Great Lake Swimmers at West End Cultural Centre, Winnipeg, June 30 2010

– text by eugene osudar/photos by Sierra Blak

emy life in poetics,
choosing
“(borrowing)”
the erotic
birds
of L Cohen’s
ee cummings
and always

Your Rocky Spine

Tony Dekker

naked
bodies
un
du
la
ting,

peaks
and kisses
caresses

confesses
i to you

that i’m in love
with a Voice
and words
sacred birds

in flight
in soaring
in sky
in moon
in stars
in shine

glittering
sparkling
diamonds

pop
song
jewel
purity
resolved

these careful
touches
of soul,
kisses
light
and mist
sweetly
innocently

caressed
fragrant
skin
eyes
like jaguars

and somewhere
between the valleys
of Your Rocky Spine

the licks
and kisses
tongue
tips

two souled
out shows

audiences
enthralled
simply by
The Voice
its delicious
texture

shapes
bodies
rocky spines
your body makes

bends
stretches

mountains
foggy harbors
ships
ebbs and flows
tides

rides
like soft
whispers
in glaciers
rolling over
your
naked body

kissed,
naked
faith

The West End Cultural Centre
hasn’t felt the glory
the beauty
of shows
like this since
its re/opening
and Hawksley Workman

anticipation
acceptance
of beauty

and innocence
j,u,s,t,
a little innocence

plucking banjo
guitar, stand/up
bass and violin
strings
heart sings
with soft brushes
tickling soul softly
heart rushes
whispers
rings
hello
the smile
in the morning

Your Rocky Spine
a perfect song

the first show,
i simply wanted to watch
from close
in the nearness
of

Tony Dekker
shaping the words
and singing

i stood at the stage
on the side
in awe
transfixed
open and innocent
heart soul eyes
in the mystic
wonder

the sound
from so near
is so much guitar
amp and
monitors

not the truest

the second night
i stood
at the back
and listened to the nearly
perfect
marriage
of banjo, guitars, violin
drums
and voices

miranda and tony’s
in harmony
echoing deep inside
shaking my foundations

breathing light into
darkness

breathing innocence
and electricity

sparks tripping
erotic
imagination

sensual words
beautiful birds
poets know
lovers know

words like these are
only
ever
birds

i saw you
breathing kisses
like fragrant wine

hands
lips
sand
time
tears
flow
wandering
castles
in grains
of love

drop
by
drop
water
on your lips
like these precious
delightful
kisses

every moment
is yours
every now
is yours

take it
hold it
hug it

every
Great Lake Swimmers
set
is your moment
now

imagine
her
imagine
him

to take your Love
and caress
like the youngsters
did on the first night

sitting on the floor
every seat having been taken
they rubbed and massaged
and caressed
with
Tony Dekker’s voice
and his birds
in flight
deep inside them

beauty
beholden
carnal
innocence
simply

tony dekker
miranda mulholland
bret higgins
greg millson
erik arnesen

the players

19 songs
1 hour
25 minutes

i could be nothing
moving pictures
unison falling
chorus underground
everything
bodies
put there by land
palmistry
quiet your mind
your rocky spine
there is a light
concrete heart
when he offers his hand (townes van zandt)
she comes to me
changing colours
still
large family

encores,

pulling on a line
song for the angels

hold me now
experience
the turning
phrase
into birds
erotic birds
tell me something
that will make me
burn
flowing oceans
wings
of rhyme
pebbles
rolling
along your
rocky spine
the future
is in the now
when your
lips
meet

electric
hot
urgent
immediate

“everything is moving so fast”

illimitable
blue
sun,light
lifting heaven;ly
bodies

returning to
the hunger

of sacred
love

every song
a vision
a prayer
a hymn
a breath
imagined
sketched
drawn
painted
a masterpiece

bodies and minds

on the second night
the solo songs
beautifully
chosen
and
presented

this time
the Townes song
began alone
and slowly
the Swimmers
joined
and shone
harmony light
into those
majestic
offered birds
and melody

quiet your mind

a free falling
dream of an
awakening
soul, an un-
recorded demo
that needs to
be heard,
cherished.

a suggestion,

both nights,
one of my favorites
She Comes To Me
In Dreams
sounded muddy
out of sorts,
a stripping down
to Tony’s voice
acoustic guitar
stand up bass
drums
and harmony
vocals…
or as a solo song
in the set…

after the last song,

i am part of a large family

without hesitation
or
coaxing by a few

a spontaneous
undeniable
standing ovation.

opening band
The Details
had the entire
audience
singing along
to their marriage
of a Jenn Grant
song to one of theirs
and impressed many,
fresh ears
hearts and souls.
of course,
at the back,
i danced!
i’ve always
Loved
The Details,
(such beautiful
and
dear friends).
always, a local
band
to see.

and from
Your Rocky Spine,
these birds,

“i was lost
in the lakes
and the shapes
that your body
makes
that your body
makes…
i traced my finger
along your trails…
floating over your
rocky spine
the glaciers made you

now

you’re mine…”

these
erotic birds
with the voice
of a beautiful
poet

take lovers

to flight

like Chagall
like L Cohen
lift us
to flight

and that’s
the essence
of the immediate
(and united)
standing
ovation.

we’re lifted
in the
purity of
erotic
(f)
light.

Great Lake Swimmers.
The Details.
WECC.
June 29/30th.
Jazz Festival.