breth (Talonbooks 2019) the largest collection in bill bissett’s publication history, includes more than a hundred illustrations and visual poems, many of them appearing in print for the first time, as well as a foreword by fellow poet Tim Atkins (author of Folklore and On Fathers < On Daughtyrs), a bibliographical “a r c h i v e,” and an index of poem titles.
why dew magazines lie
bcoz th tenderest love has no image
bcoz peopul ar not perfect
bcoz peopul ask
bcoz peopul get afrayd
bcoz peopul dont want bombs
bcoz peopul dont wamt war
bcoz peopul dont want class struggul
bcoz peopul want a guarantee
minimum incum
bcoz peopul want love wch has
no image
bcoz peopul get crazd n confusd
bcoz peopul ask
bcoz peopul dont know why
bcoz peopul dont want to know why
bcoz th magazines ar ownd by th
ruling class
nd show to us an image we cant b
any uv us n who wud want to
ther attempt to frustrate us
ther attempt to control us
we beleev in our freedom our physical
love ball fuck cum th fire
take us thru indescribabul silvr th
gift nd th offring uv seed
th cradul th coffin clouds uv smoke
rising patterns uv mercury
in our lungs
sing thru th rain
halifax nova scotia
all th brave sailors what they had dun brave hous
wives what they had dun th ded n gone blunose
sailing vessel daze whn halifax was lustee n brawl
ing rich th ghost uv th sailor n th sea maiden lovrs
rising above th tides haunting th melodee uv all th
resting bones at th bottom shoal sea bed wher th
othr tresurs lay goldn next to th mor ivoree uv th
beechd n drownd peopul lament for th haunting as
th brekrs roaring onto th shore wher by a thin breth
we can b separatid from our safetees n join th deth
romance uv th sailors embracing each othr hugging
seeming to stare back at th curious eyez uv th
purpul spottid grey fish wer goin down my boy th
giant spray gushing into theyr lungs ther ar rubeez
undr th eyelids emeralds in th fingr bones arms
around each othr n th sunkn tresur uv th heart until
we ride agen
on partikularlee stormee nites whn we ar all inside by
th fire th long n recentlee ded sail agen ovr th main n
above th giant billows greet each othr across th great
tormentid sky we ar inside n that close to drowning
if th waves so whim it highr n loudr we heer th voices
cry n laff hi n stern jaggid tormentid n victorious dash
ing rocks to farthr oblivion hundrid metr waves tees th
holographee uv th jumping so hi n deft wivvering ghosts
spirits uv th departid from ths place erth borne can
we fix it celebrate holograph images ducking n
escaping agen from th leviathan waves laffing th
sounds uv echo in our freezing clapbord houses th
winds saw eezilee thru n into our skin fishing vessels
around th wharves down by th harbor wun wharf
namd aftr my grandfathr from inverness scotland i
was told tho akshulee from cape breton i was latr told
n his familee bfor that lunenberg n bfor that france
his ships saild to portugal but we live on universitee
avenue in halifax a bit inland n safer from th immediate
changes tho th ocean powr is inside us at our window
waiting n biting th glass
wher victor hugos dottr went mad trying to win ovr
a spurning lovr wher sum uv th ded from th titanik
ship wreck ar burreed in th graveyard on barrington
street whn yu heer th wind blow it duz that n th smell
uv th fish from th sea n from th cannerees nites uv fiers
winds yu dont go yu stay n listn to th howling n th sereen
lullabyes th astors ar bureed ther peopul always going
down to th harbor staring out to sea for hours my dad
wud sit in his car at th brek watr his eyez going far out
byond th atlantik horizon aftr a long enuff time did land
apeer or atlantis surfacing from th trench meditaysyuns
on th disapeering horizon fish smell sea gull shrieks al
ways announsing fresh storms at sea n detailing th kinds
uv bones bleechd on rocks what meet left on them n
howevr bleedid skraping against th bottom th sea takes
everything back th winds sum times sounding like
wraith creaturs suffocating for oxygen breeth into us
feed us life agen
neer wher into th big park my mothr n i wud go hunting
flowrs to take home she oftn wud look for laydeez
slipprs that was her favorit th flowrs wer a wondr for
her whn she was veree close to what we heer considr th
last veil i remembr she went down th sevn blocks uv th
avenue to th altr to place flowrs thru a blinding snow
storm walking gainst winds cumming home remembr a
pictur uv my mothr n fathr whn they wer veree young
both theyr hair strong theyr bodeez clasping in embrace
th winds raging with theyr hair my mothrs hair black
