The poem Worthless Fortune was in part inspired by our changing world. A lot of us don’t carry money anymore. Our lives have been relegated to little pieces of plastic. I’m not sure about you but I always try to keep a bit on hand because even in my small town homelessness is still an issue and I can’t exactly send them an e-transfer or a PayPal.
Poem of the Month
Poem of the month I wrote just the other night. I was watching a story on the news about the possible general strike in Ontario as the governing body tried to envoys the notwithstanding clause which grants them the power to legislate people back to work and circumvents the peoples right to strike. So I scribbled down this months poem “Withstanding
Poem of the month I wrote just the other night. I was watching a story on the news about the possible general strike in Ontario as the governing body tried to envoys the notwithstanding clause which grants them the power to legislate people back to work and circumvents the peoples right to strike. So I scribbled down this months poem “Withstanding”.
Odds Are is a piece that deals with how we reconcile hope in a dark time. The last two years have been dark indeed and there are some vitamins that are necessary for our mental health.
You’ve probably been wondering what happened to the poem of the month. I assure you it hasn’t gone the way of the dinosaur, and I wanted to come back at you with this collaboration I put together with Mark Bérubé. “A Tomorrow” is the piece I wrote when the pandemic first hit. Fingers crossed that much of what we went through will remain in our
You’ve probably been wondering what happened to the poem of the month. I assure you it hasn’t gone the way of the dinosaur, and I wanted to come back at you with this collaboration I put together with Mark Bérubé. “A Tomorrow” is the piece I wrote when the pandemic first hit. Fingers crossed that much of what we went through will remain in our rear view mirror, but I thought I’d post this piece as a reminder of hope. I’m feeling hopeful for what feels like the first time in a good long while so I wanted to share that feeling.
The poem of the month this time around is a dedication piece. January 28th 1986 was a pretty memorable day for the people who lived it. I was still in school, but remember the gravity of that day. Tragedy struck the world’s collective conscious as the Space Shuttle Challenger was lost. This month I recount my experience of that day which still
The poem of the month this time around is a dedication piece. January 28th 1986 was a pretty memorable day for the people who lived it. I was still in school, but remember the gravity of that day. Tragedy struck the world’s collective conscious as the Space Shuttle Challenger was lost. This month I recount my experience of that day which still occupies a solemn residence in my memory. This months piece is simply titled Challenger.
The poem of the month this time around is about a recent tragedy that claimed the lives of 176 people. I can’t put my faith in world powers any longer... it belongs to people. I’m currently in Mumbai and have had an inspiring time on this journey... not because of sights I've seen, but because of people I’ve met... people who’ve shared their
The poem of the month this time around is about a recent tragedy that claimed the lives of 176 people. I can’t put my faith in world powers any longer... it belongs to people. I’m currently in Mumbai and have had an inspiring time on this journey... not because of sights I've seen, but because of people I’ve met... people who’ve shared their stories so we could find what we have in common. Tour dates will keep rolling in... but for now I’m looking forward to being back in Eugene Oregon on January 31st... looking forward to making strangers less strange. Wishing you all a better year than the last but nowhere near as good as the years that are yet to come.
176
Each one had parents biological or not someone who raised them who loved them
perhaps each one had brothers or sisters perhaps aunts or uncles perhaps cousins perhaps a husband or a wife or a child or children
definitely friends definitely someone who will miss them
perhaps a lover perhaps students
definitely grandparents whether they knew them or not
definitely one branch of the family tree that coughed through the gun smoke of wars they hoped would be our last
definitely family who lived through the thunder of artillery distant or near while praying the storm would pass forever
what colour is the poppy for the ones who weren’t soldiers?
for the ones who fall in wars that were not theirs to fight?
what day do we set aside to remember the innocent?
