Hi Robert,
Returned just an hour ago to Marmora, where I live, from TO (Tuesday, July 17th). It's prob. too late to send you anything of use for your NOW article, but I'll go ahead anyway (always hard to shut up poets!) Usually when I visit TO I 'go dark' re the web, emails & my blog, etc. . Apologies.
A small group of us gathered by Robert Burns' statue at the eastern end of Allan Gardens at 4 pm on Thursday, July 12th, in advance of the launch of Milton Acorn's new selected, IN A SPRINGTIME INSTANT, at the Parliament St. Library.
I was the second to arrive, by College Streetcar, and I noticed the familiar shape of Kent Bowman's head (the cap is the giveaway) leaning against a giant hardwood. Soon after Terry Barker, Anna Yin, Peter Rowe, and Guy Ewing arrived. David Day flew up on his bicycle, and Honey Novick traipsed in from Sherbourne Street. So we were a small gathering of poets, and I showed Anna the statue's friezes, explaining, best as I could, how Robbie Burns was a people's poet, who wrote in the common dialect of the Scots people, rather than in the 'high' English which had been required of poets to that time.
Anna filmed my awkward attempts at explaining Robbie, and then Terry Barker began holding forth on the history of Milt & Joe Rosenblatt reading poetry at that spot in 1962, much to the amusement and contempt of the gendarmerie. Milt was given several tickets for pubic disruption (or whatever), and returned week after week to read his People's Poetry. One week he decided to read from the Bible's Solomon's SONG OF SONGS, and he still received a ticket.
While Terry filled in the historical context, Honey noticed the volume was rising from a group of street people clustered under another nearby tree. She said, "Chris, that sounds like it's getting serious!", and I told her not to worry, it was just street people getting a bit hot & bothered in the late afternoon heat.
Suddenly all hell did break loose - a short white guy grasping a bicycle was punched to the ground by several First Nations young people, and the most aggressive of the group was about to kick the guy in the head. Guy Ewing, who is probably shorter than I am (at last official measurement, 5 foot 6) stood up, as did I, and shouted for them to stop. I stepped forward, and a wild-haired young Native came charging at me, threatening, "Do you want to be next!?" I held my hands out, palms up to show I didn't want to fight, but yelled to stop kicking the guy in the head.
The victim had dropped the bicycle, and ran into the middle of Sherbourne Street, where he proceeded to sit in the middle of busy traffic in protest to his assault. Several of us got him back to the curb, where he sat with a female friend, but soon he ran back into the middle of Sherbourne, where apparently he was struck by an SUV. I looked up to see him being dragged, literally kicking & screaming, at high speed until he fell into the road.
I rushed up to ensure he was off the busy street, and he curled into a fetal ball at my feet. I stroked his shoulders, comforting him, & called out to several passers-by to call the cops and an ambulance. From start to finish of this pitiful episode, it took both the police and the ambulance staff at least 20 minutes to almost half an hour to put in a reluctant appearance.
I rubbed his back & comforted him for what seemed like 10+ minutes. My positioning was such that I was (hopefully) both a comfort and a restraint, if need be, to prevent him from running back into the traffic. It was hard to tell how injured and psychotic he had become from the assault (which bloodied his face & possibly tore an ear lobe) and then being struck by the vehicle (the driver refused to stop - an obvious hit-and-run, altho I suspect the police held little interest in apprehending the driver who hit a street person).
Several poetry comrades thanked me (and Guy Ewing) for taking quick action, and later commented that we may have saved the 'bicycle thief's' life bypreventing him from being kicked in the head and then by getting him off the street and comforting and restraining him from further crazy actions.
So that's my garbled version of the great streetfight at Robbie Burns' statue last Thursday. I've had 2 beers since returned from the drive back to Marmora, so this may be a bit garbled & hurried. Hope it's of some help, & not too late.