bfor th cobalt treetments turnd it grey full uv life they
both wer passyun n gladness smell th beautee sand
beech so much to remembr so much to forget let go
th love is reel still burning th flame thru th sky thru
th fog thru all th veils we pass thru changing n anothr
wun to pass thru change n let go til thers th seering
singing care offring sharing th vanishing time until
we ride agen my mothr
gone two yeers from th cancr settling into her lungs
heering fathr aftr a long muffuld silens sing out uv his
closd door bedroom IUM OKAAAAAAAY a great
street lamp sign into th void kay was my mothrs name
his fred mor silens n sobbing thn running watr n
kleening his teeth sumthing abt memorees an appul
n spruce treez thirtee mile view
uv th lake a hot plate on fire that wasint pluggd in
was my fathr out looking at th huge ocean its moods
deciphering praying for th sea maiden n th sailor
my parents themselvs all th lanterns blown out no
witnesses for th miracul themselvs riding th brekrs
soaring lullabyes th masts n th wreckage carnal
spirit lifting theyr great arms up above th spray aura
beem mor than sufficient lite crooning to th whales
th sea birds th sun rising n setting dansing above
th waves wings opn n lifting theyr hopes n daring
th prayd for futur a chorus uv drowning sailors
accompaneeing them escaping th undrtow into th
moon change until they ride agen n th wethr was fair
wun day my fathr tuk me down to th old court hous
in halifax n showd me wher peopul usd to get hung
didint happn aneemor a fairlee recent advans ther
wer still manee wars ths shud nevr b usd agen my
fathr sd abt th hanging place n thn he was tendr
confident whol not torn btween loyaltees as i latr
lernd peopul can bcum
wun nite aftr my first mothr died my sistrs stayd
out uv th hous til morning he was yelling at them
so much slamming doors all skreeming at each othr
he was mad violent bcoz they had boy frends calld
them names he had no wife me sticking up for them
him yelling at me as long as yr out tomorro not
undr my roof
i workd for him a few yeers cooking kleening left
whn i was legal age to go west he marreed agen but
she drownd n he moovd into a hotel th conflict dusint
mattr now tho it had its effects is that a definishyun
uv mattr all th childrn in ths strange land ths has
happend to brot up to b wun thing offishulee unmasking
wun aspekt onlee uv ther prson in or out uv anee familee
bfor he went into spirit i phond him he sd is that my
son bill he told me he lovd me n my sistrs took sum
yeers to get mellow but it did fathrs n sons born into
th distans a smiling fathr face in th clouds far from
wher a week bfor he died he came thru th front windo
wher i was living thn in a dreem whn i got th telegram
he was veree sick i calld th hospital in halifax from
robson street phone booth vancouvr th doctor came to
th phone sd ium sorree bill but yr fathr just died i was
crying closd in by th rain n glass now hes bizee with
othr things is fine sum blessings for our madness i
hope ium taking it aneeway that thats whats going on
wer disapeering into numbrless atoms n still want sum
human animal love to live n go with in ths sun bfor my
second mothr went into th ocean i herd she sd to th cab
drivr who tuk her ther pleez keep it wher ium going
i dont need th change
text bites
just yu just me just thee just evreewun is ar
th trewths uv th text its margins n infiniteez
th taktilitee uv th text carvd in our brains minds
souls duz th text ground yu round yu me th
turbulens uv th text its focus n disarray sway
th tempestuousness uv th text th tortur uv th
text th storee lines uv th text relentless trew
isms n realisms th hypnoses uv th text its tra
jektoreez intr textualis
th torment uv th text th terror uv th text no
th tremor uv th text th roar uv th text uhuh
th ovrwhelming tango uv th text uv th text uv th
text
sub th teeses uv th text th eez uv th text th
tautolojee uv th text th loosness its lostness
yes kon text ex t t see u a l
th x t uv th text textual vishyun vishyun x
panding
wrestuling with th text has th text got yu down
is it enscribing yu uplifting yu mooving yu en
kripting yu enrapturing yu imprinting yu th
taming uv th text
th candour uv th text its ardor armour amour
and or th testimoneez uv th text its lies n loop
holes omisyuns testes moneez its storees
loop d loop pooling poling polling th xtent uv
th text o text me text me on sum
regular basis
th heart uv th oxygen
4 david
sum scars almost
dsapeer with time
othrs can seem 2 take 4evr
nagio albrgayzee
stung by th moonlit stars
