The Lousypoet

Time turns her head.
Will she shed any tears for
this rut of existence?

Enslaved by a history written by
the man with the sword,
the man with the cannon,
the man with the gun,
the man with the bomb.

The dance of circles
never ending cycles of despair.

Who will break the cycle?
the person with the vision,
the person with the courage,
the person with the passion,
the person with the conviction.

A story to be written,
a fate not yet etched.
Determine the outcome

The King sat upon the throne,
Benevolent, Melevolent,
Dependant upon the day

Smell the fumes
See the vapours
Hear the engines
Taste the grit
Dream electric

As children we are giants,
straddling the world with impunity,
immunity, immortality.

The playground is our kingdom.
A place of wonder,
speed and gleeful terror.

A swing is capable of
reaching to the clouds.

The slide is a mighty
mountain for us to climb.

The backdrop to
our first hesitant steps
of romance.

A first kiss,
engraved initials.

Then it rusts,
fades.
We turn our backs
and reality crashes in.

The Silent Guardian waits.
Weary, wary.
The songs of the dead
are for his ears alone.

A heavy burden,
borne with dignity.
An unenviable duty,
shouldered bravely.

Yawn wide world,
let the silent symphony continue.
Pleasure to angels,
unnoticed by men.

Someone posted this on facebook. It’s the recitation of a poem. Sit through the whole thing. Such an amazing demonstration of how the bleak can become the optimistic!

Brick Books is a Canadian Publisher of poetry written by Canadian citizens or landed immigrants. They publish only a limited number of new releases per year, but so far the books I’ve read from them have all been quality publications. I recently received their newsletter, and it contained a number of Canadian and US dates for their authors. I thought I would pass it along. You can learn more about Brick Books by visiting their website at http://www.brickbooks.ca/.

AND NOW ONTO THE DETAILS OF THE EVENTS FOR 2009 ACROSS THE COUNTRY – FROM NORTH AND WEST TO EAST:

NORTHWEST TERRITORIES

Yellowknife

Wednesday, February 25 at 7 p.m.
Yellowknife Public Library
Centre Square Mall, 5022 – 49th Street
Second Floor

John Donlan will read from Spirit Engine and Monty Reid will read from The Luskville Reductions in Yellowknife on February 18. For more information, contact Melissa Legacy, Public Service Librarian at 867-920-5642 extension 3.

John and Monty will also be visiting Aurora College. More details to follow.

BRITISH COLUMBIA

Victoria

Tuesday, January 20 at 7:30 pm
Open Space Arts Society
510 Fort St.

Open Word: Readings and Ideas, Open Space’s downtown literary series, features Toronto poet Sue Sinclair reading from her new collection Breaker (Brick 2008). Following the reading, Victoria oet Steven Price will interview Sue Sinclair.

Victoria

Wednesday, January 21 at 10:00 a.m.
University of Victoria
Clearihue Building, Room A306

Sue Sinclair will read from her new collection Breaker.

Salt Spring Island
Friday, January 23 at 8 p.m.
Art Spring
100 Jackson Avenue

Sue Sinclair will read from her new collection Breaker. Free admission.

Vancouver

Wednesday, January 28 at 5:30 p.m.
UBC Campus, Buchanan E476
1866 Main Mall

Sue Sinclair will read from her new collection Breaker. Free admission.

Victoria

Friday, February 20 at 7:30 p.m.
Black Stilt Coffee Lounge
1633 Hillside

Ottawa poet Monty Reid will read from his fourteenth book The Luskville Reductions. Planet Earth Poetry at Black Stilt Reading Series. For more information, please call 250-370-2077.

Victoria

Thursday, March 19 at 8:30 a.m.
University of Victoria

Randall Maggs will visit to Professor Jamie Dopp’s class in Contemporary Canadian Literature and read from Night Work: The Sawchuk Poems.

Victoria

Friday, March 20 at 7:30 p.m.
Black Stilt Coffee Lounge
1633 Hillside

Brenda Leifso and Randall Maggs will the featured authors reading at Planet Earth Poetry at Black Stilt Reading Series from their collections Daughters of Men and Night Work: The Sawchuk Poems. For more information, please call 250-370-2077.

Vancouver

Thursday, April 23 at 7:30 p.m.
UBC Bookstore on Robson Square

David O’Meara reads from Noble Gas, Penny Black.

ALBERTA

Edmonton

April 23 to April 26
Edmonton Poetry Festival

David O’Meara reads from Noble Gas, Penny Black. Details to follow.

MANITOBA

Winnipeg

Thursday, February 5 at 7:30 p.m.
Aqua Books
274 Garry Street (between Portage & Graham)

Barbara Klar reads from her collection Cypress. For more information call 204-943-7555

ONTARIO

Toronto

Tuesday, February 3 at 8:00 p.m.
Art Bar Reading Series
Clinton’s Tavern
693 Bloor Street West

Toronto – Barbara Klar reads from her collection Cypress with other featured authors Richard Sanger and Neal McLeod. Clinton’s Tavern is right by the Christie Subway Station.

Toronto

Tuesday, April 21 at 6:30 p.m.
TYPE Books
883 Queen Street West

Carolyn Smart will read from her new collection Hooked, seven poems.

