Back in the 80s, we were going to die of nuclear war, whether instant or over-wintered, in a flash or frozen slowly. In the 80s, we danced to big-hair music genderbending stars with cocaine voices synthesizing freedom, formulaic fun. 80s, and rumours from New York and San Francisco disco drugs and a mysterious…
Author: prairiepomes
Writer, gardener, hopeful curmudgeon, free-range Aboriginal, lover of life, Poet Laureate of Edmonton 2011-13, traveller, Fifth World Drummer.
Last Night the Rabbits…
last night the rabbits were dancing down the street, they were seen to be dancing, white in the whiteness of night in december, in amiskwaciy waskahigan last night, the rabbits were prancing all prosperous, fat and assured with their street smarts, claiming here a lawn, there a park, this bit of boulevard you may…
By Heart: A Celebration in 10 Languages, speaking and singing words we hold dear
My tenure at MacEwan University as Writer-in-Residence has offered opportunities to connect with a vibrant, multi-faceted community. Most wonderfully, the very day I introduced myself to the English department faculty, I was approached by Dr. Svitlana Krys, the Kule Chair in Ukrainian Studies, who offered to make at least one of my dreams come true….
Tell Me a Story, with Metropolitan Orchestra!
One of my professional goals is to work with orchestras. Friday, I get my first chance. tellmeastory_poster_v2_final_10-17-19 I’m guesting with Metropolitan Orchestra, performing a poetic piece composed to weave along with Legend #1. What’s my text about? A certain time traveling lapine makes use of the moon in order to visit a composer in Bohemia,…
On Land… Addendum: The Question that Matters
Addendum: This morning, I listened to the radio, and heard Greta Thunberg address the UN. Having lived through the Nuclear scare (notice nobody talks about all the armaments still out there, still as great a peril), and witnessed how people struggled for the ‘right’ title to attach to this crisis we must now fear, I…
On Land Acknowledgment in the Time of Climate Worries
Recently, I was privileged to address a gathering of the Society of Friends (aka Quakers), to offer perspectives on Land Acknowledgments. I was moved by their desire to ‘get it right,’ to engage with this new ritual protocol in a meaningful and authentic way; moved, but not surprised, given that the person who invited me…
In Residence
Well, I’m In-Residence now. Following in footsteps of many respected colleagues, peers and mentors, I’m the Writer-in-Residence at MacEwan University. A residency is so much more than a sponsored time and space for pursuing one’s own artistic goals, although that, in itself, makes a residency a wonderful thing. I’m being paid to obey my muse,…
Late Summer Mustangs
Boulevard elms are golding now, first fogs have lifted Time to return to keyboard and pen. Yesterday, my fab pal Shelley sent me a great poem, and the mustang spirit reared up and inspired a responsorial. Here, for your amusement: How To Love Your Life Begin in the woods. Feel the tree-air cool your limbs…
Askipaw: Permaculture Superstar
Woke up to a slight flu, enough to spend the day languishing round the house til mid-afternoon, when a timid knock at the back door announced Fatima, my neighbour, who had come to ask if I had grape leaves to spare. Fatima has been harvesting my leaves for a few seasons now, and I’ve become…
Camino Edmonton
My friend Astrid did something remarkable this year, in company with some remarkable folks. Read her story here: via Camino Edmonton
When The Way Seems Long
When the way seems long, or any burden heavy, we have songs Witness how love and courage lift and reweave the broken strands Ue O Muite Arukou, by Kyu Sakamoto, was a huge hit in 1961, and the English version – ridiculously titled ‘Sukiyaki,’ which is a bit like translating, for example, Unchained…
