It may not be the Vernon that害羞草研究所檚 plastered on travel brochures and it may not be everyone害羞草研究所檚 reality, but it害羞草研究所檚 a true, neglected and at times ignored Vernon.
That害羞草研究所檚 John La Greca害羞草研究所檚 Vernon. That害羞草研究所檚 the Vernon in which a surveyed 153 homeless people live, day in, day out.
Dubbed the Charles Bukowski of Vernon by his editor, mentor and , La Greca害羞草研究所檚 musings of the city he calls home are about to flow into the public eye as his collection of poetry entitled Homeless Memorial takes the front-and-centre stage at Gallery Vertigo July 21.
害羞草研究所淵ou would think that all of Vernon would be mine because I was born here, but I害羞草研究所檓 getting to the point where I害羞草研究所檝e got a small, little, converted hotel room and that害羞草研究所檚 where I害羞草研究所檓 supposed to stay because people with big honking pickup trucks and fashions coming out their (butts) cannot accept that a person like me exists in Vernon. I have a right to be here as much as they do,害羞草研究所� the 64-year-old poet said.
害羞草研究所淭here is this vicious, self-perpetuating circle. The more questions you ask, the more you are referred to the same people that cannot help you. Nobody is putting any real effort into solving problems for ordinary people who cannot fit into the middle-class ideal of what Vernon should be.害羞草研究所�
La Greca, who has been in and out of the welfare system since he was 17-years-old, casts a light through his words on the side of Vernon many would rather ignore. La Greca害羞草研究所檚 words, Rhenisch said, have changed his outlook on the city he, too, calls home.
害羞草研究所淔or nearly half a century he has observed Vernon closely, from the streets that most of us only pass through quickly on our way to a much gentler Okanagan. John walks through the streets day and night, watching and recording all he sees,害羞草研究所� Rhenisch said. 害羞草研究所淚t害羞草研究所檚 not always pretty, but to John, it害羞草研究所檚 a place of love. The poor, homeless, drug dealers and prostitutes of Vernon, the workers in soup kitchens and in social agencies are not strangers to John. They are his community. John has kind of stepped up a few levels and said, 害羞草研究所業f we were to have a Vernon that spoke of itself, this would be one of its voices at a high and sophisticated level of people speaking for themselves,害羞草研究所� which makes it very beautiful.害羞草研究所�
Unfortunately, La Greca and his close friend Yvan Quirion said they belong to a community often misunderstood, marginalized and cast aside.
For Brigitte Red of Gallery Vertigo, having that opportunity to begin the conversation was a driving force for inviting La Greca to share his work through the book launch.
害羞草研究所淭hey don害羞草研究所檛 look at the person and see that there is actually a person there with intelligence, with articulation, who is able to, in spite the many obstacles placed in their way, produce something that lets Vernonites know, 害羞草研究所楾his is what I see. This is where I think we can create solutions, and you害羞草研究所檝e given me a voice,害羞草研究所櫤π卟菅芯克鶟 said Red. 害羞草研究所淲hat you see visually is not necessarily what害羞草研究所檚 really there. The person you see out there is a person with a mind, a person with a voice. They just need an opportunity to do so.害羞草研究所�
La Greca has honed that voice through several different mentors within the writing community, including his longtime mentor Sveva Caetani.
害羞草研究所淚 write because I want to remain articulate. I want to show that cultural marginalization cannot kill the essence of me and turn me towards mindless terrorism. I had a friend who once said, 害羞草研究所榳rite to show history that you were a smart man,害羞草研究所櫤π卟菅芯克鶟 La Greca said. 害羞草研究所淚害羞草研究所檓 not forgiven for the bad in my life. I am not praised for the good that is within me. A book of poetry and an urn of ashes will be what害羞草研究所檚 consumed by the sun. And the gods will laugh.害羞草研究所�
La Greca took up the craft at eight years old but only began taking it seriously when he was 17. Now, the Okanagan College, University of Guelph, University of British Columbia and McGill University educated poet crafts his work in longhand on any and all scrap pieces of paper he can find.
