Beach Head

by bpNichol

Winner of the Governor General for Poetry 1970.

Genres: Poetry

20 pages, Chapbook

Published January 1, 1970

About the author

Barrie Phillip Nichol, known as bpNichol, was a Canadian poet, writer, sound poet, editor and grOnk/Ganglia Press publisher. His body of work encompasses poetry, children's books, television scripts, novels, short fiction, computer texts, and sound poetry. His love of language and writing, evident in his many accomplishments, continues to be carried forward by many.

Reviews

[M.W.P.M. · Rating 3 out of 5]

SEA

***

a letter in january
 to waye & julie clifford

*

having risen from the bath
old images return
 sea
moving into me

 only the echoes left

what moves now are ghosts
(hosts of the old forms)

as ships moved westward where
a continent crumbled

having struggled this long

what the eye sees leaves no return
from that one journey that accords
a turning to your world
(a shift of forces)

***

this night the sea moves into me

dark street

no way of sailing over it
& so i must move thru it alone
 nameless
& walk beyond my lies

but the words are on me hand heavy
& the voice cries to be heard

inside me all inside me

dark world

* * *

we can say the myths end 
return full circle &
the actual untangles its confusions

the world is given its history

his story never changes

some journey is done
& the ear gathers the words near
to measure what one has won

***

SEQUENCE


morning: 

morning spreads
its soft fat fingers
over our faces
pokes them
into our eyes
sur-
prising us awake
with soft punches


afternoon:

a-
way. a way
of looking at things)

keep moving, shifting
perspectives

(never see into it
never get close

***

evening:


being becomes 
counting the ways
you've
trapped youself
or (i
should say) can
come to that. be
careful
of lies like "i
love you" ties
that bind you
when
you really can't

***

RELATIONSHIPS

 for Dave Phillips


the space 
between 

a leaf
fills

all
possible motions

touch
both sides

leave us
here

***

THE FUGITIVE
 for issac


1

the law is
inside me
bids me bide
my time
& tide
is the daily
rising 
of emotions - "who
are they? what
do they
want? when
will they
fail me?"

2

"how far
to go to
the border?"

sat tall in 
the saddle

 now they
hunt him down

stoop-shouldered
half-a-
day's ride from
the other side

***

3

the problem at
this point

how to
face yourself, the sun
inside

your eyes
burning

4

"locks open
very
easily" they key is
in the statement
she has said
he knew

5

to get
inside the border
is to be
inside
a matter of
living
to get out

***

LAND

***

as I 
is eyes

as 
I am now
able 
to see
clearly
the way
before me

as
I am now
whole
and able to be
here

so
I would give you
vowels, vows
that my nouns
make, breaks
in the silences
my mind
had made
as it moved
(not thru
the I
for 
the eye
was closed) in
the past -

***

tense (as
I was
then in
my speech
even) uneven
the rhythm
broken by
the to & fro
motion of
the eye
lid

as I hid
the light
from myself
saying
others
had done so

so
my eyes
now
open
letting
the light
in, as
my mouth
opens
letting
my tongue
order
the verbs
the light

***

has moved
to action

as impulse as
now
my blood
races, the heat
the light
brings bringing
the words 
forth in
such heat
the heart
flows
with them

as 
I do
now
flow
the eye
open, one
continuous
circling, light
into light
into light

...

Read the full text here: bpnichol.ca

[ben · Rating 3 out of 5]

“what has begun in darkness
remains there
tho
we would have it here (one
i had loved then
as love was possible
when
it was myself i hid from
in her - as she was mirrors
i saw myself in - as
we are mirrors for each other,
the dark turning of
our souls, caught
as the moon is
servant of
the sun)”

lots of cool sonic play throughout this brief read. there is the land and the sea and both sides of the coin explore a forlorn perception of lost identity and love. also very compelling line breaks that nichol himself speaks on as at times “panicky” breath breaks that he no longer feels the same about, but wouldn’t change before publication b/c it would alter the form of his pieces too much.

https://www.bpnichol.ca/sites/default...