Take a second look …
The yellow eyes of the Saw-whet Owl are so startling, their gaze so steady, that we tend to ignore everything else. It’s easy to miss the trace of blood just below the owl’s bill, a smear of something that changes the way we look at the bird, that deepens our understanding of it. What discoveries might we make if we took that second look more often, if we trained ourselves to see?
Novels
Short Stories
Essays
Latest Posts
Derive or Drift: The Art of Exploring the City on Foot, Part One
In its root sense, the French word derive is a nautical term that comes from the Latin rivus or river. It means “drift,” as a canoe drifts down the river or a ship drifts out on the ocean. In the second half of the 20th century, certain French writers appropriated the term as the name of a new method—a strategy—for exploring the city on foot. According to the social critic Guy Debord (1931-1994), the most rewarding walks start without a preconceived route or destination. Instead, you should simply drift through the urban landscape by taking “the path of least resistance … Read more
Read More
Monk’s Day
Always a wizard of the unexpected, Lord Buckley introduced his meditation on the Supermarket by riffing on one of his great heroes. “This is Lincoln’s Day,” he says. “Tomorrow should be Lincoln’s Day, and the next day should be Lincoln’s Day, and we should have Lincolnville and Lincoln Park and Lincoln Lincoln, and it should be Lincoln Head City, because he laid it down tight and right and cool and crazy.” Truth be told, I’ve always felt the same way about Thelonious Monk, another great emancipator, another master, if I may say so, of the unexpected. That we should celebrate … Read more
Read More
Summer Sightings or Random Thoughts on the Sacred Quest
Every summer, I stop birding and turn my attention to butterflies and dragonflies. Now, as the season draws to a close, I feel an urge to summarize it somehow, to list its highlights and express its character. Was there anything strange or unique about this particular summer, any surprising development, that set it apart from all the rest? I should note that all my outings take place in the city of Toronto. I don’t own a car. When I go to a park or other type of natural area, I usually get there by foot or by bike. There are … Read more
Read MoreWinged Creatures Photo Gallery
