Devil in the Woods

D.A. Lockhart

• Publisher: Brick Books
• Year: 2019
• Print ISBN: 9781771315098
• eBook ISBN: 9781771315104
• Topic: Literature
• Subtopic: Canadian Poetry
• Index: Literature

A collection of letter and prayer poems in which an Indigenous speaker engages with non-Indigenous famous Canadians. D.A. Lockhart's stunning and subversive fourth collection gives us the words, thoughts, and experiences of an Anishinaabe guy from Central Ontario and the manner in which he interacts with central aspects and icons of settler Canadian culture. Riffing off Richard Hugo's 31 Letters and 13 Dreams, the work utilizes contemporary Indigenous poetics to carve out space for often ignored voices in dominant Canadian discourse (and in particular for a response to this dominance through the cultural background of an Indigenous person living on land that has been fundamentally changed by settler culture). The letter poems comprise a large portion of this collection and are each addressed to specific key public figures—from Sarah Polley to Pierre Berton, k.d. lang to Robertson Davies, Don Cherry to Emily Carr. The second portion of the pieces are prayer poems, which tenderly illustrate hybrid notions of faith that have developed in contemporary Indigenous societies in response to modern and historical realities of life in Canada. Together, these poems act as a lyric whole to push back against the dominant view of Canadian political and pop-culture history and offer a view of a decolonized nation. Because free double-doubles… tease us like bureaucratic promises of medical coverage and housing not given to black mold and torn- off siding. Oh Lord, let us sing anew, in this pre-dawn light, a chorus that shall not repeat Please Play Again. (from "Roll Up the Rim Prayer")

Devil

in the

Woods

D.A. Lockhart

Brick Books

Library and Archives Canada Cataloguing in Publication

Title: Devil in the woods / D.A. Lockhart.

Names: Lockhart, Daniel A., author.

Description: Poems.

Identifiers: Canadiana (print) 20190111771

Canadiana (ebook) 20190111798

ISBN 9781771315098 (softcover)

ISBN 9781771315111 (pdf)

ISBN 9781771315104 (html)

Classification: LCC PS8623.O295 D48 2019 | DDC C811/.6—dc23

Copyright © D.A. Lockhart, 2019

We acknowledge the Canada Council for the Arts, the Government of Canada through the Canada Book Fund, and the Ontario Arts Council for their support of our publishing program.

The author photo was taken by D.A. Lockhart.

Cover images: water tank from W.E. Caldwell Company (1905), graffiti © birdys/photocase.com

Brick Books

431 Boler Road, Box 20081

London, Ontario N6K 4G6

www.brickbooks.ca

For Eleanor

Contents

1. Devil in the Woods: A Preface
2. Offering Prayer
3. Letter to Harrison from Camp White Pineat Grass Lake, ON
4. Letter to Davies from McKecks Tap & Grill in Haliburton, ON
5. Letter to Kane from the Agnes Jamieson Gallery, Minden, ON
6. Letter to Atwood from the Tribal Voices inPort Perry, ON
7. Prayer for the Return of the Annual James Bond Marathon
8. Extra Fine Cut Mohawk Greetings Prayer
9. Letter to Aitken from Gauthier Ostrich Farmnear Havelock, ON
10. Letter to lang from Henry Milloy’s Dock,Lake Chemong, ON
11. Letter to Polley from Sandbanks Provincial Park, ON
12. Letter to Berton from the Lift Lock at Peterborough, ON
13. Letter to Purdy from Thursday’s in Peterborough, ON
14. A-Frame Prayer
15. Prayer for Late Season Yard Sale
16. Letter to Atleo from the Old Shell Station near Buckhorn, ON
17. Letter to Hewitt from the Dorset Scenic Lookout Toweroutside of Dwight, ON
18. Letter to Cherry from Denis Crowfeather’s Garage at Curve Lake
19. Prayer for Winter Sun
20. Roll Up the Rim Prayer
21. Winter Prayer at Stoney Lake
22. Letter to Lindros from the Home Hardware Parking Lotin Port Carling, ON
23. Letter to Hébert from the Press Box at the Peterborough Memorial Centre
24. Letter to Bouchard from the Burke Cottage at Dick Lake, ON
25. Trade Deadline Prayer
26. Prayer to Hear the Numbers Match
27. Letter to Gzowski from Bancroft, ON
28. Letter to Waxman from Earl Sussex Motor Lodgeon Highway 121 near Minden, ON
29. Letter to Hepburn from the Rosedale Lock at Coboconk, ON
30. Letter to Campbell from the Otonabee Riverbank near Lakefield, ON
31. Spring Runoff Prayer
32. Prayer for the Gift of Indian Steak
33. Letter to Wojeck from Four Kilometres outside the Ross Memorial Hospital, Lindsay, ON
34. Letter to Carr from the Coffee Time at Fowler’s Corners, ON
35. Letter to Gerussi from Cobourg Beach, ON
36. Letter to Secord from the Northumberland Mall, Cobourg, ON
37. Letter to Simpson from Young’s Point General Store,Young’s Point, ON
38. Ritual Prayer
39. Prayer That the OPP Officer Was Opening Timbits
40. Letter to Bibb from Ashburnham Mister Convenience,Peterborough, ON
41. Letter to Milne from Temagami, ON
42. Letter to Lee from Inside the Only Cafein Peterborough, ON
43. Lette...