The dinner at THE YOUNG THAILAND RETAURANT after the visit to Allan Gardens was a welcome relief from the afternoon craziness, and of course you experienced the love & respect for Milt at the Parliament St. Library launch. It really was 'old home week' for poets - I connected with some old CLM (Canadian Liberation Movement) comrades (Milt was a member) and a poet I had featured at the Main Street Library Poetry Series I'd coordinated some 30+ years ago. Last time I saw Andrew Brooks he was a young 20ish student, and the still-handsome, but balding 50 something man greeting me, was a pleasant surprise!
Terry told me later he sold 21 copies of Milt's books at the launch, and on Sunday I attended Julie McNeill's 20th anniversary poetry fete at her cute cottage off Victoria Park Avenue, Many of the same guilty parties were in attendance at Julie's partee, and we anticipate many of the same group & many more willshow up in a couple of weeks time to further honour Milt at "AcornFest" here in Marmora.
Hope all this helps. Written a high speed, fuelled by Zywiec beer, ...
The line from Milt which keeps haunting me when I relive that crazy afternoon is: Knowing I live in a dark age ... over & over I hear this line in my mind's eye ... knowing it to be too true ...
Thanks, Robert, for attending Milt's evening. Milt always considered you an exemplar of Canadian People's Poetry, as he did a substantial number of other poets in attendance that night.
best wishes,
peace & poetry power!
Chris (Faiers)
check out my blog for stuff on "AcornFest', etc.
http://riffsandripplesfromzenrivergardens.blogspot.com/
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
On 2012-07-13, at 11:47 AM, Robert Priest wrote:
Good to see you Chris. Too bad I missed the event in the park. Can you write me up a bit of a description of it? Feel free to be expansive but be aware I'll either pick a line or two to quote or sum it up. Always hard to tell how much ink they will give me. It would be interesting to know who was reading and what they were reading when you had to stop. Also why there was a fight. Do you have a favorite line of Milton's that comes to mind that might evoke him at his best and that relates to free speech and the whole resonance with occupy? Really good to see so many people out at the library.—RP (Robert Priest)
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Chris: This can be expected in Allan Gardens. It is a seedy rundown area where the marginalized like to hang around. As bad luck would have it the reading in front of the Burns' statue was marred by violence closeby. The Garden is a contradiction in terms with that splendid Victorian greenhouse, the rundown Victorian mansions now gone to seed as rooming house for those unfortunate souls down on their luck. A lot of history in the area of the park. I must say that Burns statue is fantastic, a real tribute to the Scot's bard. Anyway, just to say you and the group are doing good work in keeping the spirit of Milt alive and the park should be used for summer poetry readings so I trust that violent incident hasn't turned you and other off for having readings there. best/jr (Joe Rosenblatt)
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Hi Joe,
No, definitely not a turn-off for me. I lived on the streets of the UK for 3 years (1969 - 1972) - I've had my nose broken several times in street altercations (Yankee prof Ed DeArmon punched me down the steps at Ryerson in the mid-1970s & permanently rearranged my face (the fucker died a year later of a heart attack after we had him charged with assault), I put an East End punk in hospital a year or so later in a 'game' of tackle football in the east end of TO, etc. etc. - so I've had far more than my fair share of getting involved protecting others in assaults of this kind. Kind of adds to the poet maudit mythology in a bizarre way ...
Yes, the idea of summer poetry readings in Allan Gardens is a great idea. Have to think on this one ...
21 copies of Milt's new selected were sold at the launch ... thanks again for helping inspire this latest ...
peace & poetry power!
Chris ... and Chase ... Wroooooooooofffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffff! (thanks for being such an understanding advocate of dogs!)
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Hi, Chris.
Great to meet you, too.
Thanks for sending the piece about the reading in the park, although you may have exaggerated my role a bit.
I was very struck by how, when the guy was sitting in middle of the street, Honey kept saying, "We have do do something to help that man," then went over with Kent to talk with him. We all had the same impulses, acted on them at different times and in different ways, encouraging each other. Collective intelligence. "Beginnings of wit."
Be well.
