Literary Selections - Round 2
Jane Crossman
Donna Faye
J.F. (Jim) Foulds
Rick Garrick & Bob McKay
Marianne Jones
View Literary Selections - Round 1
As part of the Prince Arthur’s Landing public art plan, a variety of literary selections will be integrated throughout the park, creating opportunities for moments of reflection along the shores of Lake Superior. The park also contains a selection of cultural and interpretive signs.
The literary works for Round 2 were selected through an open competition, and embody the spirit, history, geography and culture of the land of Northwestern Ontario as told through the experiences of individuals who have lived or spent time in Thunder Bay. Fabrication and installation of the works are part of upcoming tenders and the selections will be installed in the coming months.
First Sighting
I’ve travelled on foot
from the west
days, weeks, months
over mountains
across plains
through forests
until this sea,
surely a sea
so vast, so extraordinary,
stalls my forward trek.
I shall rest here for a day, a season,
perhaps forever.
~Jane Crossman
Location: Sleeping Giant Parkway
Homecoming
Our grandparents brought their countries with them
In surprisingly small suitcases
To make new homes,
But settled
unsettled.
Their accents gave them away.
Ghosts of those old newcomers
Pass us on the streets and sidewalks
Happy to see their grandchildren
At last
Home.
~Donna Faye
Location: North Courtyard Ramp
On Prince Arthur's Landing, 2011
What do I see?
Seagulls wheeling, sailboats soaring, a lighthouse watching
the harbour
while grieving elevators now strive to stand sentinel tall.
What do I hear?
trains shunting, skateboards somersaulting, a sea bashing
a breakwater
and an aboriginal giant stirring.
~J.F. (Jim) Foulds
Location: Children's Garden Ramp
Lake Superior Métis
Commercial fishing by day
Lighthouse keepers by night
Freezing fish in the early winter cold
On racks at the foot of Red River Road
Towing people to safety
From mighty Superior’s raging storms
Fishing well into December
On early winter’s freezing waters
Sailing home from the lighthouse
During breaks in Superior’s heavy winter seas
~Rick Garrick & Bob McKay
Location: Market Square
january
The grudging january light
uncovers balsams and snow
in black and white:
a winter monochrome,
elegant and cold
in a gallery of ice
~Marianne Jones
Location: Waterfront Promenade South
Breathing
The city is newborn each morning,
Early light setting the harbour on fire.
God’s breath hovers
Above the lighthouse, the gulls, the giant,
The streets with their sleeping cars,
The empty parking lots downtown.
Gulls walk on the ice
And the Canada Geese return north.
This is the holy hour
Before the noise of coffee grinders and news reports
Before the testosterone of traffic and commerce.
This is the moment to breathe in,
To be filled to overflowing.
~Marianne Jones
Location: Waterfront Promenade North
