Category: General
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Wistful Seal Collage
Wistful Seal, Catherine Raine 2014 Wistful Seal, Catherine Raine 2014 -
Magic Door in Kew Gardens, Toronto!
As I was walking through Kew Gardens, the sight of this wee door at the base of a tree astonished me!
Who made the door? And why?
Who arranged the offering of twigs and leaves?
To thank the tree, I placed two quarters on the spontaneous shrine, still marveling at the fairy-tale door.
By the time I saw the chamber again more than a year later, the story of its magic had evolved. Astroturf now covered the dirt floor and a new vision of the world outside the door had been created.
With a sturdy vehicle, a stone wall, a compass, a sign, and a campfire, this self-sufficient village can confidently weather the challenges of a busy Toronto park.(Note: a few months ago, I read a newspaper article that solved the mystery! The door serves as a literary backdrop for Henley the Hedgehog, the star of three children’s books by Sharon Douris.)
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Smalls Creek and Hollow Tree by Taylor Massey Creek
Smalls Creek, Williamson Park, Toronto 
Smalls Creek, Williamson Park, Toronto 
Hollow tree on bank of Taylor Massey Creek, Scarborough 
Hollow tree on bank of Taylor Massey Creek, Scarborough -
Haiku in Praise of Optimism
Optimism works
best with green expectations
that kiss the sweet dirt.
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Think About the Pink Sink
A pink sink appeared on a neighbour’s lawn, and I took a picture of it.
Two weeks later, I noticed some changes in the rejected sink’s appearance, and its new look inspired a short reflection.
Pink Sink Reflection
The weight of the pink basin is no match for the power of grass. It only takes two weeks for hundreds of green blades to hoist their pastel burden high and tilt it to one side. In a similar show of strength, dandelions find outlets through the three holes, pushing aside ghosts of faucets past.
Where hot and cold water once rushed through pipes, new stems flourish wild, breathing spring into the openings that people once controlled. As fluffy seeds unfurl with defiance, they celebrate the natural disobedience of plant life.With insouciant flair, these so-called weeds seize every opportunity to grow, and they do not apologize for it.
Dandelions, thank you for challenging human assumptions. By threading yourselves through a discarded basin, you teach us what matters: surviving, finding a purchase, and overcoming obstacles that seem crushing at first. Your genius and grit create beauty in unexpected places, inciting resistance to perfect lawns policed by frowns.
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“Life at the Roots” Poetry Reading (May 31st, 2014)
This poem enjoyed an open mic outing (my first) yesterday afternoon at the Urban Gallery. I am grateful to Brenda Clews for organizing the event and to Stewart Russell for making the recording!
Life at the Roots
By Catherine Raine (2013)
One fall day,
I walk the ribbed bedrock of a dry creek.
Between old dreaming stream and Flack Lake,
a carpet of fresh moss and brown duff.
My steps disturb a creature
who runs away under the cover of leaves,
pushing up against its shelter as it flees.
The unknown animal
creates a living ribbon of movement,
drawing a flight path with its body.
The tree litter shifts and rustles in its fast wake,
evidence of life unseen but more real than this poem,
fusing threads of instinct without pause.
One summer day,
I bike home from work,
thoughts distracted from the simple path
that curves by the banks of Taylor Massey Creek.
I pass a tall gathering of yellow grasses
that erupts with startled birds.
They fly straight up from the reeds,
rising all at once in a mass of flapping.
Birds of hidden presence,
you are birds of poetry and vision.
All the beauty that lies unknown within us,
waiting for a sudden movement,
a whoosh of wheels and wings
to reveal life at the roots,
a wild frightening freshness that we cage with lies.
One spring morning,
Dark green shoots
grow from my breasts, pushing up, pushing out.
I tug a shoot from my left aureole
and a large curly leaf comes out.
I tug more shoots and yet more shoots,
shocked by the secret depth of my roots.
My right breast overspills with greenery, too.
Dirt mixes with the leaves,
and one last tug
makes an onion pop out and roll on the grass.
