From the Archive: bill bissett (CAROUSEL 18)

Staff/ August 4, 2020/ Poem

BILL BISSETT

ther was a strangr

cum 2 town   that long
purpul nite      all th

kiyots gone 2 sleep
evreewun was krashd

yu cudint see a thing
th fog was sew cum in

th smothring blankit

th knarlee perls in
th sky   promising what
yu cud nevr get heer

sum say ther was a
barn door   creek   in

th aweful moon lite   sum
herd a roostr crow   way

b4 dawn  ther was a
strangr cum 2 town

sumwun was missing
from theyr bed   n   nevr

came back ther   wasint
it me   did sumwun cum

4 me   that long purpul
nite      did my life evr

change   th ground was hard

our horses swet a lot n
th sage lit up th road

out

bill bissett was born in Halifax, NS, and started publishing in the 1960s. The author of more than 60 books of poetry, he is also a painter and musician. Known for his unconventional writing style and spirited performances, his collections of poetry include Th influenza uv logik (1995), Loving without being vulnrabul (1997), Scars on th seehors (1999), narrativ enigma (2004), and northern wild roses (2005). bissett founded blew ointment press in 1964, which published contemporary writers. As a musician, he has composed songs and lyrics for the band the Luddites. His awards include the George Woodcock Lifetime Achievement Award and the BC Book Prizes Dorothy Livesay Poetry Prize. More at: billbissett.com

ther was a strangr
appeared in CAROUSEL 18 (2005) — buy it here

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