From the CBC of course:
http://www.cbc.ca/arts/books/story/2007/04/03/griffin-poetry-shortlist.html
Ok, I know this doesn’t have much to do with Librarian Activism, but isn’t poetry an “alternative” media at this point in time? Especially when it is really good poetry? I mean, if I have a choice between reading about Keith Richard’s snorting his dad’s ashes (hoax?) and a genuine amazing Canadian Poet being nominated for Canada’s biggest poetry prize for the third time no less, I’ll take the poet. Maybe think of this as a Wednesday Fun poetry link.
(Plus Kitty of Brick Books has given me and many, many others a lot of free books out of sheer generosity).
Ken Babstock who is also a really fantastic poet, has been nominated as well.
Just go and read some poetry!
Here I’ll start:
Meditation on Blue
By Don McKay
Irresistible, on this atmospheric planet, where
there’s a blue to carry the heart home and a blue
for virgins and a blue to call
the spider from the drain.
Nobody argues with its
shameless imitation of love, diving
simultaneously into the eye and out of sight: sea,
sky, the absence of convulsions and flags,
our own errata winking at us out of depths or heights.
Knowing that one day we will fall to black
or fade to grey, and blue
has been both places and includes them
as a saxophone includes its drastic
possibilities. It’s with us.
We’ve been gone before.
_DJ_