Part 6 of the “White Poppies for Remembrance” series considers the opportunity cost of the lost human potential while at the Victory cenotaph in downtown Vancouver – along the way, troubadours sing about Providence, Joyful(ness) along with spontaneous percussion-scapes and city bus brakes.

DaveO examines the value of life with Gord Downie‘s swift deconstructions of existence from Coke Machine Glow, Henry David Thoreau‘s visionary stories of perseverance and the value of the mindfulness from Walden and a personal declaration of sovereignty and dignity from original Letters from Russia read in hospital to ole gramps.

Awake ye, awake for: “Awakening to the Dawn of Potential – Postcard #45” (17:51, 128k mp3, 25MB)

Chris Jacobsen, “Providence” from “Houseboat” 1995 Spilt Milk Records (cassette)

Note: Chris is a quick-laughing, semi-salty, ukulele-playing, sea captain in knew in Guam in the 90’s – last heard from in Long Beach, WA or somewhere in Rhode Island – i should have a photo around here somewhere … Message to Chris: I hope to have a brew with you soon! Send a postcard.

Rock Plaza Central, “My Children, Be Joyful” from “are we not horses” Outside Music in Canada and Yep Roc Records in the States — rockplazacentral.com also features singer Chris Eaton’s Novels

“New Shed Percussion Scape” by Dave Olson and Miss Sena of Steamboat Island, recorded April 2007

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Finding Victory Square in post-ceremony calm, Dave settles onto a bench for lost sailors with some bagpipers to chat about John Macrae’s “Flander’s Field” poem and mull the tension between remembering noble effort and embracing jingoistic behaviour. This conundrum is evident in snippets of an essay by Stephen Osborne – The Poem and the Poppy – which relates the amazing grace of drinking gin with Gramps who was there – ‘in the void.’

https://archive.org/download/Postcard43PonderingFlandersAtTheCenotaph/Postcard-43-Pondering-Flanders-at-the-Cenotaph.mp3

Take a seat for: Pondering Flanders at the Cenotaph – Postcard#43 (.mp3, 16:14, 19MB)

Featuring:

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Part 3 of the White Poppies for Remembrance series (recorded Nov. 2006) features reading from the Dhammapada by Siddhartha Gautama while waiting for the Seabus heading towards Victory Square. Along the way, Dave talks about conscientious objection and military service evaders in Canada, mercy and the state of the downtown eastside.

Page France sings Chariot, Black Rebel Motorcycle Club sings about Mercy, (both found on KEXP S.o.t.D. podcast) and Bill Janovitz from Here Comes a Regular score lays down some background groove – plus some Andean flute, soulful saxriffs and American Pie wisdom from Clayton the seabus busker along the way.

https://archive.org/download/Postcard42BuddhasInTheTrenches/Postcard-42-Buddhas-in-the-Trenches.mp3

Grab a shovel for: Buddhas in the Trenches – Postcard #42 (128k mp3, 23MB, 20:21)

Talbot Mercer Papineau, MC (25 March 1883–30 October 1917) was a lawyer and soldier from Quebec, Canada. …

He was notable for his letters from the front. He was hit by a shell during the Battle of Passchendale in Ypres on October 30, 1917.

Open Letter from Talbot M. Papineau to Henri Bourassa

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Part 2 of the White Poppies for Remembrance series finds Dave O eating oatmeal in North Van before heading downtown Vancouver to check in on Remembrance Day remembering activities.

While having a bite to eat, he explains the mission of the White Poppies for Peace (a Peace Pledge Union project) folks based in the UK to abolish war and violence of all kinds and spread peaceful vibes while Rocky Votolato “White Daisy Passing” and Black Tories provide tunes.

https://archive.org/download/Postcard41WhitePoppyOnARainydayCoat/Postcard-41-White-Poppy-on-a-Rainyday-Coat.mp3

Pin your poppy for: White Poppies on a Rainyday Coat – Postcard #41 (9:29, 9MB, 128k mp3)

“War is a crime against humanity. I renounce war, and am therefore determined not to support any kind of war. I am also determined to work for the removal of all causes of war.”