Onion, I know you.
You promise food, the push of streams,
breath of reeds, and the soft spring of moss.
I believe in your hidden roots.
Underground, you listen to famished souls
who trace desire lines on the waiting earth.
Several years later, I entered the poem in a contest and it was selected as one of four winners:
http://open-book.ca/News/What-s-Your-Story-2017-Obpo-Writing-Contest-Winners!-Part-One-Scarborough
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ESL Students’ Collages and Their Wisdom
When my students make presentations about their artwork, I love the natural wisdom which emerges. I hope you find their collages as inspiring as I do!
Sunny’s Collage This is my collage. We can see we have two mouse in here. On the right, we have one, oh, just so terrible. He just in the cleft and he (is) afraid the other animal will eat it. On the left, this animal can enjoy the sunshine and can in the farmland eat the rice. It’s so freedom. Oh, it’s relaxed, fantastic.
The meaning is like us. Why? Because we can in here have many rich people or people who come from the worker family. But we are the same. We are all human. So if you want to get success, you have to change. Maybe in this time, you are very relaxed or maybe in this time you are very afraid, but never mind because you can change. You can do it yourself and change your surroundings. You can get what you want. . . . . If you want to change, you have to work hard.
Paul’s Collage First, why I choose cat? Because the cat look like cute and look like a little lazy. Traditionally people say “The cat have nine lives.” Why cat have nine lives? Because cat is very very vigilant and focused for everything. Even though they look lazy and they don’t care about anything, cat is very focused for everything. If a mouse passes his eyes, he can be very focused to get it, to take the mouse, and eat it.
Traditional Chinese master say, “You’re safe in the danger, but you die in the good life.” What’s the meaning? Does anyone read the Bible? Have the story about a Jewish king named David. When he (was) younger, that last Jewish king want to kill him. Then he run away and don’t do any mistakes for God because he’s very focused on the dangerous life. But after this time passed and David become the king,, he have a mistake because his life is so good.
For everything you need a focus. Does anybody play League of Warriors? Do you know, for this game you need a lot of focus so you can win. So everything in life you need to play like this game. Everyone need a focus. Don’t relax for everything. You understand?
Lauricelly’s Collage My collage is about the art. And this art is by Frida Kahlo. She was born in Mexico, and she was important painter in Mexico and other countries. She was a sick woman all her life because she suffered life-long health problems because of a traffic accident when she was a teenager. She stayed in the bed all the time. She had a problem with her spinal column.
You can see the picture. She is Frida Kahlo. She had one eyebrow. In the middle, you can see arms and legs. The means the inspiration of this woman was influenced by her illness.
She did different self-portraits because she paint about her problems. She paint about her physical problem, emotional problems, and personal problems. And she has problems with her spinal column and her sexuality.
In this corner, you can see the man flying with an umbrella. He has wings, like Frida who said, “Because I have wings, I can fly.” What is the meaning? It’s impossible to fly, but you can fly with your imagination. You can fly with your dreams.
I choose this collage because I like her story. Frida Kahlo is my superhero. She is immortal.
Lee’s Collage Today I want to talk about Chinese history. Chinese history have about 5,000 or more years. You can see the three pictures. When you first see the three pictures, you think the three things have long history. In China, there are many museums, and there are many Chinese things in museums all over the world, for example, in the Royal Ontario Museum.
On the top left, is a bell. You can put it for ding, ding, ding. It’s a musical bell. On the right, this a jar to put some food in it. On the bottom, this is a picture of some jade.
Raymond’s Collage At the top of my collage are two pictures, a tornado and a ship in a calm sea that is about to go over a waterfall. These two pictures tell us that in our lives we have some troubles. Some trouble will come to our lives, but don’t give up.
The bottom half of the collage has two pictures. This one is a picture of a drop of water. This one has a path and boat. You can feel very relaxed when you see these pictures. You can see that this is very calm. So every time you have troubles in your life, calm down is the first step, and you will solve it. You may have many, many bad days, but it’s not a bad life. You will believe that solve your troubles is a good choice. Give up is a bad choice. So believe in yourself and believe in ourselves!
