On 2014-08-05, at 12:38 PM, Jim Larwill wrote:
Hi Chris,
I was just thinking I didn't really have any chances this year to be whispering into your ear my Purdyfest mantra to you "It must be fun."
Old Comrade tired,
Raven whispers death,
Red sun in this river.
And I was also thinking how I didn't really get much of a chance to visit with you this year which is always one of my main reasons for making the pilgrimage to Zen River.
It seems to me one year we cancelled the symposium and that was for me one of the best Purdyfest. It gave a relaxed day at Zen River for Purdyfesters and a space and time for the informal connections and discussions Purdyfest is famous for.
In puppeteer's tent,
cricket keeps company;
So many dreams.
Lets face it we are getting old. If it wasn't for my son Ali driving me (partly a ruse to get him to attend with Georgia who, by the way, enjoyed the symposium very much), if it wasn't for Ali's support and the support of others I don't know if I would have been able to make it this year. But I am very very happy and glad I did. Thank you Chris Faiers. Thank you Cricket.
Melanie pushes me off wagon,
Dan's pasta-salad paints grass,
The Finn is telling bad jokes.
You did such a good job of everything this year it is a shame it was such a strain on you.
May Purdyfest rest in peace.
However, if you wanted to start a Zen River Acorn fest I would suggest purging all out of town organizers and yourself, putting Morley, Dan, and John in charge.
Red Frisbee floating,
sumac blooms whispering
Shaman cracks another beer.
Instead of a symposium maybe Ali and I could come and set up a Frisbee golf course for the weekend next year.
At Raven's Nest,
one lesson -
Death feeds birth.
yr old comrade Jim... aka... RK
signs are there to be read...
old hand
on blue maple-leaf
rests
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Chris's reply:
Many thanks for the comforting words, Raven King ; )
Chase & I finally bumbled out to ZRG just after noon, & Mel & Simon were in the throes of packing. We had a toast to the death of PurdyFest, then a toast to the rebirth of whatever comes next. Simon & Mel are such an August (or august) fixture at ZRG that of course they are planning on camping there again next summer. All of you add such a vibe to the place, & frankly, some of the various local spirits are a bit bored hanging out with just Chase me day after day. By the way, Mel's large 'pet' snake bit her quite badly on the hand this morning when she got a little too friendly with it.
a little blood
warning not to cross
too many boundaries
We rescued the dessicated turtle's shell from the main crevice on the sacred rock face.
mother turtle's body
wedged deep in
sacred old rocks
As always, the campers left the grounds of ZenRiver in immaculate condition.
hard to tell
where tents stood for days
First Nations respect
Many thanks for the cash - I'll spend it as unwisely as possible!!!!!!!!!!! (ask Simon & Mel next year). Simon & Mel were also overly generous.
Simon's parting hug
leaves cash in hand
& some accidental gifts (?)
Yeah, PurdyFests had a great run. The signs were there all week that this might be the final one. Both Terry & I were starting to consider this, & I just wish he'd been more in tune with his subconscious or whatever.
people remember bad stuff
sumacs never bother to learn
I hope everyone returns to ZRG next summer, & we'll do things a bit differently. Simon & I threw the football minutes before they drove off for Hamilton (Go, Tiger Cats!). Yeah, I'm going to quarterback a pick-up team next summer & pass some touchdowns ; ) Desi can lead the other team. Maybe Wilber. Or Dan can dig his croquet set out of storage. The river will be there, singing its dakini songs.
next summer
only the river
allowed to speak poetry
Oh, I did get to tour both John & Mary Lou around the stations of the cross at Greensides farm on Sunday. Then yesterday Patrick & I made the stations, only this time in the right sequence ; )
Indian pilgrims smile
when the big white man
joins their hymn singing
:Yeah, PurdyFests died with a bang, not a fucking whimper. Or maybe with John Bacher singing hymns with visiting pilgrims.
peace & poetry power!
Chris ... & Chase wrfffffffffffffffffffffffffffffff!
p.s. yes, I most definitely need purging!!!!! ... outhouse, here I come ...
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from Simon Aug. 5:
Melanie and I got home about three hours ago and had a BBQ in honour of the fun we had this year at Purdy Fest. 8. Many thanks to you Chris and Terry, Tai, and James for all the their work over the last 8 years.
It was something strange and deathly beautiful to be with Chase, Chris and Melanie at ZRG this afternoon (Tues. July 5th). Melanie and I were packing when Chris and Chase came upon us at Zen River Tuesday afternoon. I wish not to be morbid; however, we all had a toast to the death of PurdyFest and then a toast to the rebirth of what will come next!.
Bloody lines drawn
old friends cross
boundaries transgressed?
Mel and I are surely coming back to ZRG next year for the August long weekend. We love the camping and all the wonderful people we have met over the manyt years we have camped at ZRG. Next summer seems to be shaping up to be something different and surely FUN. We will be inviting some artist friends to come with us next August. :)
Chris I so wish more people gave you cash for what you have done :) Please spend the money we gave you as you "bloody" see fit :)
Parting hug of love
Cash and trash taken
accidental gifts NOT
Melanie and I will be returning to ZRG next summer and I assume things we'll be done a bit differently. It was nice to throw around the J5V CFL football with Chris before we drove off for Hamilton . . . YES . . . (Go, Tiger Cats Go!). Next summer I do hope Chris quarterbacks and passes some touchdowns ; ) AND YES, I hope Danny (a.k.a. Desi) can lead the other team with Wilber. :D . . . I also hope Dan can. "dig up his croquet set out of storage." :D
Thank goodness that the river will be there, singing its "dakini" songs NO MATTER WHAT! :D.
Summer to come
the river babbles
inspiring poets to speak
PurdyFests . . . can it ever really die? I think it will only transform into something forever relevant!
peace & poetry and performance power!
Simon
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from Jim Larwill (Raven King) on August 6:
Teaching Rock Visions or Conspiracy Theory Demons?
Zen River or Sabotage Creek?
Snakes are cold-blooded. If your fingers are colder than the sun on their back when you pet them, they bite. A legacy is not in the skin which has been shed, but is in the fragile and sensitive membrane which is forming past old boundaries. Leave behind what is transparent, withered, and now easily blown in the wind. Even if once it seemed to hold so much and all that you were, it is an illusion now draped over the very grass and rock which pulled it from you. That skin is nothing. You are nothing. Let the sun shine on this emptiness.
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On 2014-08-06, at 10:36 AM, Karl Jirgens wrote:
Chris,
Thanks for doing what you did with Purdy Fest - 8 years is a energetic contribution to Canadian letters!
It's events like this that keep writing and literature in Canada alive and vital!
Excellently done!
Very best wishes,
Karl
Dr. Karl E. Jirgens, Editor, Rampike Magazine
Dept. of English Language, Literature & Creative Writing
University of Windsor
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