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Fare Trade
Issue 14 Summer 2010

by Penn Kemp

beanfeast

I would eat local food only were it not for temptation.
A green invitation of open avocado in emerald halves. 
An alluring variety of mango hot to eye, cool to tongue.
 
The seduction of dark chocolate.
The slurped fulfilment in oyster.
The simple necessity of rice.
 
Otherwise, I would be content with my yard's fall produce.
But having tasted the world's fare, how to return unjaded
to simple pleasures that this ground offers?  Beans.

Corn.  Squash.  Corn.  Beans.  The three sisters thrive.

Yes, I will eat local food mostly.  Except for.  Accept.  Except...

No one claims carrots for their own.  But banana.  Or chocolate.  No
chicory compares to café au lait.  ¡Ole!  Import coffee; import tea!

Import taunt!  On to political rant:  our food too cheap,
our farmers ruined.

Our eyes closed, we rest easy, spoiled ripe fruit in the docks,
turning sleepy to sun-rotten.  Given so much, we reach for more

even when over full.  Poems break off as the lunch bell rings.

Don’t miss “Serendipity and sound forms ”, Helen Carmichael’s fascinating review of a poetry celebration with Penn Kemp and Susan McCaslin, also in this issue.


Penn Kemp

Sound poet Penn Kemp performs in arts festivals world-wide, including the wonderful 2004 Goddess Festival in Glastonbury. Among her publications are 25 books of poetry and drama, ten CDs and six videopoems as well as Canada's first CD-ROM: sample www.myspace.com/pennkemp, http://www.mytown.ca/pennkemp/ and www.ditchpoetry.com/pennkemp.htm. In happy collaboration, Penn presents her Sound Operas live and archived on "Gathering Voices", chrwradio.com/talk/gatheringvoices . Her latest CDs are "Helwa!", from Suite Ancient Egypt and Darkness Visible and two DVDs, Luminous Entrance: a sound opera for climate change action and, forthcoming, Viva la Vida (de Frida Kahlo).  Penn's fascination with Egypt led her to visit twice, once with other metaphysical teachers, and again as tour leader. An intrigue with ancient mythology has taken her on many such journeys, in search especially of Black Madonnas. The Association of Canadian Studies sponsored Penn's reading tours throughout India and Brazil. http://mytown.ca/poemforpeace/ includes the video of Penn's "poem for peace in many voices" and, in audio, many of 128 translations. Through Pendas Productions, she edits and publishes poetry book/cd combinations: see http://mytown.ca/twelfth/ and www.mytown.ca/vivalavida. The League of Poets proclaimed Penn one of ten foremothers of Canadian poetry.  Muse/news is monthly updated on www.mytown.ca/pennletters.

 
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Brighid in Sweden

 If you enjoyed Kirsten Brunsgaard Clausen's article about Brighid's Runes in Sweden, in our Winter 2011 issue, you might like to see this video - the celebration of Lucia in a Swedish church ceremony last December.

 


 

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