While La Greca said the cohesive element that binds his work together is a feeling of anger, frustration and disconnectedness with society, Rhenisch said the poems in Homeless Memorial, some of which date back to 1977, are positive at their core.
害羞草研究所淓very poem has got anger, but the anger always leads towards a positive look of laughter or things like that. It害羞草研究所檚 a wonderful book. This is not your bottom level poetry. It害羞草研究所檚 a book with many, many layers. It害羞草研究所檚 very sophisticated. It害羞草研究所檚 very smart,害羞草研究所� Rhenisch said.
害羞草研究所淵es, the frustrations are here and yes there are moments of anger, but there are 120 pages of sharp observation of a side of Vernon that is publicly not expressed. John lives in that Vernon, and he observes it precisely. He observes it with acceptance and warmth rather than dismissal. Even though the anger is there, it always leads to inclusion. The poems are a way out. The vision of these poems, which is to look clearly at what is really here and to look at the people living on the streets and what might be called street life or people with mental illness, looking at all these people and all the various ways they害羞草研究所檙e living and treating them as they are, which is real, genuine people dealing with genuine problems in a full-human way rather than putting them in a box.害羞草研究所�
During his Asian studies in university, La Greca said he felt a connection to those who live without many of the luxuries of the first world.
害羞草研究所淗ere again I found there were people who were from the third-world who really did have an understanding of the world how it is, and they couldn害羞草研究所檛 believe the way the average Canadian was. I started to get the idea that neither can I. I found professors who espoused noble ideas and went around oppressing other individuals,害羞草研究所� La Greca said.
害羞草研究所淥rdinary people have to put up with a lot of frustration to gain the basic necessities of life like medical care, apartments. I mean just the fact that I害羞草研究所檝e had an application with BC Housing Registry since 2010 in order to get into subsidized housing is a testament to how ineffective, underfunded the system is. You just have to walk around and have a look to see what really is important to the people who run this city. They are not interested in looking after the needs of the people at the bottom. There are people in this community who don害羞草研究所檛 want people who have drug problems, alcohol problems, any kind of social problem, any need to be re-educated so they can participate in society, they don害羞草研究所檛 want them here. They want them to go God knows where. A lot of the people on the streets right now, they害羞草研究所檙e from a lot of other places where they害羞草研究所檙e getting kicked out because people want their town to be a destination tourist trap.害羞草研究所�
Those frustrations surrounding what La Greca said is the primary issue in Vernon combined with his view of the city he calls home helped to formulate the collection of work published by Ekstasis Editions in Victoria.
La Greca met his now-friend and mentor while . Now, Rhenisch also acts as the hoarding ground for La Greca害羞草研究所檚 work with two boxes full of the poet害羞草研究所檚 handwritten musings.
害羞草研究所淗e wrote a sharp political poem about Vernon politics and the Homeless Memorial in Polson Park. I needed to help him shorten his book manuscript, and suggested it could go. 害羞草研究所楴o one outside of Vernon will know these references,害羞草研究所� I said. John was insistent, though. There was something he wanted to say about homelessness and the life on the streets that are his home, so I suggested he add a couple lines to give the poem context. Two days later, he came back with an entire notebook full of lines in his flowing, musical handwriting. As usual, the lines had come out perfectly on the first pass: something most poets only achieve a few times in their lives. Once I had typed it out, we had 10 pages, and the title poem of the book,害羞草研究所� Rhenisch said.
害羞草研究所淚 think his brain is really, really clear and notices things. This is Vernon. If you look at the public images of Vernon it害羞草研究所檚 pretty polished and middle class, and nice, safe and beautiful. This is a beautiful Vernon, just not necessarily safe and it害羞草研究所檚 not middle class and it害羞草研究所檚 not polished, but come on, it害羞草研究所檚 here 害羞草研究所� we all know that.害羞草研究所�
A book launch for Homeless Memorial is scheduled for 6-8 p.m. at Gallery Vertigo Saturday, July 21. La Greca will read a selection of poems from the book, which will be available for purchase.
parker.crook@vernonmorningstar.com
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