Books
By Bruce Hunter
Bruce Hunter has authored ten books. The latest, Galestro (2023) follows A Life in Poetry (2022) both from iQdB edizioni in Italy.
NEW & RECENT BOOKS
AWARD-WINNING BOOKS
EARLIER BOOKS
THE BEEKEEPER'S DAUGHTER (1986)
BENCHMARK
(1982)
SELECTED CANADIAN RIFLES (1981)
READ ONLINE
"Bello and the Red Umbrella" (Originally published in Interno Poesia)
"At the Galleria dell'Accademia in Florence,
a solitary old man with rheumy eyes
tilts toward Michelangelo's David,
who the guide with his red umbrella tells,
is always viewed from below
and at a distance. The stretched marble limbs,
rippled sinew, tragically beautiful muscles.
He eyes the color of storms
but each faces a different direction.
And at 17 feet, David is a Goliath."
Introducing "Bello and the Red Umbrella" by Bruce Hunter, a poem that captures the essence of aging and the enduring human spirit. Originally published in the April 19, 2022 issue of Interno Poesia, this inspiring poem takes us to the Galleria dell'Accademia in Florence, where an old man sits on a bench, marveling at Michelangelo's David.
Through David's timeless beauty, "Bello and the Red Umbrella" reminds us that even as we age, our desire and humility endure. We too have been mended, once or twice, and we follow red umbrellas through the crowd, grateful for the beauty that surrounds us.
Bruce Hunter invites his readers to reflect on the beauty of aging and the resilience of the human spirit. The poem is a testament to the enduring power of art and the universal human experience of seeking beauty and meaning in the world.
"Bello and the Red Umbrella" was translated by the author with the collaboration of Sandro Pecchiari.
An Excerpt from "Arthur" (Originally published in Canada Fiction Magazine)
"You'll be alright. Bundle up good." My mother yanked my scarf even tighter bank robber style at the back of my raised hood.
My education, at nine and a half, was not complete in her eyes. Each day contained a verse of inspiration from her worn copy of One Day at a Time and some other crucial instruction usually in the form of a story about the weather, people, my dog or whatever else sprang to her mind.
Today it was twenty below zero, not quite Thirty Below, that mystical number where several threes collided in a deadly freeze as she told me once: "At thirty below with a thirty mile per hour wind, exposed flesh freezes in three minutes. That's fifty below by the chill factor."
Originally published in Canada Fiction Magazine, "Arthur" appears in Bruce Hunter's Country Music Country, 1996, reissued 2019.
"Aria for Dante" (originally published in Interno Poesia)
"In Italy, on Dante Alighieri's day,
gloomy news, seven thousand souls now.
I seek solace in the garden of this cold country of mine.
while the sleet turns to rain. The robin warbles at dawn.
Back from Mexico for another year.
Happy Spring Idiot in a vibrant red livery."
Art transcends borders and languages, and Bruce Hunter's poem is a beautiful example of that. Widely circulated in Italy, "Aria for Dante" led to a book deal and the opportunity to showcase more of his inspiring writing.
"Abstraction White Rose (1927) Georgia O'Keeffe" (for Lisa Stein)
"The gardener never forgot the rose
in that art gallery years ago.
Blooms voluminous and inviting.
Painted by a brush dipped in clouds. Velvet entrance
and escape. Large as a tabletop.
O'Keeffe sees as he sees. And as he does in his work,
the gardener opens his palms
to cradle it. Until a guard cautions him.
Sir. Please. Do not touch the paintings."
Journal & Anthology Appearances
Worth More Standing: Poets and Activists Pay Homage to Trees - 2022
Sweet Water - Poems to the Watersheds - 2020
Portraits of Canadian Writers - 2017
Enchantments of Place - 2017
Deaf Poets Society - 2016
World Poetry, English/Mandarin - 2014
El Ghibli, Italian/English - 2014
A Heart of Wisdom – Life Writing as Empathetic Inquiry - 2012
Coastal Moments Writing Journal - 2011
Stories About Us - 2005
Writing the Terrain - 2005
Honouring Mothers - 2004
Smaller than God: Poems of the Spiritual - 2001
2000% Cracked Wheat - 2000
Following the Plough: Recovering the Rural - 2000
Line By Line - 1999
A Rich Garland: Poems for A.M. Klein - 1999
The Summit Anthology - 1999
90 Poets of the Nineties: An Anthology of American and Canadian Poetry - 1998
In the Clear - 1998
Reading Writing - 1996
What Is Already Known - 1995
Paperwork: New Work Poetry - 1990
Your Voice and Mine - 1987
No Feather, No Ink: Louis Riel Poems - 1985
Dancing Visions: New Poets in Review - 1985
Glass Canyons - 1984
New Voices: A Celebration of Canadian Poetry - 1984
Going For Coffee: Work Poetry - 1981