(March 2004) Page 2
(March 2004) Page 2
 RICHARD VALLANCE About Richard Vallance Born in Guelph, Ontario, Canada, March 11th., 1945, Richard is a member of AuthorsDen, under his family name, Richard Vallance Janke. A graduate of Wilfred Laurier University (1968) and The University of Western Ontario (MLS), he is fluently bilingual in English and French, and reads Spanish and Italian, ancient Greek and Latin well. He wrote his first poems at the ages of 17 and 18, in 1962-63. For years, Richard wrote mainly in the field of Library and Information Science. At Chicago, in October, 1983, he won the $1,000 Data Courier Award for Excellence in Online Published Papers for an article in Online, Vol. 7, no. 5. Poetry: While he wrote some 200 poems before the age of 47, since then Richard has composed over 1,500 poems. His first published poem was, “Lasts the First Light”, in Arts and Literature Review (Canada, 1972). In 1998, he published his first full book of poetry, A Quilt of Sonnets: Forty Four Familiar Poems, Ottawa: Providence Road Press, © 1998. 56 pp. ISBN 1-896243-07-x. In February, 2001, Richard founded his first poetry discussion group, Describe Adonis, for sonneteers. We have since grown to 10 poetry, art and digital photography groups, which you may find at our discussion forum: la nouvelle Pléiade = The New Pleiades ©. Richard's poetry page is Poesie’s laissez-faire Faire Foire, a clearing-house for poets from nations like Canada, the United States, the United Kingdom, Ireland, France and the Netherlands. PLFFF features sonnets and contemporary poems, updated quarterly, a links page to sites of other poets, and grants the monthly Prix laissez-faire Faire Foire Award . PLFFF is a member of Phenomenal Men of The Web: Arts & Humanities . Richard is the Editor of 2 Canadian poetry E-Zines. These are advertised monthly at the end of The Vallance Review in Poetry Life and Times. In the Winter of 2003, a third E-Zine, Kawasaki Zen Haiku, will be a showcase for haikuists. Since September, 2001, Richard has been the poetry reviewer for Poetry Life and Times, which features the monthly Vallance Review. He is also regular contributor to the same E-Zine. Richard is also often featured with the U.S. Amerindian E-Zine, Autumn Leaves. CD-ROM Books:1. The New Millennium Dawn Anthology (Kedco Press): 10 of Richard's poems were included in Millennium Dawn: an Anthology of Award Winning Fantasy Stories, Poetry, Novels etc., Kedco Studios Press, Las Vegas, NV, © 2002 ISBN 1-878431-38-2. 2. Richard’s latest CD-ROM book, Canadian Spirit Voices, © 2003, ISBN: 1-878431-44-7, is in its final pre-publication stages, and will be published by Kedco in the Spring of 2003. You may view a summary of the book here: Pre-publication Notice. To contact the author, please e-mail: Richard Vallance (Yahoo) (for inquiries on our poetry discussion groups) – OR – Richard Vallance (Activator Mail) for poetry-related inquiries or submissions to our Canadian E-Zines). |
Lapis Lazuli © Richard Vallance, February 24 2004* Calchas, the sacred priest of Apollo of the Silver Darts in Homer's inimitable epic, "The Iliad". This is a paraphrase of Calchas' claim that, as Apollo's seer, he was able to see things no other mortals could, things not only present, but past and future too, revealed to him by the great god, his mentor, Apollo.