Guy (Ewing)
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
On 2012-07-17, at 8:13 PM, Chris Faiers wrote:
Hi Guy,
Great to meet you, altho the circumstances weren't ideal : ) Following is my mythologizing of the great 'riot in Allan Gardens' (at Robert Priest's request for part of an article in NOW mag on Milt's launch). Hope next time we meet won't be as adventurous!
peace & poetry power!
Chris ... and Chase Wroooooooooooooooooooof! (my shih-tzu on steroids)
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
July 19/12
Hi Again Guy,
Yes, the different responses and response times were interesting. It was Honey who had the most sensitive antennae - she noticed the developing squabble, which developed into a vicious assault, before any of the rest of us. And it was perhaps Honey who showed the most concern & empathy with the victim of the assault.
But it was you and I who stood up when the victim was about to be kicked in the head, & it was you who shouted to the assailant to stop! I stood up at the same time, & was about to intervene, but you DID IT! Which may have saved the victim from serious head injury (altho he may have received damage anyway, despite our intercessions).
Yes, interesting concept, COLLECTIVE INTELLIGENCE! We all responded a bit differently, but the overall effect was to stop the victim from further serious injury. I've experienced this kind of thing before at a couple of poetry readings. Once at a reading at The Beaches Bookshop (Carol Malyon, proprietor). A drunk businessman wandered by the open door on Queen St. in the Beach, & he blustered in and started haranguing about poetry. I rushed him, as did George Miller and Eric Layman (both of them quite huge, me small). The idiotic businessman stumbled back outside at this display of unity among a group of people (poets) he obviously thought were a bunch of nincompoops, incapable of defending their turf and intellectual/spiritual activities. WRONG!!!!
until we meet again,
peace & poetry power!
Chris ... and Chase ... wrffffffffffffffffffffffffffffff! (I'd have bitten EVERYBODY on their butts!!!)
p.s. I've posted some of our email correspondence on my blog - hope this is OK? - part of documenting/recording Canadian People's Poetry - 'as it happens'
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Returned just an hour ago to Marmora, where I live, from TO (Tuesday, July 17th). It's prob. too late to send you anything of use for your NOW article, but I'll go ahead anyway (always hard to shut up poets!) Usually when I visit TO I 'go dark' re the web, emails & my blog, etc. . Apologies.
A small group of us gathered by Robert Burns' statue at the eastern end of Allan Gardens at 4 pm on Thursday, July 12th, in advance of the launch of Milton Acorn's new selected, IN A SPRINGTIME INSTANT, at the Parliament St. Library.
I was the second to arrive, by College Streetcar, and I noticed the familiar shape of Kent Bowman's head (the cap is the giveaway) leaning against a giant hardwood. Soon after Terry Barker, Anna Yin, Peter Rowe, and Guy Ewing arrived. David Day flew up on his bicycle, and Honey Novick traipsed in from Sherbourne Street. So we were a small gathering of poets, and I showed Anna the statue's friezes, explaining, best as I could, how Robbie Burns was a people's poet, who wrote in the common dialect of the Scots people, rather than in the 'high' English which had been required of poets to that time.
Anna filmed my awkward attempts at explaining Robbie, and then Terry Barker began holding forth on the history of Milt & Joe Rosenblatt reading poetry at that spot in 1962, much to the amusement and contempt of the gendarmerie. Milt was given several tickets for pubic disruption (or whatever), and returned week after week to read his People's Poetry. One week he decided to read from the Bible's Solomon's SONG OF SONGS, and he still received a ticket.
While Terry filled in the historical context, Honey noticed the volume was rising from a group of street people clustered under another nearby tree. She said, "Chris, that sounds like it's getting serious!", and I told her not to worry, it was just street people getting a bit hot & bothered in the late afternoon heat.
