, moon-eyed
Underwater while a bromeliad emerges
from vibrations of mantras.
You
take away my sorrow.
Cindy Rinne and Bory Thach in Costumes made by Rinne, photo by Edwin Vasquez
ABOUT THE BOOK AND THE POETS
Published in October 2019, "Letters Under Rock" is a 82-page volume of Performance Poetry co-authored by Cindy Rinne and Bory Thach and structured as a series of letters exchanged by a Nomad and a Wanderer on their spiritual journey through life.
ISBN 978-1087421926
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Letters-Under-Rock-Cindy-Rinne/dp/1087421926
Letters Under Rock is part poetry, dance, and wearable art—beyond that it is a rare glimpse of artistic intimacy. Cindy Rinne and Bory Thach move with a sense of purpose and sincerity that leave the audience awed by the power of beauty, love, and friendship.
~ Nicelle Davis, author of The Walled Wife
It’s basically spirit through the medium of body in action.
~ Michael Thomas Cooper, author of Speaking Through Sediment
Cindy and Bory transformed the Lancaster Museum of Art and History - MOAH into a sacred space by being in perfect harmony with each other. There was something intangible that emanated from their words and choreography that transported the viewers beyond time and space. They produced a unique moment of grace where all the distractions of the world disappeared. Thank you, Cindy and Bory for sharing your sacred choreography with the audience.
~ Marthe Aponte, mixed media artist who specializes in Picoté
