I had the pleasure of being on library shift with Wakefield’s Village poet emeritus, Phil Cohen. Phil started in New York City, went to MIT in engineering, and somehow ended up Quebec by 1984.

{…] real people here too on the other side of the man made wall.
Internal Meanderings
Odd
isn’t it,
That whenever I slow down
I find people just like me,
And
they too have a place called home
And friends
Just as I do in my world
Phil’s a big deal in town, with his birthday celebrated as part of February’s Dragonfest. There’s a DVD of his poems in tribute. He has at least 2 books. One of his poems was the source of the name of the TaDa arts fest.
He says there are big P poets who do it for a living, small p poets who do it seriously and no p poets like him. He says poetry is in the living, and in involvement in the community.

A delightful chance to talk. He knows everyone and is happy to share his stories. He found my book and asked me to read ones to him.
I found his book and he asked me to read one of his. Read one over at my instagram.