77 Fragments of a Familiar Ruin

By Thomas King

Timely, important, mischievous, powerful: in a word, exceptional

Seventy-seven poems intended as a eulogy for what we have squandered, a reprimand for all we have allowed, a suggestion for what might still be salvaged, a poetic quarrel with our intolerant and greedy selves, a reflection on mortality and longing, as well as a long-running conversation with the mythological currents that flow throughout North America.

• Language: English
• Publisher: HarperCollins
• Release date: Sep 24, 2019
• ISBN: 9781443459457

Thomas King

THOMAS KING is an award-winning writer and photographer. His critically acclaimed, bestselling books include Medicine River; Green Grass, Running Water; One Good Story, That One; Truth and Bright Water; A Short History of Indians in Canada; The Back of the Turtle (winner of the Governor General’s Literary Award for Fiction); The Inconvenient Indian (winner of the RBC Taylor Prize); Indians on Vacation; Sufferance; and the poetry collection 77 Fragments of a Familiar Ruin. A Companion of the Order of Canada and the recipient of a National Aboriginal Achievement Award, Thomas King lives in Guelph, Ontario. Black Ice is the eighth book in the DreadfulWater series.   

Book preview

1

As for the garden,

Adam,

after the Fall.

Make no mistake, he said,

we will destroy it all.

2

Okay.

Let’s try this again.

And so you don’t make

the same mistake twice,

Adam was just a joke

the Otters made up

to annoy the Ducks.

And it was a Turtle,

please pay attention,

not a garden.

3

Set the running days in line,

tie down the wind.

Mark mountains out with minor tones,

dig up the stories,

paint the bones,

the snow is on the ground.

4

And so we’re clear,

in the beginning

there was nothing.

Just the water.

Okay, so there were water birds

and some water animals as well.

Okay, and the Turtle.

Okay, okay, and the light in the western heavens

that was not a star

but a falling woman

slicing through the sky

like a bright knife.

5

I bite my nails.

I fold toilet paper into squares,

wipe once

then fold again.

Raccoons no longer rent movies.

At the airport, Americans took my nail file

but they’ll sell guns to anyone.

I should lose weight.

Somewhere a child is being comforted by her father.

On the off-chance the world will end tomorrow,

I have begun to read the minor poets.

But there is no hope.

6

Coyote goes to the doctor

to get tested.

You have had Adverse Childhood Experiences,

says the doctor.

That would explain why I’m so mischievous,

says Coyote.

That would explain why I don’t learn quickly.

That would explain why I can’t control my emotions.

That would explain why I

Reviews for 77 Fragments of a Familiar Ruin

[gypsysmom_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

The year 2020 has truly been my Thomas King year. Since June I have read three novels and now this book of poetry. Since this is the year that the COVID-19 pandemic has erupted I'm not sure if this conjunction of reading is because his writing is reflective of the turbulent times or an antidote to them.The poems in this slim book reflect King's concern about the environment but also his sense of humour. Some of the poems are quite short; others cover two pages. At number 45 the poem reads:Go backand read the firstforty-four fragmentsagain.I'll wait.So I did.I'll be holding onto this book to remind me of 2020.