Beneath the Mountaintop (A Haiku)

By Joyce Jacobo [Author’s Note: Another major legend comes from the oldest residents in my area, those with family ties that go back centuries upon centuries. It is important to remember their stories and pass them along, such as this one about a shaman who turned wicked, sought to steal souls, and got defeated by

A Miner’s Curse (A Poem)

By Joyce Jacobo [Author’s Note: Based on an actual legend from near my hometown.] Abandoned somewhere in the mountains      deep in Southern California           or so legends say                          exists a deep mine filled with gold                                                                               silver                                                                      and valuables left behind                                                                                      by Gold Rush-era miners                                                                                                   for inexplicable                                                                                                               reasons… However    

Mountain Tales (A Poem)

By Joyce Jacobo [Author’s Note: Mountains surround the place where I live, filled with interesting folktales and historical notes from the past.] Folks have talked about the trails        which weave like unraveled yarn   through the mountains yonder         …. just folks from around these parts                          like those grizzly old men who