POETRY & CANADA DAY
& Canada's Poemtown: Cobourg
What would Canada Day be without poetry? A desolate blandland? But not in Cobourg, Canada’s Poemtown. This is the town where poetry is etched onto picnic tables and distributed throughout the community for people to enjoy.
To date, POETCHRY has produced 14 picnic tables with poetry etched into their tabletops. That’s as many lines as in a sonnet. There are tables of nature poems, women’s poems, peace poems, Town Crier poems, short stories from Blue Denim Press, and from Spirit of the Hills Writer’s Group, from retired Ontario Superior Court Judge, James Clarke, from canon poets, Archibald Lampman and Susanna Moodie. The Bard Table of 14 Shakespearean sonnets.
The Susanna Moodie picnic table curated by Cobourg Collegiate Institute students now resides on the grounds of the Cobourg Museum. Tables are distributed throughout Victoria Park, Rotary Harbourfront Park and the Cobourg Ecology Garden. One more table was added to the mix on Canada Day.
The Cobourg Collegiate Institute Student Anthology was unveiled in front of thousands of poetriots and the Poetburo of our Poemtown community. The “I Put the Lit in Literature” tapestry was lifted high to unveil the new picnic table. Minutes after the ceremony, it was swarmed by curious citizens. York Bell-Smith, emceed the ceremony, exhorting the people to search out the tables throughout the waterfront.
Unveiling at 4:44 mark. Video by Pete Fisher.
POETRIOTISM ON PARADE
It wouldn’t be Canada Day without a parade; likewise, it wouldn’t be a full and complete parade without a Poetry Float. So, in the middle of the parade, a shiny red pickup truck appeared with a picnic table of poetry mounted on the back at a tilt so people could see the tabletop with the etchings.
Units of Verse of the Universe, Carol-Ann ‘Rainbow’ Caswell and Caroline Towler display the message
Thousands of Poemtown citizens, the Poetariet, cheered on the picnic table of poetry as it passed though the main street of Our Poemtown. Two students carried the banner reading, PICNIC ON POETRY, and a mini-bicyclist ran circles around the truck with a bright sign reading POETRY IS POETENCY as it went down the main street. Of course, there was the placard, POETRY RAISES THE STANZA OF LIVING, which is etched on the edge of the tabletop.
Unit of Verse of the Universe, Gage Towler, runs textciting circles around the truck bearing the motto of the glorious Imagine Nation of the Peoples Republic of Poetry
Poetriots On Parade, 2012 was the first time that the Creative Intelligence Agency of the glorious imagine nation of the Peoples Republic of Poetry put Cobourg’s Poet Laureate, Ted Amsden, in the parade in a Porche convertible. https://cobourgtown.blogspot.com/2012/06/poetriots-on-parade.html.
Heather Glennie poses by the shiny red truck before the parade begins.
Dave Glennie, arborist & half of POETCHRY waves to the crowds
Poetry as show business. Why not? Poetry is a brand, just like milk. There are many sub-brands of milk, but collectively they brand and promote milk. Likewise, poetry should be a brand embedded into the social fabric of a community via picnic tables, park benches, sidewalks or other public domain venues. Wherever there is a surface is a poetential venue. Create the unexpected. Who ever expected to discover poetry etched into a picnic tabletop? It’s serendipity in a public park.