Willows Revisited

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166I started the poem and its going to be called. Duck Dinner at Willowsin keeping to our tribute to Willows, and I'll finish it tonight after we see how the dinner goes, and if necessary one of us can always slip back and touch a match to it. But I dont see why we have to do that if, as Mr. Middleduck suggests, it is taken as read, even Ifits not taken as burned.Middleduck: Mr. Chairman, I think this is all highly irregular."Swivel: Its a bit irregular, all right. You dont suppose, Mr Waffle,you could give us something else. What about that one you were tellingme about called Spring?Bessie Udderton: But Spring has nothing to do with Sarah or with Willows. It's an innerness poem.Swivel: Could you call it Spring on Sarah's Grave?Bessie Udderton: I'd rather not. This isn't exactly a vegetable garden.Swivel: Call it Springtime at Willows?Bessie Udderton: Will I have to write it up on my scroll? Its all done up with these ribbons.Middleduck; "You will unless you want to be irregular.Bessie Udderton; All right. I'll recite it now, and then I'll write it up and slip it under the coffee while the rest of you are finishingup. This coffee is almost boiling. The trouble with buffalo chips is that they are slow. They glow fright once you get them started. Somebody should have brought some old shingles or something.Swivel; That fire's plenty big enough. Come on, recite.Bessie Udderton: Springtime at Willows by Bessie Udderton. They know me best underthat name.New peas, and bean and baby beets, Must still awaitI'm sorry. I forgot. This has already been published in Vestal Verses.Middleduck: Now I know she's irregular.
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167Swivel: Let It go. If you send in Duck: Dinner at Willows to the Department, or better, hand it in to me, I can fix things. In the meantime, what about you, Dr. Bedfellow, seeing that you're here? Have you got something?Bedfellow; Seared Land. Seared Land. Seared Land!Swivel: I hope, Doctor, you are not going to give us your Seared Land.The Department expects us to do something new for this occasion. Theydon't want to publish something which has been published before. Itsa waste of public money. They are pretty tax conscious these days.Anyway "Seared Land" hardly applies to Sarah and Willows which a ourefforts here today are more or less expected to do.Bedfellow: Ch I wasn't going to give them Seared Land. I wouldn'twaste Seared Land on that bunch if they printed it in gold leaf.Swivel; Seems to me I've heard that remark from you before. Haveyou got anything that's fit to go Into ordinary print?Bedfellow: I've got something here fright, and I dont mind telling you it's called, Willows Revisited, Ouch! And I'll tell you anotherthing, its done in rhyme.Swivel: Apart from your calling it Willows Revisited even if you addOuch to which I object and which will have to be changed even if I have to do it myself, just what has rhyme got to do with It?Bedfellow; Its Mother Goose stuff. Anybody can write poetry thatrhymes. It's the mark of poor poetry. Shakespeare didn't rhyme, and most of the moderns dont rhyme. Swivel: Did this man Spenser rhyme?Bedfellow: Sure, and so did the rest of them and that's why they tossed their stuff after him. It wasn't worth keeping. And if you think I'm keeping a copy of Willows Revisited, Ouch, you're damn well mistaken.
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Swivel;. I dont think this is the place to dlscussjlt. This whole business of to rhyme or not to rhyme is open to debate, anc3 I'm willing to meet you any day you decide and debate it. But not here. I know your Seared Land is highly ammm regarded by some who like that sort of things but on the other hand I know you have written some excellent bird poems n in which, I am willing to admit the rhyme is as good as anything I myself have done.Bedfellow; You know I hate birds.Swivel: Well, we wont be bothered with birds here this morning. They couldn't fly in this wind. Bedfellow: They could crawl.Wraitha Dovecote: Pilt, are you quite sure there are no snakes. Snakes crawl, dont they?Middleduck; Mr. Chairman, I rise to a point of order. Bessie Udderton: I'm hungry!Jones-Jones: I've got a Muse here if he'll Just get going. Swivel: Play it and to hell with it! The Muse:What comes? What gives? what now the gist? The poet, or existentialist? One never knows, these men of learning, Are hanged twixt cosmic mind and yearning, They tread not earth nor touch the stars, But shout their longing from afar, In tortured verse -~but we shall see, Speak, Piltdown Man, with Ph.D.Swivel: Go ahead, Doctor. Remember its to deal with Sarah or Willows.Bedfellow:So this is Willows! Call this a town?I dont suppose I've ever been in a place that is more rattletrap and run down,And I've certainly been places.
