Dear god, I renamed one of my current 9 books at editing phase. Continued editing it, then started editing the old version so they diverge. An overlap of poems but changed edits, deletions and additions. I can convert to text files (more versions, goodie) then run through File Merge app to see where changes are.

Is it still a headache if there’s a solution?

The night before I set myself the prompt of dactylic meter (after reading wiki random post of epic poetry). I combined it with the prompt from Pádraig Ó Tuama at The Poetry Unbound Substack of night, animal, and rain. [In case you read that and thought, that seems not right, it is because it isn’t. It was the prompt of Roger Robinson.]

Rain on a Wintery Night

Heart is awake. In the ears, an adrenaline thunder of blood. Are there sounds? Through the darkness, an animal movement. What’s larger than
mice? In my trumpeting trembling ears —
There’a a shifting on springs—across my legs. And the back of him bunts at my shoulder
to move me aside, to make room. It’s too cold on the floor. Can you manifest love
as a shared heat? An inflatable threat just as quickly deflates. From Darth Vader
with candy cane to a shadow. Out on the lawn… there is nothing the matter. Secure as blankets,
as sheets. Aren’t curtains just sheets that can stand? Just as joists are just beams that can nap? Back to dog…
He is a peace and a whole. As he presses, as he grumbles, his sleep becomes snor-ious.
Happier than clams, he is wagging and yips in falsetto of play. I should settle too. Wisdom is clear at this hour, 
But the path to return to that slumber? I listen to the breath of the pup.
And his twitching of chases. Some drowsiness can’t escape me this time. 
All his visions of meadows, the deer under sumac, a heat that can be dappled away. 
Can you hear it too? Gurgle of eavestrough or river. The sun has a tinkle like wind chimes, that call like the Fae.

It’s hardly the stuff of heroic epics but…Phew, that meter is hard. It forces to towards the words and structures I generally back away from in the name of efficiency and intensity: towards prepositional phrases, no contractions for helper verbs, gerunds, “and”, “just”.

I really have pushed lately towards iambic or so much spondees. Still, I prefer the pulse of iambic. It’s unstable, like a triplet somehow. Charming somehow though and not what I would normally write.

I chose some words that I took aside as words I liked and made sets of slant rhymes for ABBA ABBA CDCDCD. That done, I had them ready, with no idea of subject set. On waking I had some thumb twiddler to wake up with.

somewhere before dawn

ambitious day’s train decoupled derailed.
some sinus pickaxe, some bodily aches
who is the master, who is the dog, made
to stay? a bark at small balled body, tail
between legs. jaw in cahoots with the head.
dreams of party-crashing t&t’s retail
mochi, frozen dim sum, moon cakes curtailed.
1000 years away, those quail eggs.

I saw the parking lot full, what a schmuck
to attend unmasked. thought I could carouse
like some Viking king born of gods, what pluck
to feel invulnerable. naif to choose
that as if elastic youth. what the cat drug
in. mousy, mouthed nape fever-damp, I drowse. 

As I mentioned, the anthology launch of a Gatineau Valley spec fiction anthology is coming. Hill’s Al-manach des Collines has arrived. For locals, you can check out the library copy, when it gets processed into the catalogue and shelves.

It is a fun and beautiful thing, split run, some with sewn binding, some with stapled to a warm reception regardless. About 40 attended which is pretty decent for any literary readings these days.

I tried to get a photo of each contributor but I lost count and at least one person called in sick. The contributors were both French and English. I won’t do the post bilingually but the event was.

There was some social time, and some pizza and some flipping through copies while people gathered.

The organizers, névé dumas and Marc-Alexandre Reinhardt welcomed and introduced the concept and process.

Each present could add, ask or discuss whatever, share process or what was included in the anthology or what they didn’t submit to include.

Here is an image for Ilse Turnsen’s poem, art done by Marianne Debonté.

Anya (right) shows the art cart that became a whole large page image. 

Ariane went ahead to 2286. Some responded in poetry, some in short story. Art was made digitally, in painting, in watercolour, in pencil and all converted to green, blue, black and pink..

Madeleine composed songs which she performed to a tidal wave of applause.

Contributors:

Craig Commanda: moose spine / glass beads (scuptures reproduced)
névé dumas: échos d’une colline
Ariane Roberge: 2082 / 2109/2286 (poetry)
Finn Douglas Drake: bridges (art)
Pearl Pirie: history flashes / recipes / ads / did you know?
Hannah Kaya Sideris Hersh: field manual / recipes
Dalie Giroux & Amélie-Anne Maillot: bestiaire
Ilse Turnsen & Marianne Labonté: fieldguide (poetry and art)
Genevieve Cloutier: chairs (art)
Madeleine Cloutier-Lynch: one after the other (song)
Hannen Sabean: the heavy coffin (short story based on local history)
anya: in the summer we can only go out at night
Marc A. Reinhardt & névé dumas: édition / impression
Jamie Ross: faerie magick

All in all a warm festive night thinking about how to make a future that’s healthy, connected, an act of listening to one another’s visions. There was talk of sequels. Time will tell.

Poets are coming though town March 24-30th. Ottawa’s VERSeFest has lectures, readings, workshops, and a slam at various venues around the city.

A bunch of subgenres are represented from Sanita Fejzic to Robyn Sarah on opening night. Gwen Aube with a first chapbook to Daniel Lockhart with his heaps of books Wednesday. An invitational slam and an open mic happen Thursday.

The new Common House university magazine gets a showcase Friday along with a VF feature night with Hajer Mirwal, Jérôme Melançon and Paul Vermeersch. Paul also offers a workshop the next day. Another workshop is offered Saturday by Sheri-D in hybridity. Plan 99 brings in some big names that day as well.

Sunday has a lion’s share of events with a haiku event starting at 1:30, then Factory Lectures Series, one my my fav events each year. The Hall of Honour returns to unveil an honorary award to a poet. Early show has Jumoke Verissimo, Lydia Unsworth from the UK and Nada Gordon. Late show has the much lauded Karen Solie, French poet, Alexandre Yergeau and Polish poet, Kacper Bartczak. Past the closing ceremony is a special Q&A on Monday at Carleton University with Karen Solie.