Joyce’s Collage My collage is about my future. At the top of the collage, there is a wooden bridge. All you you can see is that it is a long way. The weather is hazy. To the right of the bridge, there are many colourful clouds. In the lower right corner, you can see a house with five children and two old people inside.
The collage means a lot to me because it’s like my life. Maybe in my future I will be like that, from the hazy weather to a colourful world. I came alone here four months ago, but maybe in my future I will have many granddaughters and grandsons. They can begin to call me Grandma. So the future will be better.
Finally, here is the text from Jerry’s presentation. (Unfortunately, I didn’t get a picture of his collage because he made it a few days after the other students).
There are only three pictures in this collage. Here is one cat. What is he doing? He’s a sleeping cat, and he is dreaming. The question is, what he dreaming about? Many people will think he’s dreaming of gold. It’s so exciting. But if you want to understand the truth, he isn’t dreaming of gold. He’s dreaming of freedom. Animals and humans dream of freedom. Gold is cheaper than freedom. Freedom is what all humans and animals want.
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Three Collages for Spring 2014!
Playful Citrus River for Chris, Collage by Catherine Raine, 2014 
Birdman, Catherine Raine, 2014 
Pink Mosaic, Catherine Raine, 2014 -
Group Stories with Dixit Cards by ESL Students
Dixit cards illustrated by Marie Cardouat 
Group One’s Story 
Group Two’s Story with Dixit card illustrated by Marie Cardouat 
Dixit cards illustrated by Marie Cardouat 
Group Three’s Story 
Dixit card illustrated by Marie Cardouat 
Group Four’s Story 
Dixit cards illustrated by Marie Cardouat 
Group Five’s Story My students enjoyed writing stories inspired by Dixit cards last week, but we ran out of time to share them with the whole class. An illustrated blog post seemed just the thing to capture the stories for later viewing and discussion!
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Collages for Relaxation and Welcoming Spring
My collage bag and I paid a visit to a colleague’s ESL class this morning for a guest lesson. In forty minutes, sixteen fantastic collages emerged, creating a buzz of creative excitement!
Joey’s Collage 
Joey’s Collage 
Joey’s Collage 
Cassie’s Collage 
Celia’s Collage 
Rick’s Collage 
Salman’s Collage 
Shen’s Collage 
Guillermo’s Collage 
Jose’s 3-D Collage 
Ryan’s Collage (Background print by Carlyle Raine) 
Lorraine’s Collage 
Henry’s Collage 
Jesse’s Collage 
Zoey’s Collage -
ESL Students’ Relaxation Collages
To follow up a recent textbook unit on healthy lifestyles, I asked the students to make collages on the theme of relaxation. The resulting collages made me proud of their individuality, creativity, and colours!
Ellidan’s Collage 
Flyer’s Collage 
Mina’s Collage 
Simplice’s Collage 
Christian’s Collage 
Hannah’s Collage 
Jay’s Collage 
Angela’s Collage 
Angela’s Collage 
Jhosuet’s Collage 
Judith’s Collage 
Edwin’s Collage -
Winter Haiku Inspired by Sidewalk Trash
Photo by Catherine Raine Old bubble-wrap squid
exhausted on icy reef
spring wishes on hold -
Dixit Cards Continue to Inspire English-Language Learners
Last semester, I tried using Dixit cards to encourage students to speak in class and the results were so inspiring that I repeated the lesson this term. The cards prompted the students to access deep stores of wisdom, insight, humour and personal meaning. Their presentations affected me significantly, and I was so proud of them.
Dixit card illustrated by Marie Cardouat In this moment, I choose this card. In this card, we can see the clean sky, and the weather is sunny. And the umbrellas have all colours of the rainbow.
I think this card is like me because the different-coloured umbrellas are like how I use different attitudes or different faces to protect my tender heart. My heart is a little weak. So I have to use the different ways to protect me because I (am) afraid to (get) hurt.