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169Broken implements, coal sheds, a beer parlor that serves warm beer, And as for faces �Hells Bells --I haven't seen a woman's face in all five blocks, That worn, stop clocksISo this is Willows I Just why anyone would want to Iive here forgets me,Especially anyone with any vestige of Freudian id,And what gets me even more is how anyone likeSarah managed to keep alive here as long as she did.Get that damned coffee out of the way. I want to burn this, and I just want you to know I'm not keeping a copy.Swivel: Its Just as well, Doctor,, the Department will never stand for that one. Dont even bother burning it.Bessie Udderton: Put it on, Doctor Bedfellow, we're out of chips and its almost boiling. Wraitha Dovecote;Cows! Whiter than shrouds, Swifter than clouds,Beautiful cows!I greet you!Middleduck: Oh but Miss Dovecote, you cant recite that. I wrote it.It's from Noah.Wraitha Dovecote; I wasn't reciting it, Mr. Middleduck. I was justquoting it. I know you wrote it, but it just struck me as so appropriate. The sky and chips and things.Middleduck; In that case?I thank you. I didn't think you hadread my Noah.Wraitha Dovecote: Oh yes, all last week. Pilt, I thought I heard something in the grass. Pilt, are you quite sure there are no snakes? The Muse:So that was it! I gathered from his look, He'd seize occasion here to blast the snearth, Or at least some bird for once I was mistook, He touched no stars, but certainly trod earth;
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:5':Swivel; How on earth did you get an extra Muse in there?Jones-Jones; The truth is, I'm not altogether sure. These kids at the office did It for me, and this one at least seemed to have an idea as to what Di^Bedffellow might say. I should have gone over it more carefully. I was in a hurry and they finished it only yesterday at noon. Just let me run the rest of this - seeing we're finishing up. I meant to check it. The Muse:So hall thee, Prof, the hour was 3pent Not quite asleep, but somnolent, And barring sound of wind and grass I heard but little. As in class This talk of Shakespeare, Spenser, cows, Has lulled me into usual drowse; Though splendid stuff to grace a thesis, For me at least it spells amnesia:But Piltdown Man's poetic surge, Awakens once again an urge, And primate, barely anthropoid, Calls loud to me In warmed-up Freud.Wraitha Dovecote: Pilt. I'll bet that damn-cat Muse was oncea student of yours.Bedfellow: Are there any Home Economics graduates in your office, Jones?Swivel: Is that all there is to it, Mr, Jones-Jones? Jones-Jones: I think so. I'll just try it.The Muse:There was a young girl of Nantucket, Who lived in a-Jones-Jones: Sorry, its those darned girls. I should have checked it.Eessle Udderton: Well, I never Bedfellow: Why didn't you let her finish, Jones?Wraltha Dovecote: Pilt! You're being obscene!Bedfellow: Remind me, Wraitha, to tell you that one about theyoung girl from Trail.Mr Middleduck; Mr Chairman, I move that the Muse be deleted from the
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171minutes.Swivel: Dont worry!Bessie Udderton: Its boiling! �Swivel; We're all hungry, Mrs. Waffle, I'm sure. And we'll Just windup this part of the program and have lunch. Now we have all had ourturns and I think, on the whole we've done very well. There's noone left to recite and we'll Just sing the National Anthem and thenwe'll ----Bedfellow: What about this guy?Swivel: Which guy? Where did he come from? Purpge Potatok; Me? Swivel: Yes, you!Purse Potatok: Me I come too. Me I'm dee-pee. Is name Potatok. I come too.Swivel: You cant come too. Look, Mr. Deepy, this is a private party. We are holding a meeting.Purse Potatok; Sure, I know. I come meeting.Swivel: But you have to be invited to this meeting. You have to get a notice.Purse Potatok: Sure. I get notice. I got him here.Swivel: But I did not send you any notice. You say your name isDeepy?Purse Potatok: Name not Deepy. Name Potatok. Is Purge Potatok. InRooshia is not Potatok. Is Podolnik. I make him English. I make himCanadian. In Rooshla is Podolnik; in here is Potatok. Is same. MeI'm dee-pee. Two year, tree year, I come Rooshla. I no go back. Discountry good. I'm dee-pee. Bedfellow: He means he is a D.P. He's one of the New Canadians. Swivel: But how did he get the notice?Purge Potatok: I get him dis morning. Wind blow him on fence. He come
