Narrow Streets

The poems in this booklet were written in 1965-1966. Many
were recited at public readings at the Black Swan
Coffeehouse in Hamilton Ont and the Granville Street
Trotskyite Hall in Vancouver B.C. Many of the poems were
published individually in such periodicals as Fate, Scan, New
Society, and Satyrday.
The first edition of 300 copies was published clandestinely
on Westinghouse presses in Hamilton, Ont in 1969. It was the
first publication of Charasee Press and it suffered from
rudimentary workmanship. Despite it’s technical faults, it
was distributed in Toronto, Montreal and Vancouver and sold
out within the year.
The second edition was also limited to 300 copies and was
published in 1978. This is the third edition which you hold in your hands. I admit it is being published out of unabashed
sentimentality. The poems within were written in my late
teens. Looking back from the ripe old age of fourty-five, the
poems seem to express the intensity, ravished innocence,
and naivety of youth. They are of interest primarily as relics
of a pre-psychedelic age.
‘The Coffeehouse’ brings back many memories of friends
and the issues of the beat era.’The Execution’ was written
before the abolishment of capital punishment.’The Apparition’
and ‘Hiroshima’ iilustrate the socialist and pacifist
philosophy which formed the backbone of the ‘Ban the
Bomb’ movement. The style of poetry was strongly
influenced by Jacque Prevert, and Raymond Souster. The
second edition is vastly improved by the accompanying
illustrations which were taken freely in the spirit of the
Underground Press Syndicate. Many thanks to the artists
who have unknowingly contributed their work.