The temperature is so high, and the people have to use the umbrellas to keep out the sunshine and protect their skin. The people will think, “This weather is too hot and I have ice-cream or iced-tea.”
Everybody uses different ways to protect their tender hearts because this tender(ness) cannot face the sunshine. I chose this card because it is same as me, so I love this card. (Sunny)
Dixit card illustrated by Marie Cardouat The picture shows a little boy, mountains, and a beautiful twilight. The little boy’s bubbles are planets in the sky. He’s walking far far away.
This picture makes me feel freedom. For me, it’s very important that all people show creativity and imagination. (Lauricelly)
Dixit card illustrated by Marie Cardouat I think this cat is using magic. The cat is hungry and hopes to get a fish through magic. He is also working hard because he is trying to get a fish.
Why did I choose this picture? Because it (is) like how I’m learning English. I can’t use magic, but I can keep trying. (Christine)
Dixit card illustrated by Marie Cardouat We can see this picture has a white candle on the table. In this picture, it is mostly dark. (The candle) is the only light in this dark. When the smoke goes up, the candle goes down and he dies.
The picture made me feel hope and made me feel a little sad because time is cold. (It doesn’t care) if you are a rich man or poor man, a teacher or student. Time doesn’t see you or feel you.
I think this picture is very important for us because I think we are like candles. We just have a short life, but we can be a light in this world. (Jerry)
Dixit card illustrated by Marie Cardouat This is a picture of a boy and a white horse. The boy (is) riding a white horse who is walking on the dry ground. He comes to eat and drink on the cliff. There is a beautiful oasis on the other side of the cliff. There is blue sky, sunshine, clean air, and a lot of trees.
The boy wants to go the oasis, but in front of him is a bottomless chasm. He thinks, “How can I follow the rainbow across the cliff?” Finally, through hard work and wisdom, he arrives on the other side.
The picture made me think, “When we (are) in trouble, don’t give up. We should think of the ways to solve it.” Rainbows come after the storm. The same is true of life. I chose this picture because it give(s) me a positive outlook on life. (Mandy)
Dixit card illustrated by Marie Cardouat This is my picture. My picture doesn’t have any people or animals, but it has many eggs. You can see small house(s) near the grass. Living in this house are very small animals like the ants. I like ants very much because they very work hard. They are small animals, but they can work hard and make these houses.
We have an opportunity to come to Canada. In my country, many students don’t have money and their parents can’t afford to send them to Canada. They are very poor, can’t go to school and can’t eat too many foods. We are not very rich, but we have a choice. We can eat two eggs for dinner. We need to use this opportunity to study in Canada to work hard.
In China, if you finish the high school we have a final exam. That exam is very important. We call it “Gaokao.” If you get good marks, you can go to a good university. If you maybe have a little mistake, you get little marks, so you lose. Maybe you can’t go to university. For me, I did not work hard enough on my studies, and I got very little marks. I think we need to work hard for the life.
My superhero is my classmate Sunny because I think Sunny very work hard for English. Not just for study, but for everything we need to work hard, like for jobs and even for getting a girlfriend. For example, why does R. have a girlfriend and why we don’t have a girlfriend? It’s because R. works hard for clean his face and clean his body.
Why did I choose this picture? I think this picture is very important and very good for me. If I watch this picture, I can think I need to work hard more. (Paul)
Dixit card illustrated by Marie Cardouat This picture is talking about the desert. Someone put this anchor in the desert. I don’t know why, but I think it wants to explain to us how to survive anywhere.
The picture makes me feel afraid because there’s no life in the desert, no water, no food. When I see this, I remember my country because we have a lot of desert. (Anas)
Dixit card illustrated by Marie Cardouet This is a merry-go-round. There are four kids playing on the merry-go-round. When I saw the picture, I recalled my grandmother. A very long time ago, I went to a fairground with my grandmother. Now my grandmother is dead. I very miss her.