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172my farm. I live dere. I come too. I get notice, So soon I get notice^ I make come too. Is my farm dere. Bedfellow: Where?Purge Potatok: Dere. I come too.Swivel: Mr. Potatok, I'm sorry, but you cant Just come too. You have to be a writer to come this meeting. You have to be able to write poetry. You know what that is? You savvy poetry?Purse Potatok: Sure, I know. In Rooshia I write poetry in Rooshian. In Canada I write poetry in Canadian. Is same. Me dee-pee. Swivel: Did you ever hear of Sarah Binks? Well, we're here to readverses about her. And we're going to have lunch shortly. Purge Potatok: Oh sure. Me poet too. I bring lunch. I bring notice. I bring poem.Bessie Udderton: What did you bring for lunch, Mr. Potatok? Swivel: What poetry did you write, Mr Potatok? Purse Potatok: Sausages, plenty. I write Boy Cow.Bessie Udderton; What kind of sausages, Mr, Potatok? Swivel; Have you got Boy Cow with you?Purse Potatok; No got. No write. Got in head. All time got poetry in head.Bessie Udderton; Did you make the sausages yourself, Mr. �Potatok? Bedfellow: I'll bet he's got those in his head too. Purse Potatok: I make him myself. I smoke him my self. Is very good sausage. Is Just like Rooshia. You want I should say Boy Cow? Maybe you write. Maybe I trow on fire. You want sausage, Misses? Bessie Udderton: I'd certainly like to try them. Of course I dont want to rob you of your lunch, but if we could just have the least bit.
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173Swivel: Mrs. Waffle, could you just let this matter of sausages go for a moment. We want to get this matter of his poem settled first. It's Just possible that the Department would not like to pass upthe opportunity. After all there's just six of us. We could try him out, and some of us could put it into English. Mr Deepy, you got anything else except about cows? Have you got any poems about Sarah Binks or about Willows? After all, you live here. Purge Potatpk; You want I should say, Dis Town of Willows? Bedfellow: What about this Boy Cow? Wraitha Dovecote;"Cows, whiter than clouds, Swifter than ploughs Beautiful Boy-cows, I greet youMiddleduck: You've got it wrong, Miss Dovecote, its not beautifulboy-cow.Bedfellow: Shut up, Wraitha, I'm Interested in this D.P. Let himdo his stuff. Go ahead Deepy! Give us Boy Cow. Swivel; Give us your This Town of Willows, Mr. Deepy. Purge Potatok; Is Potatok. Is dee-pee too.Swivel: Well, go ahead, Mr. D.P. Potatok. I'm sorry we haven't gota Muse for you like the rest but then how could we know you werecoming. Come up close to the fire anyway.Purge Potatok: Is called Dis Town of Villows.la Villows, dis, I tink dis town she's good, I tink she's got good pool-hall �I no play, Is cost too much, but beer-room maybe should Give like in city coupons; den some day I catch him nuff and go say boss, "I got Much coupon now, you give me toaster, no? You give me kettle, frying pan, and pot, Someting for house" and when I get I go And catch him nice big vooman for help farm And raise some keeds for help wit' milk the cow � Dis country good �in summer at least she's warm, And all she needs is water so can plough
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174Bedfellow: Boy J Right from the grass roots. Let's keep him.Swivel: It might not be a bad Idea. After all, if we are going to develop a Canadian literature these ethnic groups should be represented. I'm thinking of the Department as well as of ourselves. Middleduck: Mr. Chairman, what has he got to put on the fire? Bedfellow: Got a copy of that, Mac?Purse Potatok: Sure, got six copy. Each time different. No write. Middleduck; Mr. Chairman. If as this man says he cant write, then he cant put anything on the fire and the whole thing becomes irregular. If we are going to keep Potatok in our group I move that a small committee be appointed to write out his six copies and average them and then the best could be put on the fire.Swivel: Its been moved and seconded that a small committee be appointed to go over Mr. Deepy's poetry after lunch.Bessie Udderton: Does that mean he's staying for lunch?Purse Potatok: Sure I stay lunch. I bring sausages, plenty.Bessie Udderton: Just sausages, M^Potatok?Purse Potatok: Bring dill pickle. Bring bread wit' kimmel. Bring butter. Bring apple perooshkie �you know, small, like pie, but better. Bring pail cold bortch. bring liquor, bring horse radish, bring how you call him, perogies wit' cheese. Bring lunch. Bedfellow: Did you make the liquor too, Mac?Purse Potatok; Make everyting too is better.Bedfellow; What did you make it from?Purse Potatok; Potato. In Rooshia learn. Is good. Maybe put in a little kimmel, make better.
