clennell on fri 20 jun 03
Lili wrote:
>
> To live with such a person may be a bit of a challenge. Not quite sure what
> Tony--so amusingly outspoken on CLAYART-- might say at black-tie parties, or
> when the minister comes to call.
Dear Lili:
A story about my most favourite Canadian poet the now deceased Milton
Acorn. As a young student I would go watch Milton standing on a table at
Grossmans Tavern in Toronto doing recitals, but mostly blasting corporate
Canada. Big business hated him and the arts community loved him. He had
flaming red hair and beard and wore all red clothes including red All Stars
sneakers. He was short listed for the Governor Generals Award for poetry-
our most prestigous award. He didn't get it that year so the Canadian
literary community (guys like Taylors favourite Leonard Cohen, Robert Priest
etc.) held a banquet in his honour at Grossmans Tavern, gave him an envelope
with a collected sum of $1000 cash and THE PEOPLE'S POET AWARD. Milton got
drunk and lost the envelope only to have it returned next day by the
caretaker.
Next year he got the GG Award so he phoned his ageing mother to ask her to
go to Government House with him. She said only if he would wear a suit and
promise not to embarass her. He went out and bought a new flaming red
polyester suit with matching red shirt and red tie. When in the line the
Governor General went to hand him his GG Award and he reached into the
pocket of his red suit and pulled out his People's Poet Award and said " No
thanks, I've already got the one that really counts".
You can dress em' up, but you can't take them anywhere!
cheers,
Tony
Member of the Milton Acorn Society in Prince Edward Island
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