By Ian French
but I have seen him kneeling
in the green temple
head bowed
hands deep in sacramental soil
heard him whisper blessings
over tender seedling
incanting
the spirits of sun and wind
and rain
watched him pour holy water
on parched earth
calling forth a tornado of Trumpet Flowers
Black- Eyed Susans
and Queen Anne’s Lace
cigarette
a glass of scotch
rapture
on his upturned face
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IF’s poetry is a shout-out to the sacredness of our days, a three-chord party jam, and a tribute to the triumph of love over fear. A prolific writer of page poetry, IF is also a two-time Canadian National Slam Poetry Champion, winner of the Buffalo International Slam, and subject of the full-length CBC documentary, If The Poet. He and his partner divide their time between Montreal and a cabin in the woods of North Ontario.