from Patrick Connors new book from Mosaic Press
The Other Life
April snow billows and blows
but goes nowhere, with drifts
just long enough to cause accidents
which change lives forever.
Blustery wet wind rattles rooftops
topples and tears down trees
older than the neighbourhood around them
and makes small dogs pensive.
Springtime in Canada means we watch
children play hockey in outdoor rinks,
millionaires play baseball in domed stadiums
and say, "I can't wait until it's really Spring!"
It is planting seeds in unreceptive soil
hoping to make life out of nothing -
cold, cracked hands the mark of your labours,
and you know that the trying is worthwhile.
praise for Patrick's new book, his first major collection:
from Mosaic Press website
George Elliott Clarke, “Pat Connors is an unpretentious and unassuming a poet as his hero, that bard of the everyman and everywoman, Al Purdy.”
Bruce Meyer, “Here is a voice whose precision, sense of focus, grace, and economy of language, are brought together in poems that are memorable and gifted. The beauty of these pieces is that if you blink, you will miss them. Keep your eyes open, and watch as Connors runs through his memories and his vision of what life can be.””
Dr. Georgia Wider, “…a collection of accessible meditations on hockey and hotdogs and friends and faith. His work is local, tactile, and specific in imagery…Connors speaks in the language of a working-class hero, a true people’s poet.”
Robert Priest, “Patrick Connors deceptively plain spoken poems give us a man in need of unadorned truth…he lays bare the heart and hopes of a seeker whose urge to reach the true light of faith refuses to be distracted by baubles and trinkets. It is refreshing to read these poems of spirit.”
Max Layton, “Strong, forthright expression of abiding faith.”
Lillian Allan, “Here’s a writer who spends much creative-time facilitating opportunities for other writers, so it’s indeed a happy occasion to see his first collection take shape.”
John B. Lee, “…the writer is attentive to the betterment of the self, and through the example thereby becoming an inspiration to others through what the written word aspires to achieve. Poetry becomes a beacon to follow driving inward and illuminating interior darkness, the lifting that cup of light to lips for the speaking and to the ear for the hearing.”
Stanley Fefferman, “…Connors courageously puts on paper what’s in his heart about himself and what he cares about: poetry., hockey, religion, family, politics and love. His plainspeaking is supported by a craftsman’s attention to detail.”
Patrick Connors has been a mainstay of the poetry scene in Toronto for many years. His contribution and his commitment to the poetic life of the GTA and beyond is well known. The Other Life, his first collection of poems, establishes him as an original and distinctive poetic voice. His considerable reputation is already well established and this volume will be read, enjoyed and cherished by his many admirers.
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