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A Tyee Series

Blockbuster Poem VI

This week, an opportunity to immerse yourself in language.

By rob mclennan, 3 Sep 2010, TheTyee.ca

Water on Kits Beach

Lapping at one's feet. Photo courtesy of Barry Duncan from The Tyee Your BC photo pool.

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Also in this series:
Ten Blockbuster Poems from The Tyee

a history of water

over centuries, what water implies,
taken straight from the source.

you are in town on a mission.
I am parting dark clouds with your hair.

in reading writing, a table of infinite size.
all words simultaneous.

you are in town on a mission.
I am barking out orders at chairs.

you are in town on a mission.
I am seeking the cold from my bones.

the river is bent at the waist.
it pinches, there, just at the grain.

you are in town on a mission.
I am the space between messages sent.

the newspaper rails inconsistencies.
not even the clothesline is clear.

you are in town on a mission.
I have lost path for the brush.

you are in town on a mission.
I am dreaming up rain to rid dust.

this is the soundtrack of a life,
made of the movement of water.

you are in town on a mission.
I am not so extended as overexposed.

you are in town on a mission.
I am absorbed in the perils of touch.
[Tyee]

Born in Ottawa, Canada's glorious capital city, rob mclennan currently lives in Ottawa. The author of more than 20 trade books of poetry, fiction and non-fiction, his most recent titles are the poetry collections Glengarry (2011), wild horses (2010) and kate street (2010) and a second novel, missing persons (2009). An editor and publisher, he runs above/ground press, Chaudiere Books (with Jennifer Mulligan), The Garneau Review, seventeen seconds: a journal of poetry and poetics and the Ottawa poetry .pdf annual ottawater. He spent the 2007-8 academic year in Edmonton as writer-in-residence at the University of Alberta, and expects to spend much of the next year in Toronto. He regularly posts reviews, essays, interviews and other notices at robmclennan.blogspot.com.

4 Comments:

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  • warbler

    1 year ago

    Foul ball

    The punctuation in this piece is a distraction, it serves no poetic function. In fact, it quite annoys me.

    I see some good moments in the poim, some interesting, thoughtful imagery, however these moments are diminished when you throw in an amateurish cliche like "this is the soundtrack of a life." How long did you struggle to come up with this nugget, rob? I've read your other work, and I expect better. Otherwise, the piece overall seems forced.

    With a bit of editing, "a history of water" has potential to be a very fine poem.

  • morechatter

    1 year ago

    Water is everything

    Like a soothing sonnet laid at her breast
    the waters flowing movement lulls nature into a state of rest.
    And the rivers and streams are the veins of our existence and are being put to the test.
    Water is everything
    And in the rivers darkness her cries are pacified as the waves work their magic like a soft, gentle touch of a caressing hand.
    Water is everything
    And as the dawn approaches the flowers burst open to the nectar of the Gods using the allure of their aroma to start new life
    Water is everything
    As the secrets of the universe can be found in a droplet of water up in the dawn of morning to a spectrum of the universal light
    Water is everything to life.

  • morechatter

    1 year ago

    You moved me

    And I took to writing my own poem. Granted it could use some work but all in all it was good fun.

  • MkumbaJoe

    1 year ago

    Canada's Glorious Capital?

    Strange that McLennan has not cottoned on to the fact that Ottawa is a very corrupt town, thanks to both the Feds and the municipal government there.

    Or does he now believe his own hype to the point where it no longer makes a difference what's said?

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