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<\/a>\nPETER VAN TOORN, and NANCY SMITH,
\nat the ubiquitous Greek diner,
\nin the Mt. Royal \/ St. Laurent section of Montreal, ca. mid-to-late, 1970s.
\nyeah, he was a little bit older – than me \/ but we both came from recent immigrant English-speaking families.
\nPHOTO: Collection Nancy Smith<\/p>\n
I knew him very well during the period when he wrote what was to be – his last published book \/ a great work, a collection with the depth of, of . . knock-knock-on-that mountain, solid-as-rock & wide as the sky, almost sing-songs \/ original poems, & which also included some absolutely brilliant translations \/ of other poets’ classic, historic poems, the book titled . . . ‘MOUNTAIN TEA’.<\/p>\n
I painted the watercolor, that was printed in gray-scale, which graced the cover of the original<\/strong> first edition. as well I contributed the cover art for a few other books – he put out – with various collaborators, all under the creative whirlwind of Vehicule Press \/ then an Indie artist \/ writer start-up, in Montreal, and which has gone to become almost an institutional powerhouse, that it is – today.<\/p>\n to be an English poet in Montreal, especially in the French language rights era of the 1970s, PETER, still relatively un-sung in the Canadian mainstream media \/ in only the way a country like Canada can treat it’s best \/ don’t<\/em> get me started \/ was the leader of the English talent pack, and will be – forever. PETER VAN TOORN, ‘MOUNTAIN TEA & Other Poems’, the first edition \/ with my watercolor, reproduced in gray-scale, on the cover. Peter wanted a tea pot, but one that was rural, a peasant utility – in a campfire metal, but that still spoke “Chinese” (!!), and, was designed to .. pour widely, as diverse as the ground the poems, yet elegant with homespun, heartfelt generosity. the original watercolor is all rendered in earthy tones of dark greens 7 ddeep blues, with a hint of turquoise, and jade. It’s night<\/strong> time, it’s time to pour a warm cup of tea, on a circular woven folk art mat, flecked with ‘listening’, and spin some tuneful, poetic thoughts – up, into the night sky.<\/p>\n “I can tell fresh milk from fresh flies, IF, you know anything about me – you know, there I go.<\/p>\n he also inscribed a good-bye gift, a vintage hardcover book on Mexican Folk Art \/ published 1966 (!!),
\nwas to be a unique & stubbornly contrarian voice . . .
\na collective subconscious cultural landmark, a cry, a burning vision, a voice, which not only embraced the poetic whole of Montreal, but which would also not be – denied.
\ndown with DNA – up with poetic truths. <\/p>\n
\nA brilliant, brilliant poet, who preferred to look inwards, and knock, knock out those poems – working, and re-working them, for years, really, until they sung like tapped glass, or spun copper – sturdy as the old metal typewriters, on which he tapped, tapped them out – til they were rendered with pure hardcore perfection, and, . . . meaning, like a wondrous pebble – skipping across the cold, cold surface, of a blue, blue . . . lake.
\nsee: <\/strong>PETER VAN TOORN (1944 – Oct 6, 2021) – Wiki <\/a><\/p>\n<\/a>
\nsee: <\/strong> VEHICULE PRESS<\/a>
\nsee: <\/strong> History of VEHICULE PRESS<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n
\npublished by McClelland and Stewart, Toronto. 1984.
\nCover illustration: Watercolour by NANCY SMITH, photographed in black & white by G. SZILASI.<\/p>\n
\nI can tell nice ties from nice guys,
\nI can tell good from bad weather,
\nI can tell apples by their blush,
\nI can tell trees from their green gear,
\nI can tell who’s broke from who’s flush,
\nI can tell hefty, from handy, I can tell nothing about me . . ”
\n– the first verse from PETER VAN TOORN, ‘Mountain Dragon’, translated from VILLON,
\n‘MOUNTAIN TEA’, pg 81. <\/p>\n
\nto me, just before I departed for the unknowns – of NYC.<\/p>\n