Richmond Hill

Saturday, April 18 – afternoon
Richmond Hill Poetry Gala
Richmond Hill Public Library
1 Atkinson Street

Hosted by Barry Dempster with readings from Barry, Carolyn Smart, Steve McOrmond, Matthew Tierney, Lola Lemire Tostevin and Sue Sinclair

Kingston

Monday, April 6 from 7 to 9 p.m.
Marine Museum of the Great Lakes
55 Ontario Street

Carolyn Smart launches her new collection Hooked, seven poems.

Ottawa

Tuesday, January 27 at 7:30 p.m.
Tree Reading Series
Ottawa Arts Court (at the corner of Daly Avenue and Nicholas Street,
just across from the Rideau Centre.)

Barbara Klar reads from her collection Cypress.

Ottawa

Tuesday, February 10 at 7:30 p.m.
Tree Reading Series
Ottawa Arts Court (at the corner of Daly Avenue and Nicholas Street,
just across from the Rideau Centre.)

Karen Solie and David Seymour read from their collections Modern and Normal and Inter Alia.

Ottawa

Tuesday, February 24 at 7:30 p.m.
Tree Reading Series
Ottawa Arts Court (at the corner of Daly Avenue and Nicholas Street,
just across from the Rideau Centre.)

Brenda Leifso reads from her collection Daughters of Men.

Ottawa

Tuesday, April 14 at 7:30 p.m.
Tree Reading Series
Ottawa Arts Court (at the corner of Daly Avenue and Nicholas Street,
just across from the Rideau Centre.)

Sue Sinclair will read from her collection Breaker.

QUEBEC

Montreal

Thursday, April 16 at 7 p.m.
Atwater Poetry Project
Atwater Library and Computer Centre
1200 Atwater Avenue

Carolyn Smart, Jan Conn, Barry Dempster and Sue Sinclair will read from their new collections Hooked, seven poems by Carolyn Smart, Botero’s Beautiful Horses by Jan Conn, Love Outlandish by Barry Dempster and Breaker by Sue Sinclair.

NEW BRUNSWICK

Fredericton

Wednesday, January 28 at 8 p.m.
University of New Brunswick
Alumni Memorial Lounge

Barbara Klar and Randy Maggs read from their collections Cypress and Night Work: The Sawchuk Poems. Sponsored by the Department of English, University Bookstore, Canada Council for the Arts and the League of Canadian Poets.

NOVA SCOTIA

Halifax

Thursday, January 29 at 7 p.m.
15th Annual Gallery Reading Series
Saint Mary’s University Art Gallery
Loyola Building
5865 Gorsebrook Ave.

Barbara Klar and Randy Maggs read from their collections Cypress and Night Work: The Sawchuk Poems. Sponsored by the Department of English, Canada Council for the Arts and the League of Canadian Poets.

UNITED STATES

MASSACHUSETTS

Boston

Tuesday, February 24 at 2 p.m.
Bridgewater State College

Randall Maggs will visit with Professors Andrew Holman and Dr. Maura Rosenthal and their classes and present his book Night Work: The Sawchuk Poems.

MICHIGAN

Detroit

Randall Maggs will read from his book Night Work: The Sawchuk Poems in the Detroit area. Details to be confirmed.

NEW YORK

Albany, New York

Wednesday, April 29

Evening reading at a local bookstore. Details will follow.

Carolyn Smart and Jan Conn will be reading from their new collections Hooked, seven poems by Carolyn Smart and Botero’s Beautiful Horses by Jan Conn.

New York City

Thursday, April 30 at 7 p.m.
McNally Jackson Books
52 Prince St. (between Lafayette & Mulberry)

Carolyn Smart and Jan Conn will be reading from their new collections Hooked, seven poems by Carolyn Smart and Botero’s Beautiful Horses by Jan Conn. Special guest is New York author Tom Sleigh.

Kingston, New York

Saturday, May 2

Reading at local bookstore. Details will follow.

Carolyn Smart and Jan Conn will be reading from their new collections Hooked, seven poems by Carolyn Smart and Botero’s Beautiful Horses by Jan Conn.

MASSACHUSETTS

Amherst

Sunday, May 3 – afternoon
Amherst Books
8 Main Street

Carolyn Smart and Jan Conn will be reading from their new collections Hooked, seven poems by Carolyn Smart and Botero’s Beautiful Horses by Jan Conn.

Lonely though you’re near
Distance widening further
My heart so silent

I don’t know why, but I’ve found Tarot cards very interesting for some time. I suppose I love the iconography associated with the images. Or maybe it’s a hidden interest in the occult. Whatever the reason, I find my self drawn to it.

So, as you can see with the previous entry, I’m writing some Tarot inspired poems. In a grand way, part of me hopes this will become a very interesting project, that maybe I will later collect and publish. But for now, it’s just a way to get the old creative juices flowing.

I had thought I would keep to a strict interpretation of the cards, but instead I think I will just write what inspiration the card provides, whether it is the meaning of the card, or as with The Fool, the imagery and what that says to me.

Dancing ever closer to the edge,
the expanse ever widens
hungering for my soul.

The cat, or dog, or whatever it is
screams and howls – tugs at my leg
to keep me from the edge.
And they call me the fool.

How long has it been like this?

How often have I skirted,
the thirsting lips,
the ravenous oblivion.

As though the smile on my face,
or the rose that wilts in my hand,
means I am ignorant of the moment.

I know the ledge waits,
I know what happens when I go over.

Is it not best to die in such a way?
Is it not best to fall, eyes wide open,
to meet one’s end?

The air is cool,
rushing to meet me.

Eyes wide open,
all the way to the bottom.