This (And That Was That)

JonArno Lawson

¶ JonArno Lawson's poem And That Was That is reminiscent of Robert Creeley's early poetry. In terse and playful lines, a speaker describes a conversation, the subject of which is never stated. Instead the subject is only described as "this" or "that." The poem's power lies in the fact that we assume we know what the conversation is about (it's pretty obvious..."Let's / give this / another / chance"). Of course, we can all guess, but in the end the only thing that matters is that the conversation happened. That lingering ambiguity is what makes the poem.

 

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Jonarno Lawson has seven books to his credit, including Black Stars in a White Night Sky, which received the 2007 Lion and the Unicorn Award for Excellence in North American Poetry, and a 2008 Moonbeam bronze medal for his book A Voweller's Bestiary. Lawson's books for adults include Inklings and Love is an Observant Traveller, as well as his contributions to an ethnography of the Chechen people, The Chechens: A Handbook. He has a book of poetry forthcoming from Kids Can Press in 2010. He lives in Toronto with his wife and three children.

 

2009

3.125" × 4.875", 32pp. 100 + A-Z copies.
$50
ISBN: 978-1-894744-25-6

 

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Colophon:

The text is hand-set in 14pt Cloister Old Style, with the same from polymer for the wrapper. Page stock, cover and wrapper are Arches Johannot.