new from above/ground press: Prelude: selections from a collaboration by rob mclennan and Christine McNair

Prelude: selections from a collaboration

by rob mclennan and Christine McNair

$3

Arpeggio

When I reach my cabin fifteen minutes later, a rust-coloured deer is standing right in fron of it as if waiting for me. When she sees that I see her, she runs into the woods. I resent her all month for appearing at such a clumsily symbolic moment, on that is unusable in writing, as if to taunt me, she doesn’t show herself again.            

            Sarah Manguso

1.

Le Chantecleur or coq, au vin. Dipping my feet at the edge of the lake. Pascale tells me the hotel poisons the lake, pours liquid in. I’m indignant in orange lifejacket. Wet curls. We found no evidence.

I lose my contacts in the lake. The fish mumble. Wake from water blur faced and metal.

2.

To next fleur, chanson or chocolaterie. A cake my family ate in square portions, Cadix. The baker moves away and won’t teach the new owners how to make it. We adjust our palette. Settle for butterflies on chocolate crisp. Le Papillion.

Not simply some acres of snow.

3.

Lake swans, lake boats, only that’s not here that’s there. That’s a ride at some park. Here there are paddleboats. My feet get hit if I’m not paying attention. I pretend swans.

I have never been on a train. 

 

4.

Late songs on the deck.  Leaves, the yard spreads. A table of water.

Bare back to wood.

published in Ottawa by above/ground press

for a joint reading at The Dusty Owl Reading Series, Ottawa, July 15 2012

a/g subscribers receive a complimentary copy

Read rob mclennan’s article on their collaboration here.

Christine McNair's work has appeared in cv2, Prairie Fire, ditchpoetry.com, Arc, the Bywords Quarterly Journal, Descant, and assorted other places. Her first collection of poems, Conflict, appeared in May 2012 with BookThug. She works as a book doctor in Ottawa, is one of the hosts of CKCU Lit Landscapes, and blogs at www.cartywheel.wordpress.com.

Born in Ottawa, Canada’s glorious capital city, rob mclennan currently lives in Ottawa. The author of more than twenty trade books of poetry, fiction and non-fiction, his most recent titles are the poetry collections grief notes: (BlazeVOX [books], 2012), A (short) history of l. (BuschekBooks, 2011), Glengarry (Talonbooks, 2011), kate street (Moira, 2011) and 52 flowers (or, a perth edge) (Obvious Epiphanies, 2010), and a second novel, missing persons (2009). An editor and publisher, he runs above/ground press, Chaudiere Books (with Jennifer Mulligan), The Garneau Review (ottwater.com/garneaureview), seventeen seconds: a journal of poetry and poetics (ottawater.com/seventeenseconds) and the Ottawa poetry pdf annual ottawater (ottawater.com). He spent the 2007-8 academic year in Edmonton as writer-in-residence at the University of Alberta, and regularly posts reviews, essays, interviews and other notices at www.robmclennan.blogspot.com

To order, send cheques (add $1 for postage; outside Canada, add $2) to: rob mclennan, 402 McLeod St #3, Ottawa ON K2P 1A6 or paypal at www.robmclennan.blogspot.com