OTTAWA | Randal's 80th Birthday, 2 Poems

Clyde Sanger (L) reads out his poem honoring
Randal's 80th. The Sangers and Marlins edited
 and wrote for the Glebe Report. L to R: Sanger, 
his assistant Emma, Pierre Pronovost, Anna
Barantseva, Nick Marlin, Randal Marlin, Michèle
Pronovost, Julianna Ovens, Sinclair Robinson.

OTTAWA, July 15, 2018–My brother Randal and his wife Elaine celebrated his 80th birthday yesterday with an afternoon of feasting and music in The Glebe.

In the interest of full disclosure of the Truth, which is always a concern of my brother, I should say at the outset that Randal's 80th birthday was really in January.

But he has found over the years that invitations to come to Ottawa in January when people are in, say, Florida, fall on deaf ears.

So it was a case of nunc pro tunc. A good time to come to Ottawa – When the weather is dry, / And no clouds hide the sky. / When air fills with sun, / And the outside is fun.

Which rhymes are a good segue to the fine poem to Elaine and Randal that Clyde Sanger read out to the assembled relatives and friends of Randal. Here is my snapshot of the poem he read out and left behind for Randal and Elaine at their house, posted here with the poet's permission:

L to R: Julianna Ovens, Sinclair Robinson, Pat Steenberg, Tony Patterson, 
Laura Marlin, Alice Tepper Marlin. Photos by JT Marlin.

Elaine and Randal were regular contributors, and for a few years Elaine was the editor.

The onlookers included family and many Glebe friends.

Five years ago, Clyde Sanger wrote another poem about Randal's search for Truth, which I also append with appreciation and thanks for permission to post.

This is at a time when Truth is in Helsinki, hostage to Greed and Power, https://bit.ly/2urjl39.

See also: Fiddlers in The Glebe, Ottawa, which includes a couple of movie clips . There Is No Planet B