There has been
A tectonic shift
A great split
Within myself
That has seen
A part of me
Separate and drift away
To become a moon
That orbits my world
Far and out of reach
But always visible
A reminder of loss
In pale ivory white
Traversing the robin’s egg sky
what is this thing
that changes us from within
like some unseen season
that sweeps us away unaware
too late to know what to do
but to fight fruitlessly
or fall free to its gruesome strength
and be carried away
to who knows where?
it could be life
or sour circumstance
twisting us til our bones break
to force us into to new
and ungainly shapes;
but i would hide from it all
lock the doors and black the windows
to sit quiet and motionless
in the invisible safety of the dark
if only the walls were strong enough
to keep out the grasping hands
to keep out the fishing hooks
that would tear me from my shell
as a mollusk ripped into the sun
to die writhing in the heat.
there is no safe place
no house or secret skull
within which to find refuge
there is only exposure,
cold and hungry and electric
undying exposure.
My latest column in this week’s Winkler Morden Voice and Altona Rhineland Voice newspapers.
Bill C9
The Supreme Court of Canada defines hatred as: “Emotion of an intense and extreme nature that is clearly associated with vilification and detestation.”
The Court also explained that hatred refers to speech that: portrays a group as dangerous, subhuman, or worthless; encourages others to despise or mistreat the group goes beyond dislike, criticism, or offence.
What does NOT count as hatred under Canadian law –
The Supreme Court has repeatedly clarified that hatred does NOT include: mere dislike,
ridicule or satire, offensive or insulting speech,
strong criticism of beliefs, politics, or religion.
In simple terms under Canadian criminal law:
Criticizing or offending a group → legal;
Extreme vilification or dehumanization of a group → may qualify as hate propaganda.
C-9 keeps and clarifies protections for certain religious expression, but it does not allow religion as a blanket exemption for promoting hatred.
This defence applies only if the statements are made in good faith.
Bill C-9 does not remove this defence. The bill keeps the existing protection for good-faith religious discussion or teaching. In other words, the bill still allows:
The defence does not apply if the speech crosses into criminal hate propaganda, such as:
If speech reaches that threshold, religious motivation would not protect it.
When you are raised
In the dark
You take hold
Of the dark things
That you might
Not feel so alone
Though they consume you
Body and soul
Until you lay as bones
In the cave
You were born in
never stand
at the edge of a volcano
peering deep into the crater
mesmerized by that glow
and the impossible heat
or you might be lulled
by the promise of fire,
of obliteration entire
a burning siren singing out:
“step into the abyss
embrace the bliss
that is nothing at all”
One does not only climb a mountain
To see the spectacular views
You must always remember
The greatest falls happen
From the highest of heights
Can you feel yourself
As you tether near the edge,?
It’s just a small step
(Or a push)
To oblivion.
We haunt this house
We wander silent as ghosts
Peering around corners
W a t c h i n g
In the darker nights
We know where to step
Where board creaks
And stair groans
We see the sleeper awaken
In false loneliness
We haunt this house
Cold as ghoul’s bones
Pale as the uncaring moon
Lost amongst the familiar
I watched the lime tree
Wither up and die
And it felt familiar
Somehow
In an i don’t care
Kind of way
Like being dragged
To the ocean’s bottom
By concrete blocks
Tied round your ankles
And enjoying the fish
As the swim by…
Because it doesn’t matter
Just don’t fight it.
The lime tree never bore fruit
So maybe it was time to go.
Nice to see the collections still charting on the bestselling lists.