januaree tells evreething n
th frozn moon
raptur isint sew eezee 2 cum by
sumtimes yu need 2 try n sumtimes
yu need 2 stop trying
letting go uv all th narrativs uv
feers alarms n dwelling in sorrows
greef nothing is statik they say hard
n faithless shock th faithful heart also
soft n yielding what rest th heart get
alwayze pumping let sumwun hold it
letting go practise devosyun our
ruling classes oftn love powr ovr love
th erlee morning part uv sleep
is mystikul yu sd what tuk us ths
long going thru sew much trubuls 2
get 2gethr offerd 2 us touch th
changing but we dont care we ar
grateful
we ar heer now
veronika
if yu wer maypul n acorn treez winding down along
th desert sidebords whnevr telling whisprs mar
ginate all th dawn held trestuls is time n reefr op
ulens wun dayze at keest saving terribul times n
wanton soul trubuls for th leeward gains westrlee
rideages uv sum tufful remakes n coffee irritants
banging n windows ar kleening all th waftring
weasuls n hills sandblasts whn yu heer th waves
sing sallee wasint that th rimeing desire that held yu
rockd yu me i was wafr thin that day n soggn to
heer th bells play n th leevs growing biggr n tracks
layd n plans rearrangd n wallets n walnuts n wasint it
abt time for sum ecstasee raptur that cud beg
borrow th tremrling saw a baybee eagul up in
th tree a gud sign n thn met sumwun n thn it
was surely time to go afor i b late for th next pastural
timmr n sd sorrow to b going n th hills climbing
in th memoree gainfulee treepluxd n growing o lay
me ovr n down down i was wanting all nite no
wun els ther n i was watch king th moon moov thru
th treez moov thru th skies th plesides sum grammar
uv th manee verses i was observing pleets n mackerals
yello side wagering n tree planting th trellis bed
he wudint so verokia dew yu remembr
th rocking or wasint it all th sheep sew float
ing th colours all uv them litning th mess
uv th so okay ms takn circutree what to
call it boiling n thers a sea uv plen
tee tuk us to all kindling rise smile
n all nite n ther was no wun ther veroika did
she yu evr feel that yesss we all have
sallee n thats life dan sd my mothr told
me therud b daze like ths n went back to
helping th up fresh lee sprung pink
flowrs grow say managements they cum n
go but thees flowrs need sum loving
yes ther like peopul watr ing grayzing
tempul massage n blessing th orange winni
fred waxreef ordingum taste tralainggar
ius yarionteram manio send ing th
grammas uv th see tides tree lak words
uv th lavendr lightning didint yu
know trying to go forward going on
for words alone in th moon loting ring
ping with each tother remandr ing seek
out grip n tangoed waze n larkspur
hunee itul get bettr it can
originalee from lunaria ovr 300 yeers ago in lunarian time sent by shuttul thru halifax nova scotia originalee wantid 2 b dansr n figur skatr became a poet n paintr in my longings after 12 operaysyuns reelee preventid me from following th inishul direksyuns
― bill bissett
bill bissett garnered international attention in the 1960s as a pre-eminent figure of the counter-culture movement in Canada and the U.K. In 1964, he founded blewointment press, which published the works of bpNichol and Steve McCaffery, among others.
bissett’s charged readings, which never fail to amaze his audiences, incorporate sound poetry, chanting and singing, the verve of which is only matched by his prolific writing career―over seventy books of bissett’s poetry have been published.
A pioneer of sound, visual and performance poetry―eschewing the artificial hierarchies of meaning and the privileging of things (“proper” nouns) over actions imposed on language by capital letters; the metric limitations imposed on the possibilities of expression by punctuation; and the illusion of formal transparency imposed on the written word by standard (rather than phonetic) spelling―bissett composes his poems as scripts for pure performance and has consistently worked to extend the boundaries of language and visual image, honing a synthesis of the two in the medium of concrete poetry.
Among bissett’s many awards are: The George Woodcock Lifetime Achievement Award (2007); BC Book Prizes Dorothy Livesay Prize (2003) peter among th towring boxes / text bites; BC Book Prizes Dorothy Livesay Prize (1993) inkorrect thots.
It is with deep gratitude that we thank Adeena Karasick for letting our journal share the materials from the New York tribute to bill bissett, as well as for her selection of the poems.
Art work on cover page and in article by bill blissett.