Table of contents

• Cover
• Title Page
• Copyright Page
• Dedication
• Contents
• Devil in the Woods: A Preface
• Offering Prayer
• Letter to Harrison from Camp White Pineat Grass Lake, ON
• Letter to Davies from McKecks Tap & Grill in Haliburton, ON
• Letter to Kane from the Agnes Jamieson Gallery, Minden, ON
• Letter to Atwood from the Tribal Voices inPort Perry, ON
• Prayer for the Return of the Annual James Bond Marathon
• Extra Fine Cut Mohawk Greetings Prayer
• Letter to Aitken from Gauthier Ostrich Farmnear Havelock, ON
• Letter to lang from Henry Milloy’s Dock,Lake Chemong, ON
• Letter to Polley from Sandbanks Provincial Park, ON
• Letter to Berton from the Lift Lock at Peterborough, ON
• Letter to Purdy from Thursday’s in Peterborough, ON
• A-Frame Prayer
• Prayer for Late Season Yard Sale
• Letter to Atleo from the Old Shell Station near Buckhorn, ON
• Letter to Hewitt from the Dorset Scenic Lookout Toweroutside of Dwight, ON
• Letter to Cherry from Denis Crowfeather’s Garage at Curve Lake
• Prayer for Winter Sun
• Roll Up the Rim Prayer
• Winter Prayer at Stoney Lake
• Letter to Lindros from the Home Hardware Parking Lotin Port Carling, ON
• Letter to Hébert from the Press Box at the Peterborough Memorial Centre
• Letter to Bouchard from the Burke Cottage at Dick Lake, ON
• Trade Deadline Prayer
• Prayer to Hear the Numbers Match
• Letter to Gzowski from Bancroft, ON
• Letter to Waxman from Earl Sussex Motor Lodgeon Highway 121 near Minden, ON
• Letter to Hepburn from the Rosedale Lock at Coboconk, ON
• Letter to Campbell from the Otonabee Riverbank near Lakefield, ON
• Spring Runoff Prayer
• Prayer for the Gift of Indian Steak
• Letter to Wojeck from Four Kilometres outside the Ross Memorial Hospital, Lindsay, ON
• Letter to Carr from the Coffee Time at Fowler’s Corners, ON
• Letter to Gerussi from Cobourg Beach, ON
• Letter to Secord from the Northumberland Mall, Cobourg, ON
• Letter to Simpson from Young’s Point General Store,Young’s Point, ON
• Ritual Prayer
• Prayer That the OPP Officer Was Opening Timbits
• Letter to Bibb from Ashburnham Mister Convenience,Peterborough, ON
• Letter to Milne from Temagami, ON
• Letter to Lee from Inside the Only Cafein Peterborough, ON
• Letter to Page from York Mills Station in Toronto, ON
• Letter to Douglas from the Shopping Fair in Whitby, ON
• Prayer for the Perfect Bannock
• Letter to Yan from the Superior Oriental Buffet on Parkhill Road, Peterborough, ON
• Letter to Williams from the East-West Hydro Line Cut out through Markham, ON
• Letter to Young on Archibald White Eye’s Couchat Curve Lake First Nation
• Letter to Cohen from the Highway 2 Swiss Chalet in Bowmanville, ON
• Letter to Jackson from Gananoque, ON
• Letter to Ford from Curry in a Hurry, Peterborough, ON
• Letter to Campbell Scott from Upstate New York
• Prayer of Imploration for Clear Weather
• Acknowledgements
• About the Author