Howlings © Richard Vallance, January 6th, 2004* Weendigo is the "Iceman that cometh", according to Ojibway and Algonquin legend, and freezes to death any unwary soul foolish enough to wander out and stay out in the cold. 13 Toss more and more logs into my Yukon stove; it howls too! Whew!January 6, 2004: 4:45 a.m. as the first violent Winter storm sweeps over Ottawa, Canada's Capital City, on the edge of the Ottawa River and just across from the City of Gatineau, Quebec, itself only a few kilometres shy of the formidable, cold and dark Gatineaux Hills, forbidding and wild, where wolves lurk and wander, even now in 2004, as they have for Centuries, throughout the Winter, and where snowy owls hoot, hoot all night long for months on end. If you don't think it's spooky, frigthening even, think again. You wouldn't ever want to get lost in those hills. You might not ever survive one night in the dead of Winter. Dogs Paws Down © Richard Vallance, February 10th, 2004[1] That's "notes" to the "hoi polloi". "Hoi polloi", that's "unwashed masses" to the unwashed masses. [2] You may ironically smile, or guffaw or split your ribs, but please don't simper and snicker. CATS HATE THAT! [3] Cheap, obviously, because after your cat shreds your Persian rug to bits, it won't be worth a Looney (that's 75 cents --- used to be 60 cents -- but dogflation of the greenback has been clawing it down, hah hah --- or a Canadian buck to Americans eh?) [4] That's your français = French or "frog talk" to English Canadians, or "Liberty" to Americans. [5] One stupid guess and you're right the first time. [6] There are usually lots of those, fusses, that is, when your cat deliberately sets out to drive you nuts, which she delights in doing just because she knows she will (drive you nuts, that is). [7] Grammatical rule! Before "i" (even in brackets), "a" becomes "an" (though for the life of me, I or eye can't figure out why...) [9] Never fear! Though your cat most likely thinks you a jerk, you're a "poor jerk"... she takes pity on your poor deranged human soul, which she has all her life made sure has gotten good and deranged. [9] Sooooooooooo! Don't know what "cynosure" means? Look it up. I had to. [10] Don't delude yourself into thinking your cats care if you're a man or a woman, male or female, whatever, so long as you are his or her SLAVE. My Carousel Home is:
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Jan Sand in New York
JAN SAND, poet and illustrator from New York, is a regular contributor to Poetry Life & Times and the newsgroup alt.arts.poetry.comments. A great deal of his work is about animals, or science fiction. Recently Jan was published by Kedco Studios Artist Profile Press, on their latest CD ROM e-book, "A Way With Words (Poetry Real and Surreal), which also includes complete books by Dale Houstman, Sara L. Russell and Keith Gabriel Hendricks. Jan's illustrated book on the CD is called "Wild Figments And Odd Conjectures", which is also sold separately, in a limited-edition "single" CD.
To see an illustrated article about Jan's poems, visit the November '98 issue of Poetry Life & Times, and scroll down past the Editor's Letter. He also has his own poetry pages on Charlotte's Web at Artvilla.
Once upon a rainy day While my mind filled with dismay I heard a clacking at my door, A clicking, quacking I'd deplore. I’d thought, a first, it was the post Which fills mailboxes coast to coast With awful offers, credit cards, Advertisements by the yards. But no. I’d found, damn the luck, It was just a rain soaked duck. A creature I’d want to ignore. But then, Iet it in my door. It climbed upon my wife’s bust. She’d viewed the bird with disgust. But nothing then could dislodge it. I told us that it’s name was Blodget. It said it was a prince in spell That a witch, which lives in Hell, Had turned him “zip" into a bird. (A claim I’d thought, at first, absurd.) But he’d shown a winning smile –– One to convince and beguile. And so, a time, he’d lived with us. His first name, he’d said, was Gus. He told us tales of palace love, Of kings and queens –– heavens above!, That copulate in cockeyed ways But were quite proper at the days. My wife and I listened entranced But then I'd learned she was romanced By this fowl erotic bird. Shortly then it had occurred They’d both escaped to the south seas While I go mad by degrees. RECOGNITION © Jan Sand
The man approached And shook my hand And said, “It’s nice to see You’re still around.” And walked away. He left me in surmise, “Who could that man be?”, I thought in wide surprise. His stride was unfamiliar, His face a total puzzle. I must admit A little bit I think I know his muzzle. I’ve seen it on My uncle’s dog Who’s dead ten years since. Could it be He knew me When I called him “Prince”? I walk a bit more wary now For I never know. Will someone come Up to me That I knew as a cow?
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