POETRY: RETREATS AND REWARDS

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Ted and I got home from Mexico and the West Coast a week ago today. We're still missing the warmth, of the sun and of the people. We'll go again.

"... a fine six-course meal of poems..." 
There was a huge stack of mail waiting for us, and mine included my contributor copies of The Wild Weathers, Leaf Press' beautiful anthology of love poems, and the latest issue of The New Orphic Review, in which I have six poems and an essay about my poetics. Art Joyce blogs about The New Orphic and other West Kootenay publications, and my poems here. The quotation above is from it.

 

Found in the mail pile were three issues of Gareth Gaudin's Magic Teeth Dailies, including the much sought-after 50th one! Gareth has been drawing a cartoon a day since 2004. Every single day, including the ones that saw the arrivals of his two daughters. Perogy Cat, who some of you will have met in these pages, is his creation. In the photo he's pointing to the necklace with Perogy Cat both written and illustrated on a grain of rice that we brought him from Mexico. (We got so many of these Adrian, the beach vendor who sells them, bought us a beer!)

And then there was the chapbook from Leaf Press with writing done at one of last year's poetry retreats. Nice timing, because I was just back from this year's Ocean Wilderness adventures in poetry making. The pictures that follow are from that.

I can't stress enough how good it is to get to a poetry retreat. To be able to focus on writing, my own and other peoples', is such an affirmation of what I do. Was good to be in the company of the next, next generation of poets, too.

Today I got an email from someone who has translated one of my poems into Spanish and wants to use it in a magazine. Details on this to follow, but I was pretty pleased as this is the first time I've been translated!

I'm working on a publishing project for the Lifewriters at Castle Wood Village here in Castlegar. It's their seventh and last collection of memoir writing, as spearheaded by Jan de Bruyn. I'll put up some 

pictures when it's done.

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DOWN MEXICO WAY

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The joy of blogging for pleasure is just that. I don’t have to do it if I don’t want to. Or don’t have time to. I know, I know, I could take the time, but I sometimes I’m simply not in the mood to babble on to a largely unknown audience about who-knows-what. As mentioned in my previous post, there was a little computer problem that had to be dealt with, and once that was sorted (thank you, Apple, for the hidden extended warranty that got me a new motherboard, by the way) Christmas was almost upon me and I was late starting a book project and then it was time to do all the last minute things that needed to be done so Ted and I could go away for a couple of months. 

Which is why this is coming to you from Mexico. You know, that Spanish-speaking country south of the United Snakes that is getting all the bad press these days thanks to tourists getting beaten up or murdered. I’m not trying to belittle the people who have suffered attacks of late, but come on people, bad things happen at home, too. Here, we’ve taken local buses, shopped for fruit and veggies at the bodegas, eaten fabulous food at several Mom and Pop curb-side restaurants and we’re starting to understand things like how much the bill is even before the ever-helpful proprietors write down numbers for us. Last year we spent two weeks here and this year the number of tourists whose presence helps to oil the local economy is noticeably down. But we’re here and we’re loving it. 

Down by the crocodiles that live in the mangrove Pedro serves fish tacos and seafood soup from a truck. His fish tacos are 15 pesos—just over a dollar. The drinks come fast and the food arrives, as he puts it, “in a Mexican minute”. It’s a minute worth waiting for. 

Frigate birds and brown pelicans put on a daily show of diving for fish, often quite close to you if you happen to be swimming. 

The water is warm which helps keep the sting rays away. Apparently they like cooler water. We’ve been instructed in the art of the “sting ray shuffle” which will hopefully roust any away from you as you’re walking into the ocean. They like to burrow themselves into the sand and if you step on one, look out! 

Some of you will remember Perogy Cat from previous trip photos. Here, he’s cozying up to a couple of old gringos on the beach.

There appears to be a thriving business in nail decorating here. 

Meanwhile back home, it’s good to know The Harper Un-Government (T.H.U.G.) is busy cleaning up the country. We shall have prisons, pandas and pipe lines. For our sins.

At the end of the day, there are sunsets that set fire to the sky, the sea and the sand.

And now for some poetry news — this is Purple Mountain Poems, remember! My poem, Cake,  in an anthology of love poems that’s being released this week, called The Wild Weathers (Leaf Press is the publisher). And I’m the featured poet in the next issue of The New Orphic Review, which is due out in the next couple of months. Six poems and an essay I wrote about my poetics! 

This link to the Elephant Mountain Review just went live, and I have two poems there.  

Hope you’re all enjoying winter as much as we are. And pushing send!

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