The NAC’s Needles and Opium Mesmerizes

 Photo credit: National Arts Centre Spectacular is the only way to describe Robert Lepage’s reproduction of his 20-year-old play Needles and Opium, currently playing at the NAC. Photo Credit: NAC The play centres around three characters. Jean Cocteau shares his thoughts and impressions on his first visit to the U.S.

Halloween

 On this night of all nights Of goblins and bats Wicked witches abound With ominous eyes And the blackest of cats On this spookiest of nights Evil specters alight In graveyards and towns And haunt weary souls With ghoulish delight Nearby on a hill Is a foreboding old place That

The Two Travellers

 There were two travellers Who walked along a path one day The first was a dreamer The other a capitalist they say The dreamer watched the rainbow Where melodious songbirds fly Their symphony a command performance A ballet in the sky The capitalist saw no beauty Or value along his

If I Knew

 If I knew that By opening my hand I could hold the light From your shining eyes I would open my hand And let the light shine in For I would know That by closing my hand I would hold in my palm The magic of your eyes By Darryl

Some Thoughts on Aging

 I am withering away No matter where I lie My youth has left me bankrupt Old and gray and hung out to dry I can’t remember what I should forget Nor forget what I should remember My eyes are tired and my hair is white I fear some night that

The Vampire Bat

 Black as black As the night could be His shrieking call Was a mystery Like some spider In his dusty web The bat inspires Fear and dread With blood-red eyes And a serpent’s tongue He seeks out blood When the sun goes down With vampire’s teeth He traverses the night

Brutal Farm Killings in South Africa: How do Victims Carry on?

 Statistical analysis shows South African farmers are three times more likely than ordinary citizens to be the victims of violent crime. They also show it is twice as dangerous to produce food than it is to be a policeman. Approximately two thousand farmers and farmworkers have been killed or injured

Seeing Clearly: Canada’s Healthcare System Performs Well with a Human Touch

 I had cataract surgery last year--a terrifying prospect for a visual person. I love art and ocean views, and I was nervous about anyone working on my eyes. I delayed surgery a couple of times but finally committed. As it turned out, my surgery went fine. In fact, I loved

Looking at the Importance of Vision Health this Month

 Our vision is one of the most important senses we have, yet we tend to take it for granted. We go about our day-to-day activities without thinking about the health of our eyes, a dangerous habit that Canadians can avoid. The month of May has been declared Vision Health Month.