Wayne Brown
Wayne Brown at 78 years old was charged
More often than any other man his age
For drunk and disorderly behaviour
He was always tough hard
Nails wilted in his was presence
Rodeo broncos and bulls on the North America circuit
Petitioned for another rider
Any rider
You name a bone in the human body he had broken it
Knees replaced
Ankles fused
He limped
He suffered from PTSD
When the RCMP heard
Wayne was coming to Hinton
They quaked
At the Mary Reimer Memorial Rodeo
He was arrested for the 59th time that year
The local RCMP asked his son
If he would take care of his dad
Throwing him in the can one more time
Would do no one any good
His son took his father back to the hotel
Wayne sat on the bed with his son beside him
He inhaled deeply
Then rolled and lit a cigarette
You cannot smoke in the room
The son said
Wayne turned and looked at his son
His face was sad clown sad
“I talked to God and Jesus today
But they didn’t answer
Let’s go for a beer”
My origins in art derive from theatre. Theatre is a story telling medium of the human condition. It may be hyper realism or absurd but it is of stories of the human experience. As my career moved from playwriting to prose and poetry I remain committed to the human experience.From the front jacket of the collection of short stores The Naked City by Sterling Silliphant – where a crime of violence and an act of infinite tenderness can occur seconds apart . . . In many respects that is what I am attempting to do with my poems and stories. I am interested in our individual humanity in a harsh and sometimes comical environ. I believe, if there is a god, god is a prankster. How else do we explain genitalia and Donald Trump. Grant Guy is a Winnipeg, Canada, poet, writer and playwright. Former artistic director of Adhere + Deny. His writings have been published in Canada, the United States, Wales, India and England. He has three books published. He was the 2004 recipient of the MAC’s 2004 Award of Distinction and the 2017 recipient of the WAC’s Making A Difference Award.
Great narrative, Grant.