Suddenly all hell did break loose - a short white guy grasping a bicycle was punched to the ground by several First Nations young people, and the most aggressive of the group was about to kick the guy in the head. Guy Ewing, who is probably shorter than I am (at last official measurement, 5 foot 6) stood up, as did I, and shouted for them to stop. I stepped forward, and a wild-haired young Native came charging at me, threatening, "Do you want to be next!?" I held my hands out, palms up to show I didn't want to fight, but yelled to stop kicking the guy in the head.
The victim had dropped the bicycle, and ran into the middle of Sherbourne Street, where he proceeded to sit in the middle of busy traffic in protest to his assault. Several of us got him back to the curb, where he sat with a female friend, but soon he ran back into the middle of Sherbourne, where apparently he was struck by an SUV. I looked up to see him being dragged, literally kicking & screaming, at high speed until he fell into the road.
I rushed up to ensure he was off the busy street, and he curled into a fetal ball at my feet. I stroked his shoulders, comforting him, & called out to several passers-by to call the cops and an ambulance. From start to finish of this pitiful episode, it took both the police and the ambulance staff at least 20 minutes to almost half an hour to put in a reluctant appearance.
I rubbed his back & comforted him for what seemed like 10+ minutes. My positioning was such that I was (hopefully) both a comfort and a restraint, if need be, to prevent him from running back into the traffic. It was hard to tell how injured and psychotic he had become from the assault (which bloodied his face & possibly tore an ear lobe) and then being struck by the vehicle (the driver refused to stop - an obvious hit-and-run, altho I suspect the police held little interest in apprehending the driver who hit a street person).
Several poetry comrades thanked me (and Guy Ewing) for taking quick action, and later commented that we may have saved the 'bicycle thief's' life bypreventing him from being kicked in the head and then by getting him off the street and comforting and restraining him from further crazy actions.
So that's my garbled version of the great streetfight at Robbie Burns' statue last Thursday. I've had 2 beers since returned from the drive back to Marmora, so this may be a bit garbled & hurried. Hope it's of some help, & not too late.
The dinner at THE YOUNG THAILAND RETAURANT after the visit to Allan Gardens was a welcome relief from the afternoon craziness, and of course you experienced the love & respect for Milt at the Parliament St. Library launch. It really was 'old home week' for poets - I connected with some old CLM (Canadian Liberation Movement) comrades (Milt was a member) and a poet I had featured at the Main Street Library Poetry Series I'd coordinated some 30+ years ago. Last time I saw Andrew Brooks he was a young 20ish student, and the still-handsome, but balding 50 something man greeting me, was a pleasant surprise!
Terry told me later he sold 21 copies of Milt's books at the launch, and on Sunday I attended Julie McNeill's 20th anniversary poetry fete at her cute cottage off Victoria Park Avenue, Many of the same guilty parties were in attendance at Julie's partee, and we anticipate many of the same group & many more willshow up in a couple of weeks time to further honour Milt at "AcornFest" here in Marmora.
Hope all this helps. Written a high speed, fuelled by Zywiec beer, ...
The line from Milt which keeps haunting me when I relive that crazy afternoon is: Knowing I live in a dark age ... over & over I hear this line in my mind's eye ... knowing it to be too true ...
Thanks, Robert, for attending Milt's evening. Milt always considered you an exemplar of Canadian People's Poetry, as he did a substantial number of other poets in attendance that night.
best wishes,
peace & poetry power!
Chris (Faiers)
check out my blog for stuff on "AcornFest', etc.
