Stones to Harvest/Escarmouches de la Chair, a lyrical cycle of 47 poems, sets out the four seasons in remarkable and very concrete images drawn from the flora and fauna of Eastern Ontario and Southern Quebec, where Beissel lived and worked. He explores these landscapes with remarkable specificity, though his approach is universal in scope and embodied in a language that consistently aspires to song. A bilingual French/English edition.
When Africa Calls Uhuru is a dramatic poem in search of what it means to be human. Henry Beissel takes the reader to the Rift Valley in Kenya where it is believed the evolution of Homo sapiens largely took place. The narrative unfolds in a dialogue between nature, science and history, three voices that evoke the fauna and flora of Africa and conjure up the history of its colonization. Ultimately, the poem celebrates today's liberation of the 'dark' continent, arguing that since all humanity was born there, all people are brothers and sisters, whatever the colour of their skin. "Dance, my beloved / Africa," the poet rejoices, "you are free / to choose freedom now!"