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175Bessie Udder ton: What is this kimmel? Bedfellow: Caraway.Bessie Udderton: Of course, I might have known. Bedfellow: Is that ity in the jug, Mac? Purse Potatok: Sure, bring plenty. Plenty everyting. Bedfellow: I'll say he's staying for lunch.Bessie Udderton: It would certainly be nice if we invited him to have lunch with us. .Are you married, Mr. Potatok? You got wife? Purge Potatok: No. You not married too?Bessie Udderton: Widow. Man dead, long time.Purse Potatok: You like see my farm? Bedfellow; Wow!.Swivel; After lunch, Mrs. Waffle. What I'm interested in, is this man's poetry. Do you mean to tell us, Mr. Deepy, that you hadn't written your poem about Willows before you came here? Do you mean that you Just made it up as you recited it?Purse Potatok: Sure. Next time maybe is different. Is always different. Can maybe write leedle. Sometime I write. Sometime no write. Is no matter' is always different. Is not same poem each time. Swivel: Much different?Purge Potatok: Is different. Dis time comes how you hear "Dis Townof Willows. Maybe say again comes, Willows in Winter, or, LisCountry Good by Willows, or maybe come a Rolling, Home to Willows.Or maybe comes something about cows. Is always different. I dont keep. Bedfellow: Holy Mackerel! Swivel: My God, what a talent!Middleduck: Mr. Chairman, what about copies for the Department?
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176Swivel: We'll turn him on after lunch, and then we can all copy for all we are worth, and we'll pick out one for the Department. Jones-Jones: Perhaps we could make use of some for ourselves. You heard him �he don't keep. It isn't as if he wanted to publish. He lust seems to be a poet for the fun of it. Swivel: Not as long as I'm Dean.Bessie Udderton: Mr. Potatok, when your poems come this way, do they ever deal with things that grow �you know, things that you can cook and eat?Purge Potatok: Oh sure. At home comes most about tings to eat. Bessie Udderton: You say you've got a nice farm, Mr, Potatok? Wraitha Dovecote: There goes Purge Deepy!Swivel: I think, Mr. Potatok, I speak for all of us when I say thatwe will be glad if you join our little group, and as you broughtyour lunch we would be glad if you would Join us for lunch. We didn'tbring much because, you see, we're having a more formal dinnerat the hotel tonight, but we're glad to have you all the same if youcare to stay. And you can come to the dinner tonight too.Bedfellow: And bring some# of your home-made.Purge Potatok; I bring wine. Is better. Is stronger.Bessie Udderton: How do you make the wine, Mr. Potatok?You say your first name is Purge?Purge Potatok: Make from potato too. Add more sugar, add littlebeets for make color, add rhubarb, add choke-cherry, add maybe a bit barley.Bedfellow: Holy Cow! Don't forget to bring it.Bessie Udderton: How far is your farm, Mr. Purge Middleduck: I think this whole thing is irregular.
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177Swivel: Is that coffee boiling, Mrs Waffle?Bessie Udderton: It was, but it died down again. I wish we had some wood. These chips just glow. Anyway, we're out of chips again. Purge Potatok: In pasture is plenty chips. I get. Swivel: Well, get it boiling. And while you're getting it to boil again, I Just want to say that since we have concluded the ceremonial part of our program I suppose I should thank you all for you cooperation and I had prepared a few words to that effect but somehow or other they got mixed up with that "Willows Revisited" I threw on the fire, and I suppose like all things they have turned to dust and ashes by this time. I think we can omit the Chairman's remarks Just now since we are all getting pretty hungry. So I think we'll Just bring the formal part of our program to a close by singing the National Anthem and then we can have lunch.Middleduck: Mr. Chairman, I object. We are getting more and moreirregular at this rate. The duck dinner at the hotel tonight is justas much part of the program as any of this and the vote of thanks tothe Committee and things like that will have to be recorded in theminutes. The National Anthem should come then unless we want to sing it twice in one day which is definitely irregular.Jones-Jones: Why don't we sing, Saskatchewan. Thou Golden instead?Swivel: I never heard of it. Who wrote it?Jones-Jones: As a matter of fact, I wrote it. I was going to propose it tonight at the dinner, but it might be better here since this part of the program is the one that goes to the Department. I'm hoping it will be officially adopted as the Provincial Song. You see, next year when the Government is holding its fifty year anniversary they are going to adopt a provincial flag. It is going to have a crest with a snearth laying an egg

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