In one of the short prose pieces at the end of “violins in the wind”, Burns writes, “when you are a participant and taking an active role in things by definition that means it’s necessary for there to be some kind of deliberate action on your part some effort of will and that of course is the very thing I’ve worked so hard to remove myself from”. Which is exactly what you hear in these short poems and prose pieces. There’s a detachment here which in the strongest pieces comes to the surface like something raw: “I want to be granted the rights of an animal. I want to be preserved and protected. I want there to be laws against hurting me. I want to live in my own natural habitat, guarded ’round the clock.” In many of the pieces this detachment manifests itself in strange fantasies that are like carefully retouched photographs. There’s a strong element of reality persisting beneath the strangeness. In a prose piece called “A.I.” a man brings a plant home (the piece is narrated by the plant) and the plant grows and thrives. It eventually takes up cleaning duties and finally begins to redecorate. Then one night the plant pushes a tendril of itself into bed with the man and they make love. The plant becomes enlightened: “And suddenly I see everything in a different light, and *my* needs finally begin to assert themselves for a change. I start to complain about your lack of commitment and we quarrel over money…” and, well, you get the picture. There’s some very strong, albeit too often emotionally unsatisfying, writing happening here. Burns won’t be able to maintain his detachment forever. When he gives it up, watch out!
Chap-book / 69 pages / Publisher: Black Dog Press / Main Creator: Cliff Burns / $9.95 / 1142 – 105th St., North Battleford, SK, S9A 1S6