Saints in the Opeongo
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Saints in the Opeongo by Allison LaSorda Honours Bachelor of Arts, University of Toronto, 2009 A Thesis, Dissertation, or Report Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Master of Arts in the Graduate Academic Unit of English Supervisor: Ross Leckie, PhD, English Examining Board: Edith Snook, PhD, English, Chair Mark Jarman, MFA, English Sean Kennedy, PhD, History This thesis, dissertation or report is accepted by the Dean of Graduate Studies THE UNIVERSITY OF NEW BRUNSWICK May 2011 © Allison LaSorda 2011 Library and Archives Bibliotheque et Canada Archives Canada Published Heritage Direction du 1+1Branch Patrimoine de I'edition 395 Wellington Street 395, rue Wellington Ottawa ON K1A0N4 Ottawa ON K1A 0N4 Canada Canada Your file Votre reference ISBN: 978-0-494-91811-1 Our file Notre reference ISBN: 978-0-494-91811-1 NOTICE: AVIS: The author has granted a non L'auteur a accorde une licence non exclusive exclusive license allowing Library and permettant a la Bibliotheque et Archives Archives Canada to reproduce, Canada de reproduire, publier, archiver, publish, archive, preserve, conserve, sauvegarder, conserver, transmettre au public communicate to the public by par telecommunication ou par I'lnternet, preter, telecommunication or on the Internet, distribuer et vendre des theses partout dans le loan, distrbute and sell theses monde, a des fins commerciales ou autres, sur worldwide, for commercial or non support microforme, papier, electronique et/ou commercial purposes, in microform, autres formats. paper, electronic and/or any other formats. The author retains copyright L'auteur conserve la propriete du droit d'auteur ownership and moral rights in this et des droits moraux qui protege cette these. Ni thesis. Neither the thesis nor la these ni des extraits substantiels de celle-ci substantial extracts from it may be ne doivent etre imprimes ou autrement printed or otherwise reproduced reproduits sans son autorisation. without the author's permission. In compliance with the Canadian Conformement a la loi canadienne sur la Privacy Act some supporting forms protection de la vie privee, quelques may have been removed from this formulaires secondaires ont ete enleves de thesis. cette these. While these forms may be included Bien que ces formulaires aient inclus dans in the document page count, their la pagination, il n'y aura aucun contenu removal does not represent any loss manquant. of content from the thesis. Canada Dedication For my father, Anthony LaSorda (1954-2011), who was unfalteringly supportive. Abstract The poems in Saints in the Opeongo speak to a disjunction between the distant and the familiar - between the comfort taken from a sense of continuity and the melancholy evoked by the loss of an object or place. This collection engages with the multifaceted nature of identity confronted with nostalgia; it explores awful, wonderful, or neglected experiences, and illustrates the transformative abilities and failings of memory. The thematic elements of the poems are framed by their diverse settings: the intricate network of neighbourhoods in Toronto, along with the rural farmlands and villages of Ontario. The derelict park project, the urban alleyway, the childhood home, or the overgrown farm challenge spatial order with cfoordered space. I have tried to present such sites of ruin as intersections of decay and beauty, tangible examples of the malleability inherent in places. iii Acknowledgements I am grateful to my supervisor, Ross Leckie, for his kindness, advice, and support. My time in Fredericton would not have been much fun without Celia Thompson, Rebecca Geleyn, Peter Forestell, and the rest of my UNB classmates. Thank you to all of the UNB faculty members who provided encouragement in both creative and academic pursuits throughout this degree. Thank you to John Barton for his editing and guidance, and to A1 Moritz for his inspiration and wisdom. More gratitude goes to Sarah Pamiak, Maya Kamo, Amy Ashman, Chris Tsimbidis, Matt Finkelstein, Jordan Ginsberg, James Miller, Kristyna Balaban, and Leo Barbosa. Also, to my family. And a heartfelt thank you to my reader and examiners: Stephen Schryer, Sean Kennedy, and Mark Jarman. Table of Contents Dedication .............................................................................................................................. ii Abstract ................................................................................................................................. iii Acknowledgements...............................................................................................................iv Table of Contents ................................................................................................................... v Introduction .............................................................................................................................1 Epigraph ...............................................................................................................................20 /. such trees do not grow How to Lubricate a City...................................................................................................... 22 Brick Works.........................................................................................................................24 In an Absence of Music ...................................................................................................... 25 Our Rectangle of Green...................................................................................................... 26 Outside the El Mocambo .................................................................................................... 27 The Weight of Words .......................................................................................................... 28 461 Parliament, Toronto ..................................................................................................... 29 A Week................................................................................................................................30 Marineland ...........................................................................................................................31 City of Refuge......................................................................................................................32 Urbaines ...............................................................................................................................33 Garbage Strike.....................................................................................................................35 Labyrinth..............................................................................................................................36 Tunnels.................................................................................................................................37 A collection of messages received from Thunder Bay ...................................................... 38 Your Working Boy..............................................................................................................39 Towers in the Park.............................................................................................................. 40 Navigator..............................................................................................................................41 Asymmetry...........................................................................................................................42 v II. fledgling variations Richochet .............................................................................................................................44 The Road is Grey Tape ........................................................................................................45 Dear,..................................................................................................................................... 46 The Rub................................................................................................................................47 Next Door.............................................................................................................................48 Loba ..................................................................................................................................... 49 Tin Can Rattle ...................................................................................................................... 50 Eulogies................................................................................................................................ 51 Whistle Nose ........................................................................................................................52 Unlike Lightning..................................................................................................................53 Metaphor of the Dog ............................................................................................................54 Four-dollar Pints ..................................................................................................................55 All Majestic Things..............................................................................................................56 For Bears .............................................................................................................................. 57 Broken Consonants ..............................................................................................................58