e117 - deeper into the forest (bonus)

a conversation between robin and myself about the origins of this poem (in memoriam Robin Mathews : November 1, 1931 - April 25, 2023) (in memoriam Robin Mathews : November 1, 1931 - April 25, 2023) Transcription of bonus episode Robin That's a funny poem. Claude What's it about, do you think? What do you remember it being about? Do you recognize it as your own? ? Robin I do recognize it, but I don't know where it came from. Claude Well, you wrote it just a few weeks ago on January 1st. You talked something about the grimms myths, that deeper into the woods is a reference to that. Does that ring a bell? Robin Yeah. Grimm's fairy tales, I think has the line and they went deeper into the forest. Claude Right. So that might have been an inspiration. Robin Might have. Without even connecting to it. Claude Well, what I'll try to do is to illustrate it a bit with sound. Robin Oh, neat. Claude Yeah with some wind sounds and some of the, the sort of distant voices. It's a beautiful poem. Thank you. Robin Oh, good. I’m so pleased. Where did these things come from, eh? Claude Yeah, from the poet. It's a bit of haunting poem because it has these illusions to going under water and distant voices Robin And being alone Claude Maybe that's the way you were feeling on that day. Robin Don't ask me Claude I mean, poetry is like that, right? It just comes out and you're not sure exactly what you're feeling but the words are there Robin And the idea that the surface is up there somewhere and you're under it, you know? Claude We've had a lot of conversations over the years about poetry and political poetry. I don't know if you remember, but we did a number of interviews and you read a lot of your poems as well. I Robin You've got them, have you? Claude Yeah, I have them. You know, so maybe I'll publish some of them if that's okay with you and make them available. Robin Yeah. Claude You sent us postcards over the years you used to paint on a postcard and then write a little note and send them in the mail and so we have a whole bunch of them at home of your paintings. Robin Yeah. I remember. I don't know why I stopped doing that. It's kind of fun to get original postcards. Claude And we collected them. Maybe you ran outta landscape.. Robin Or paint. Claude Or paint or postcards… * END NOTES FOR ALL EPISODES Note : I'm currently 'pressing pause' and am not producing new content until further notice. Hey conscient listeners, I’ve been producing the conscient podcast as a learning and unlearning journey since May 2020. It’s my way to give back. This Indigenous Land Acknowledgement statement was developed by members of the Algonquin community for my former employer the Canada Council for the Arts. I have adapted slightly to make it my own. I acknowledge that my studio, located in Ottawa, is on the unceded, unsurrendered Territory of the Anishinaabe Algonquin Nation whose presence here reaches back to time immemorial. I recognize the Algonquins as the customary keepers and defenders of the Ottawa River Watershed and its tributaries. I honour their long history of welcoming many Nations to this beautiful territory and uphold and uplift the voice and values of our Host Nation. Further, I offer my respect and affirm the inherent and Treaty Rights of all Indigenous Peoples across this land and honour commitments to self-determination and sovereignty that have been made to Indigenous Nations and Peoples. I acknowledge the historical oppression of lands, cultures and the original Peoples in what we now know as Canada and fervently believe the Arts contribute to the healing and decolonizing journey we all share together In parallel with the production of the conscient podcast and its francophone counterpart, balado conscient, I I publish a free ‘a calm presence' monthly Substack see https://acalmpresence.substack.com. Your feedback is always welcome at claude [at] conscient [dot] ca and/or on social media: Facebook, Instagram, Linkedin, Threads, BlueSky, Mastodon, Tik Tok, YouTube and Substack. Share what you like, etc I am grateful and accountable to the earth and the human labour that provided me with the privilege of producing this podcast, including the toxic materials and extractive processes behind the computers, recorders, transportation systems and infrastructure that made this production possible. Thanks for listening. Claude Schryer Latest update on March 21, 2026