When I saw the picture, I missed her. I believe each person has a special childhood. This time with my grandma, that was my best time. When I saw the picture, I missed her so much. It’s a very beautiful picture. (Haiking)
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Valentine’s Day Cards by ESL Students
Joey’s Card “Enjoy being love. Love makes the world go around.” 
Joey’s Card Last week I facilitated a Valentine’s Day art workshop at the college where I teach ESL, and the students’ work delighted me with its playful quirkiness. The natural creativity that surfaces when people sit around a table covered with pictures, glitter glue, thread, markers, stickers, scissors, and ribbon is a joy to behold!
Shirley’s Card (with messages inside) 
Kamilla’s Card 
Shirley P.’s Card 
Shirley P.’s Card 
Shirley’s Card 
Shen’s Card “I and my little good buddies are shocked.” 
Jesse’s Card The day after the workshop, I decided to utilize the leftover materials to repeat the activity with my class. Like the workshop attendees, these students made beautifully imaginative Valentine’s cards with messages both sweet and funny.
Jay’s Card 
Jay’s Card 
Mina’s Card 
Mina’s Card 
Ellidan’s Card 
Ellidan’s Card 
Danilo’s Card 
Danilo’s Card 
Jayden’s Card 
Hannah’s Card 
Hannah’s Card 
Hannah’s Card 
Ken’s Card 
Ken’s Card 
Ken’s Card 
Frances’ Card 
Frances’ Card 
Cherry’s Card 
Cherry’s Card 
Cherry’s Card -
The Name in the River
Window Art by Natu Patel, Humberwood Library She kneels before the river,
the ankles of her snow boots resting on the bench-edge.
Beside her, The Lightning Thief, three mysteries, Brave,
and a packet of cheese crackers make a small tower.
Window Art by Natu Patel, Humberwood Library Ignoring the crackers,
she watches the deer who sniffs the air for danger
before dipping its head in the river.
She wants to swim downstream in grey and blue
where the water’s wild direction drops from sight.
Window Art by Natu Patel, Humberwood Library She turns to watch the librarian busy with the Holds cart
and then etches the name Alia into the river with her fingernail.
Alia knows it is not allowed,
but she obeys an inner devotion
to a moving sanctuary, an altar of water.
Alia writes her name in the river
because it calls her daughter.
Alia dives into her river,
ancient gills awakening to underwater life.
The river’s name is Alia
and it carries the kneeling girl home.
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Trash Bunny’s Worst Christmas
Lost animal of Christmas past,
with faded felt belly
frozen in grief to the sidewalk.
Floppy ears conceal eyes
too ashamed to face
the ashen depth of the fall.
Deprived of a sheltering black bag,
she lies exposed, less than garbage.
Discarded cords, old homework,
and a Disney Store bag from 2007
press against the slack form on three sides.
Her tired pelt casts shadows on jigsaw mats
that are not useful, not even fun.
Who used to love you?
Who tossed you aside?
Who remembers the morning
your child shredded the wrapping paper,
(decapitating a dozen printed snowmen)
and grabbed you from the box
hugging you with aggressive joy?
Where is your former perch
on a bunk bed or cedar chest?
You never chose this street, this corner, this end.
Nobody asked if you were done with love.
When I see the patchwork bow on your neck,
my ribs tighten in pain.
The pale hearts, flowers, and stripes
in green, yellow, and a hint of purple
are too faint to palliate
this heap of hopelessness.
But the colours found me, your witness, your friend.
Let’s sit together until the truck comes.
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ESL Students Make Collages and Discuss Their Meaning
Gold’s Collage “In the middle of the picture, you can see a girl. She is very beautiful like the flowers. She has a boyfriend. He is very poor. In the top left corner, you can see him. They love each other. One day, there is man who looks like a frog. He’s in love with the girl, too. He’s very rich. He has an expensive car. That girl finishes with her boyfriend. She chooses the rich man. What do you think of this story?”
Annie’s Collage “This collage is about my dream of having a house in nature. You can see the lakes, flowers, and butterflies are part of nature. I can have my breakfast by the lake and go fishing. It’s very important to enjoy life.”
