When we cross the sea,
It is the distance from our past we cross.
(from the poem “Exile,” by Donald Hall)
I Between Dawn and Dusk
Stage Left: Pierre Trudeau gives Liberal
leadership victory speech, April 1968,
in Ottawa.
Stage Right: Justin Trudeau
gives eulogy for his father,
October 3, 2000, in Montreal.
My first thoughts this night
Having won leadership …
It’s so crowded and hot,
But, more to point,
This night brings
Great honour …
Some thoughts
Of growing up in his shadow,
Its rather large cast …
There’s some of that …
Poem, in its entirety, is available in the printed version of the current issue.
Bio:
After retiring from teaching high school English and English as a Second Language, Glenn Arthur Sweazey moved to Ottawa from Toronto. He leads a local group of writers, “In the Company of Writers,” when they meet twice monthly. He also teaches Newcomers Conversational English once a week at Ottawa’s Main Library. One past work includes a verse novel manuscript, The Lost Papers of Tom Thomson.