Monthly Archives: May 2012

You Catch My Breath

Posted on May 31, 2012 by Nor

Bit by bit, I’m manufacturing a volume of poems tentatively titled You Catch My Breath.  The poems are a series of flashpoints from a rambler’s perspective, out and about, solitary and speculative, witnessing Toronto from a poet’s puzzled, curious, engaged, and entertained … Continue reading →

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DEAD LINE (Two)

Posted on May 28, 2012 by Nor

“Noreen,” she said. “I just found out Deirdre’s dying. She probably won’t make it through the weekend. I’m really worried and want to know whether you’ll drive up and see her with me.” Her breathless, hurried voice rattled me and … Continue reading →

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DEAD LINE [One]

Posted on May 22, 2012 by Nor

I meant to write about death, only life came breaking in as usual. —  Virginia Woolf The woman has been dead a month. I have a few hours to turn it around, the obituary I am writing, before my editor … Continue reading →

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Angelica Garnett

Posted on May 17, 2012 by Nor

I got bumped by Virginia Woolf’s niece this morning. Fetched the newspaper and carted it up to bed with my coffee. Opened up the obituaries page, expecting to see my piece on Canadian Aboriginal activist Lillian McGregor, but instead discovered … Continue reading →

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Jane’s Walk: Dance in celebration to Jane Jacobs

Posted on May 15, 2012 by Nor

Death and irony, that’s the theme of today’s blog post. And Jane Jacobs is the headliner. Last weekend my partner, Heather, and her 81-year-old mother joined me on a “Jane’s Walk” in Toronto, one of several held each spring to honour … Continue reading →

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An infant daughter’s death sentence

Posted on May 1, 2012 by Nor

My sister Deirdre turns 60 this month. She wasn’t expected to live longer than five years. Born in 1952, she was the second daughter held by my 21-year old mother, with six children to follow. Right from the start, Dierdre … Continue reading →

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