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Down on Lenker’s farm, Dave O checks in on the animal inventory and riffs his own freeverse poetry about canyon exploration, a groaning generation, and tense search for authenticity and truth – all re-mixed with Bill’s Pennsylvanian poetics about frost heaves and nurturing life accompanied with his salty guitar jamble.

Then, in the woodshed, Dave tells a story about a blissful moment of time in Peliliu, Palau – where under the southern cross, everything stopped – while lambs, dogs, rams and a dead chicken go about their lives, seemingly unaware of the literature spieling or the-soon-to-blossom magnolia tree.

https://archive.org/download/Postcard40GeologicalStorytimeWithSheep/Postcard-40-Geological-Storytime-with-Sheep.mp3

Dig in for: Geological Storytime with Sheep – Postcard #40 (11.6MB, .mp3, 20:06)

Edited and mixed by Bread the Producer

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Embarking on a White Poppies for Remembrance Day series, Dave reads the role of King Agamemnon from the Oresteia by Aeschylus written in the 6th century BC. The King returns to Argos by chariot, with a captured royal concubine in tow, and tales of plunder and pillage after defeating Troy… and is then met by his conniving wife.

Music by Joe Williamson, “Arco Hotel” music for double bass. Recorded New Year’s Day 199?, Amsterdam, NL

Take a hostage for: Vanquishing Grecian Warlords – Postcard #39 (12MB, 128k mp3, 13:06)

https://archive.org/download/Postcard39VanquishingGrecianWarlords/Postcard-39-Vanquishing-Grecian-Warlords.mp3

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Busting out a bit of original (un)sung freeverse with guitar-toting pal Bread, a shaker egg, and a stack of freeverse – fortified with improvisational bits about the mortar holding the middle of bricks, leaping over hedges, waiting for airplanes and diesels downshifting and being …

https://archive.org/download/Postcard38ImprovisingOverHedges/Postcard-38-Improvising-Over-Hedges.mp3

Leap steady for: Improvising Over Hedges – Postcards #38 (128k mp3, 4:31, 7MB)

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Continuing on with Kerouac’s San Francisco Blues, DaveO strolls down The Mission reading Jack’s choruses written on the same street in 1954 while observing butter trucks, museums and tolling bells, then listening to Clayton the Seabus busker sing about going home.

https://archive.org/download/Postcard37SanFranciscoMissionStrollWithJack/Postcard-37-San-Francisco-Mission-Stroll-with-Jack.mp3

Pedestriate carefully for: San Francisco Mission Stroll with Jack – Postcard #37 (128k mp3, 11:32, 13MB)

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In San Francisco on an early morning stroll sporting a French-curled tie, Dave performs contemporary reconnaissance of an intersection described by Jack Kerouac in San Francisco Blues and discusses Kerouac’s motivations and system for creating these Blues poems.

Geographically speaking, the additional observations include bridge commuters, urine puddles, hot dog and motorcycle tire shops, beer-signed parking lots, a VA condo, a flock of tie wearing folk, and apartments with 24 hour concierge service.

https://archive.org/download/Postcard36KerouacChorusesAtThirdAndHarrison/Postcard-36-Kerouac-Choruses-at-Third-and-Harrison.mp3

Observe the corner for:  Kerouac Choruses at Third and Harrison – Postcard #36 (.mp3, 9:21, 13MB)

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Along with Mr. Lenker of Steamboat Island and his guitar, large hounds and varied livestock, Dave reads poems “Refined, Not Created” and “Aye Carpathia,” while Bill sings about the “Man with a Rebel Soul” – followed by reading of “This and That” with guitar improvisation… from deep in the woodshop studio.

https://archive.org/download/Postcard35SeaRescueSpontineityFromWoodshop/Postcard-35-Sea-Rescue-Spontineity-from-Woodshop.mp3

To the boats for: Sea Rescue Spontaneity from the Woodshop – Postcard #35 (.mp3, 19MB, 17:16)

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