http://riffsandripplesfromzenrivergardens.blogspot.com/
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
On 2012-07-13, at 11:47 AM, Robert Priest wrote:
Good to see you Chris. Too bad I missed the event in the park. Can you write me up a bit of a description of it? Feel free to be expansive but be aware I'll either pick a line or two to quote or sum it up. Always hard to tell how much ink they will give me. It would be interesting to know who was reading and what they were reading when you had to stop. Also why there was a fight. Do you have a favorite line of Milton's that comes to mind that might evoke him at his best and that relates to free speech and the whole resonance with occupy? Really good to see so many people out at the library.—RP (Robert Priest)
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Chris: This can be expected in Allan Gardens. It is a seedy rundown area where the marginalized like to hang around. As bad luck would have it the reading in front of the Burns' statue was marred by violence closeby. The Garden is a contradiction in terms with that splendid Victorian greenhouse, the rundown Victorian mansions now gone to seed as rooming house for those unfortunate souls down on their luck. A lot of history in the area of the park. I must say that Burns statue is fantastic, a real tribute to the Scot's bard. Anyway, just to say you and the group are doing good work in keeping the spirit of Milt alive and the park should be used for summer poetry readings so I trust that violent incident hasn't turned you and other off for having readings there. best/jr (Joe Rosenblatt)
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Hi Joe,
No, definitely not a turn-off for me. I lived on the streets of the UK for 3 years (1969 - 1972) - I've had my nose broken several times in street altercations (Yankee prof Ed DeArmon punched me down the steps at Ryerson in the mid-1970s & permanently rearranged my face (the fucker died a year later of a heart attack after we had him charged with assault), I put an East End punk in hospital a year or so later in a 'game' of tackle football in the east end of TO, etc. etc. - so I've had far more than my fair share of getting involved protecting others in assaults of this kind. Kind of adds to the poet maudit mythology in a bizarre way ...
Yes, the idea of summer poetry readings in Allan Gardens is a great idea. Have to think on this one ...
21 copies of Milt's new selected were sold at the launch ... thanks again for helping inspire this latest ...
peace & poetry power!
Chris ... and Chase ... Wroooooooooofffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffff! (thanks for being such an understanding advocate of dogs!)
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Hi, Chris.
Great to meet you, too.
Thanks for sending the piece about the reading in the park, although you may have exaggerated my role a bit.
I was very struck by how, when the guy was sitting in middle of the street, Honey kept saying, "We have do do something to help that man," then went over with Kent to talk with him. We all had the same impulses, acted on them at different times and in different ways, encouraging each other. Collective intelligence. "Beginnings of wit."
Be well.
Guy (Ewing)
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
On 2012-07-17, at 8:13 PM, Chris Faiers wrote:
Hi Guy,
Great to meet you, altho the circumstances weren't ideal : ) Following is my mythologizing of the great 'riot in Allan Gardens' (at Robert Priest's request for part of an article in NOW mag on Milt's launch). Hope next time we meet won't be as adventurous!
peace & poetry power!
Chris ... and Chase Wroooooooooooooooooooof! (my shih-tzu on steroids)
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
July 19/12
Hi Again Guy,
Yes, the different responses and response times were interesting. It was Honey who had the most sensitive antennae - she noticed the developing squabble, which developed into a vicious assault, before any of the rest of us. And it was perhaps Honey who showed the most concern & empathy with the victim of the assault.
But it was you and I who stood up when the victim was about to be kicked in the head, & it was you who shouted to the assailant to stop! I stood up at the same time, & was about to intervene, but you DID IT! Which may have saved the victim from serious head injury (altho he may have received damage anyway, despite our intercessions).
Yes, interesting concept, COLLECTIVE INTELLIGENCE! We all responded a bit differently, but the overall effect was to stop the victim from further serious injury. I've experienced this kind of thing before at a couple of poetry readings. Once at a reading at The Beaches Bookshop (Carol Malyon, proprietor). A drunk businessman wandered by the open door on Queen St. in the Beach, & he blustered in and started haranguing about poetry. I rushed him, as did George Miller and Eric Layman (both of them quite huge, me small). The idiotic businessman stumbled back outside at this display of unity among a group of people (poets) he obviously thought were a bunch of nincompoops, incapable of defending their turf and intellectual/spiritual activities. WRONG!!!!
until we meet again,
peace & poetry power!
Chris ... and Chase ... wrffffffffffffffffffffffffffffff! (I'd have bitten EVERYBODY on their butts!!!)
p.s. I've posted some of our email correspondence on my blog - hope this is OK? - part of documenting/recording Canadian People's Poetry - 'as it happens'
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
