in honour of the fall classic… When God goes to the ballpark, to whose prayers does She, in Her infinite wisdom, decide to respond? Favourably? When God goes to the ballpark, how does She decide which team to root for? Does She flip a coin, or toss a bat and do that old schoolyard hand-over-fists-up-the-handle […]
Poetry
dear mister harper
When power leads man toward arrogance, poetry reminds him of his limitations. When power narrows the areas of man’s concern, poetry reminds him of the richness and diversity of his existence. When power corrupts, poetry cleanses, for art establishes the basic human truths which must serve as the touchstone of our judgment. Yours sincerely, John […]
mamas, don’t let your babies grow up to be poets
if you missed it … too bad. we can’t get it back. you’ll just have to trust me that it was freakin’ awesome. we’re now living in a post-po-fest world … and those of us who stopped by the ARTery last night are all the better for it.
malta pilgrimage, 2000
for jennifer and joan, with gratitude (i’m just the stenographer; this piece was created by 32 remarkable women.) We have all been here together, before. What you need, you will find. Is it answers you seek? Truth? Tranquility? Or merely … possibility? From this place I will take: The power of the circle. Spirals. The […]
he stopped painting after we were born
To the faithful who keep relentlessly reminding me (bless your hearts) that I haven’t been posting very much lately: I know, I know. I haven’t had a lot of time to write or paint lately. Truth is, I’ve taken a temporary full-time job to help pay some unexpected vet and plumbing bills (the cat is […]
Robert (by Milton Acorn)
I fell in love with this poem when I was 15. More than 30 years later, it’s still one of my all-time favourites. More people should know it; that’s why I’m posting it here. (Thanks, Milton) Robert (for R. Rousil) Milton Acorn We haven’t written letters not needing to remind ourselves that he’s himself there […]
cat’s diary
Humans are a foreign species. A distinctly separate, fascinating breed. They do things so differently. It’s my job to help my human get more in touch with her inner animal — but she is reluctant to learn the ways of the wild. She owns a copy of Women Who Run With the Wolves, but she’s […]
when 2 poets collide
for M & K, whose collision is still sparking up the cosmos sept. 8, 2007 when two poets collide turbulent skies rejoice stars sweeten up the cracked hallelujahs cackling black crows kick up their heels. when two poets collide there is chiming up the violets there is singing down the rain there is trilling, drumming, […]
Meditations on clearing one’s mind of clutter
It’s a Zen thing. Is there anything harder than trying to think about absolutely nothing? My dog sits better than me. Some of the things I think about while waiting for a bolt of enlightenment to strike my monkey mind: Polar bears. Did I leave the stove on? My nose itches. Om. Om. OOOOmmmmmmm The […]
memory bank
overdrawn i cannot remember any of my mother’s native tongue my father’s favourite tie or my sister’s reasons for hoarding i cannot remember what i had for breakfast or anything you may have said the morning after we got married i cannot remember when i stopped playing the piano or when i started letting myself […]