Wayne’s Collage “My collage is about art. This piece is about an Impressionist’s picture. Maybe it’s Monet, but I’m not sure. It’s about colour and sunflowers. On the left, this is a (purple flower) mountain. I made it.
Art is about what you think. Like this pink flower, I think this is for a sun. What you think, your opinion, is important (see the ideas coming out of the top of the head). Art is about music and dancing, like when the people copy the animal action then make a dancing. Nature is my artist.”
Karen’s Collage “First, my collage it’s about me. . . . . It’s about what I like and it represent me. This part (the map) means I want to travel all over the world. My favourite flower is roses. My best friend’s favourite animal is the tiger, and it’s my favourite one, too.
I am a woman. I am very proud of that. I love dance. I’m a mysterious person. I’m very friendly. And I love art.
Karen’s Collage The most beautiful place I ever saw before is Niagara Falls. My favourite food is salmon, chocolate, and ice-cream. And I really like fireworks. My favourite movie is Beauty and the Beast. The angel right here, all my friends in Mexico tell me I have an angel inside or something. I don’t know why. My favourite sport is swim. It’s really easy for me to love somebody. I like to draw. And this butterfly in the other hand of the lady swimming is me, too, because it’s in a jail, and when I come here I feel like I am a free butterfly.
Karen’s Collage This part says, “Home is where one starts from.” Everybody tells me your home is with your family, but I changed my mind. I think your home is where you want to stay, where you want to live.”
Teo’s Collage “My collage is about the universe. I like the universe. It is so charming and so mystery. People want to explore its secrets. You can see the small solar system that includes eight planets. . . . The earth is a beautiful and magic planet.”
Jerry’s Collage “Ladies and gentlemen. Next one is Jerry. Jerry’s showtime! Enjoy my presentation . . . My main idea is the ocean and all of things about blue. . . This guy is Poisedon. He has a gold arm and a trident, his weapon. This one is so cute, Luna. Very fashionable with sunglasses. I think this is angel about the ocean. She has wings and an oar. Her shoes look like boats. The penguins follow the goddess to catch sardines. When I was younger, I had a dream. I really wanted to become a marine biologist. Maybe the little boy will become a new Captain Nemo. And the broken ship is maybe the Titanic, and the big diamond is the heart of the ocean.
In my life, I really like water and the sea or ocean everything about blue or water. When you are in the water, you feel very freedom, very calm down, and very clear. The ocean is very clear in our planet. God and humans and animals and nature are very balanced. They protect or keep each other.”
“In my opinion, we need four things to be happy: friends, family, dreams, and smiling. Whether we are children or seniors, we need to enjoy time together with friends.”
Shirely’s Collage “In my opinion, we need four things to be happy: friends, family, dreams, and smiling. Whether we are children or seniors, we need to enjoy time together with friends.”
Sergi’s Collage “In the right corner, you can see a shark. He seems to represent fear. In the top left corner, this is a cute dog. It’s something kind, something good, something positive. You can also see the butterfly. And there’s a man who try to reach the stars.
This collage is about my thoughts about my life. Sometimes we hear a noise and we think that it is something dangerous. We try to turn back and looking what it is, but usually it’s something cute like this cute dog who want to play and make a noise. Fear pulls you back. If we release our fear, we can reach to the stars.”
Amber’s Collage “This is a gift for my best friend. We live in different countries, but we talk by phone and internet. We have a dream. When we one day have homes of our own, we will be neighbours, a big family. Our hearts will be together forever. The bird and the butterfly are very different, but we can fly together.
Amber’s Collage We have been to many different places together. Different colours mean different cities in China we have visited together . . . . Our friendship like the tree will be more and more thick.
The picture is for my best friend. And she said, ‘Oh, I am crying. You are so sweet.’ So I am so happy. I know that’s not very beautiful and not very well but that’s special for us and that’s our memories.”