176
but each one not the ones who rose to power to pick fights they would never fight themselves
leaders who put the casual in casualties
who believe peace is a prize that can be bought with war using grief as a down payment and damage as collateral
who set crossfires on our front lawns then wonder why we fear them
war hawks tweeting roars from the safety of a nest they’ve never had to leave
never had to stand shoulder to shoulder in a trench trusting a stranger to have their back because imminent threat made faith a necessity
folded flags will not check for monsters under the bed will not read bedtime stories to children
money will not walk daughters down the aisle will not teach sons to be better men
oil is not a cure for thirst blood is not a meal
the lines in the sand are drawn by governments who need us to keep believing those lines are real
but people are not their presidents people are not their prime ministers or supreme leaders
people are not their governments not their empires or regimes
people are neighbours are teachers are doctors
taxi cab drivers and pilots scientists and janitors waiters, air traffic controllers, and yes soldiers
people are the people we trust to deliver our mail regardless of our religious or political differences
trust to cook our meals when we eat out trust to watch the road when we cross the street
we are not the strangers our leaders insist we are how can we be?
we trust one another everyday
we are people
people are not hoarding wealth in off shore accounts people are just trying to scrape by
people are paying their taxes while corporations don’t
people are tired of dying at the whims of ego
people are tired
but people are always tired
when they first wake up.
This time of year is tends to lean toward darkness for some. I’m no stranger to that. This will be my second Christmas alone, and I know that solitude has a way of amplifying despair. I just want to leave you with an ember of hope to carry with you through whatever shadows might descend onto your path this season. Just a reminder to be mindful of
This time of year is tends to lean toward darkness for some. I’m no stranger to that. This will be my second Christmas alone, and I know that solitude has a way of amplifying despair. I just want to leave you with an ember of hope to carry with you through whatever shadows might descend onto your path this season. Just a reminder to be mindful of time. Not that “in a rush” “last minute” kind of time, but rather that we all have a finish line we’re running toward so how we spend our time matters. Truly, it’s the only currency worth anything, and who we spend it with can either elevate us or drag us down. Your time should be shared with the people who lift you up, and not the people who hold you back. The poem of the month is about time. As we close out the chapter on 2019 I’d just like to wish you all the very best time in 2020 and beyond.
I have an event coming up in Vancouver this month with David Suzuki and I wanted to write a piece that talks about protecting our world. I think a lot of people get swept up in the hysteria of our ever changing world. Our beliefs are so polarizing, and yet we want to inspire others into action. It can be scary to want to say anything in this world
I have an event coming up in Vancouver this month with David Suzuki and I wanted to write a piece that talks about protecting our world. I think a lot of people get swept up in the hysteria of our ever changing world. Our beliefs are so polarizing, and yet we want to inspire others into action. It can be scary to want to say anything in this world online trolling and faceless shouting down of one another over beliefs. One needn’t look any further than any social platform to see deniers, provocateurs, and rabble rousers ripping apart a 16 year old for wanting nothing more than to save the world… not just for herself… but for everyone. I wonder if one of the things we lose sight of as our passions blind us is what we’re actually fighting to protect. There’s never been an issue that so clearly affects everyone on the planet, and yet we fight even about this. We can see a clear path of action needed to preserve the world for future generations, but instead we argue of the cost of the sacrifices we would have to make. I don’t even have children of my own, but I can feel the importance of why we need to make these changes. The acorn doesn’t get to see the tree it will become… so no… we may never see the progress that our sacrifice has bought, but we will get to hope every time we make those forfeitures. If the worst thing that happens is we save the world by accident… it’s okay because everyone will be able to live with that. This world is more than the job we get and go to, or the subjects we study. The world is a stage, but not one for us to merely strut upon or fret about… it isn’t just for us. The world is for everyone who comes next… for everyone who will write the next chapter of our civilization while the ink dries on whatever we managed to pen with our own time here. I believe that’s worth protecting. Even nature finds ways to protect itself so I wrote this piece with that in mind. This month’s poem is called The Problem With Roses.
I wanted to share something I wrote for others in my life who have faced loss. I have friends who’ve lost much more than I will ever know, or endure. I’m talking about losing a child. Whether through accident or illness I’ve seen first hand how shattering this can be. I think we live in a world where our empathy is beginning to slip away. We have
I wanted to share something I wrote for others in my life who have faced loss. I have friends who’ve lost much more than I will ever know, or endure. I’m talking about losing a child. Whether through accident or illness I’ve seen first hand how shattering this can be. I think we live in a world where our empathy is beginning to slip away. We have a hard time putting ourselves in one another’s shoes because it forces us to exist in consideration of others over ourselves. I wanted to write something that empathizes not only with the parent, but with the children who face having to say goodbye to their parents as well. This months poem is called Haloes In The Trash.