it is early morning
and light is only beginning to slip over the silhouettes of home

i stand at my window looking out over the back lane to the house across the way
surrounded by a tall fence with grape leaves trailing its porch rails

an elder couple lives there
from this fourth floor i've seen them

on Fridays they light candles
flames flicker into long evenings
they dine with place mats and full sets of cutlery
He often putters in the kitchen
She waters foliage on the back deck

This morning their long white shade is drawn three quarter down
and in the window i see a reflection
of my own worn out apartment
and the figures of two people
crouched, sitting legs stretched
underneath the overhang below my view
in the back driveway
near the garbage cans
and recycling

i am watching
their reflections move
unknowing of my gaze

in silence as the he of this two
takes a blue thick elastic from a partly torn pocket
rolls his sleeve
binds his arm
and beckons his veins to open

city poem

black crows
rain and rain
magnolia blossoms
peppercorn streets
flint for hymn
-- arias in this hearbreaking city

Check out the Gabriola Art Tour - Oct. 11, 12 & 13th

(Link to info here)

Sometimes it's good to switch gears. Take a break from the frenetic rhythm of city living. We live in such a beautiful province, our ocean coast so softly scattered with lush islands. I plan to escape to Gabriola over Thanksgiving and check out the many artisans living and working on "island time." Maarten Perera, owner of The Slice of Life Gallery, has been kind to include a couple of my works in his exhibit "A Murder of Crows - and other Crimes." I've thrown a few poems his way too and hear he is painting/creating a backdrop for the one I call Rain. Coming soon by the way, the rain that is - sigh, how i do "love this beautiful, heartbreaking city.

on an empty stair
outside a door with chipped paint
and a crack in the glass
a woman sits

she hasn’t put food out for the cat
for over a week
but still
she cares

a man walks by
flicks his cigarette
puts the ember out with the heel of his boot

she feels sorry for the dying light

"In the Neighbourhood" at Turks coffee shop on Commercial Drive

I am pleased to present "In the Neighbourhood" currently exhibited at Turks Coffee Lounge at 1276 Commercial Drive. Linda and Brian Turko are keen supporters of local artists and I am thrilled to have my first solo show hanging in their cafe. Turks is a community unto itself. Stop by to see this art show, drink some damn good coffee,and pick up on the local vibe. "In the Neighborhood" will be running until July 31st.

(See the slide show for a sample of some of the artwork currently exhibited)