remembrance day: musing on war and sacrifice

remembrance day has always been an ambiguous day for me. good memories : an hour in the rain under a gazillion umbrellas, proudly listening to my daughter singing a song with the girl guides at a remembrance day celebration; or a lovely morning 17 years ago when my then-boyfriend, now-husband were walking up and down… Continue reading remembrance day: musing on war and sacrifice

understanding war

the idea of the warrior has been very interesting to me in the last few months. the idea. this sentence does not mean: for the last few months, i’ve been exciting about becoming a soldier. on one extreme, there is this image, or platonic ideal, of the noble, principled, disciplined, courageous and hopefully often victorious… Continue reading understanding war

“for to carry you to freedom”: a remembrance day song

in a few days, november 11, it’s remembrance day here in canada, or veterans day in the U.S. many wars were and are still being fought, and many struggles. writing a novel about a slave on a louisiana plantation, one of the struggles that is foremost in my mind is the one against slavery in… Continue reading “for to carry you to freedom”: a remembrance day song

the last remembrance day song for 2007: canto libre by victor jara

yesterday i promised you a translation of victor jara’s canto libre. here it is (and here is the MP3 version). my verse is a dove looking for a place to nest. and with a roar it opens its wings to fly, to fly.   my song is free and wants to give itself to whoever… Continue reading the last remembrance day song for 2007: canto libre by victor jara