Penn Kemp
After Image Tender, the moment when a lion licks its caught prey in the face cupped between soft paws. Long tongue on zebra hide. A kind of indolent yawn after the swirl of dust, the flailing hoof. This moment looks like love to the safe observer bedded down as the film rolls. The zebra seems steeped in peace, adrenaline overload just before its eyes glaze over. Give over for ever as if time could hold. If it could last before the first bite. The blood. letting. Go. The lion on cue lolls, sur renders fierce intent to savour first juice.
London Ontario performance poet Penn Kemp is writer-in-residence at the
University of Western Ontario: see http://www.uwo.ca/english.
Since Coach House published her first book (1972), Penn has been expanding
text and aural boundaries. Among her publications are twenty-five books
(poetry and drama), ten CDs (Sound Opera and Performance Poetry) and seven
award-winning videopoems. Penn received her M.Ed. from U. of Toronto.
The League of Poets proclaimed her a foremother of Canadian poetry.
Penn's Muse/News is updated monthly on www.mytown.ca/pennletters and more
often on www.myspace.com/pennkemp and www.twitter.com/pennkemp.