Joshua’s Collage “When you have some trouble, you must be like this woman and go ahead and keep going. Don’t stop. Sometimes when you get in trouble, your emotions is very dead. But sometimes in your life you can find little beautiful things that will encourage you, like a flower or a cup of cappuccino. They will let you have power so you can just keep going to face the trouble.”
Michael’s Collage “He is a little potato. He is a normal people. He has a good dream, but he don’t have a chance. He don’t have money. No car, no house, no wife. He’s single for many years. He’s very depressed, very sad. He thinks God never help him.
One day he want to give up his life. He found a old house. This house nobody live here, is not used. He want to over his life for here. But he’s very lucky. He found a pot of gold. This is his first pot of gold in his life. He’s very exciting. This gold will change his life. It give him confidence, power, and hope. For this day, he very hard work every day and learn more knowledge about his business. One day he become a good businessman. Finally, he’s successful. He find his angel girl. This girl is his wife.”
Jian’s Collage “This is a story. A man is at the Kansas City Zoo. He’s a hunter. He wants to shoot the cat, but the cat shouts, ‘Help’ and the elephant protects the cat. Then the dog goes to fight the elephant because he wants to help his master. The dog gets hurt and the man feels sad. He change his mind and decides to never shoot another animal again. He now understands that protecting animals is our responsibility.”
Jian’s Collage 
Yang’s Collage “This collage is not good. I think I’m not artistic, so it’s just a simple story. One day the girl is so boring so she’s just thinking about some things and animals. First of all, the girl is thinking about a pond. The pond have some lotus leaves. The frog’s drinking on the leaves. Near the pond have an elephant. The elephant is gonna come here because he wants to drink water. This girl is thinking about why rabbits don’t swimming in the pond. She thinks good things. She’s happy. I think her smile is very funny. That’s all.”
Fernando’s Collage “The woman in the picture is my mother. She’s in her house in Brazil where it is very warm (see the sun). The bird represents my travelling to Canada, and the hearts are my love for my mom. The man is me in Canada. The leaf is a symbol of Canada, the country where I learn English.”
Han’s Collage “I don’t know how I made that. This collage’s meaning is balance and change. Sometimes in life we need balance . . . Also, sometimes we need change. When you change, you will find your life will be interesting. It doesn’t matter bad or good. Even if it’s bad, you can enjoy this. You can get something interesting.”
Edward’s Collage “First, a salute to Mr. Jobs since he give us a wonderful machine, wonderful technology, and lots of high-tech things we can use.
The background of the picture is past to future. Our earth is such a beautiful planet in our galaxy. Importantly, here have life. Long ago, the humans not have language and not have a lot of things like today’s high-tech. But they found fire. They should eat and have life.
Humans need war and mythology. Mythology story tells people, ‘You should be brave.’ But sometimes some king is like the tiger and so bad and always hate the people. The people don’t like him, so they throw him out.
Edward’s Collage Some countries exclude themselves from the outside world. But one day they open the door, and they see it’s a wonderful world. Another country is so strong and have high-level culture and have high-tech. Even though humans need to go to war and development, sometimes I think war is not a must, so Olympic Games show us we can use another way to show the country’s power. Finally, I hope the world can peace.”
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Frogs’ Mosaic Green Room Collage
Over the past few months, I’ve been enjoying the chance to meet with a friend and make collages in response to The Druid Animal Oracle Deck by Philip and Stephanie Carr-Gomm. Last week, I selected Frog, whose key words are Sensitivity, Medicine, and Hidden Beauty and Power (page 19, The Druid Animal Oracle Deck booklet).
Frog card illustrated by Bill Worthington for the Druid Animal Oracle Deck I started the collage at a coffee shop with a large wooden table and completed it at home. The resulting piece emerged with the help of paper, stickers, paint pens, and watercolour.
Frogs’ Mosaic Green Room, Catherine Raine, 2013 Carr-Gomm’s booklet states that Frog is “a companion of the rain spirits” who can “help you develop your sensitivity to others, to healing and to sound through your skin and your whole body” (19).
Frogs’ Mosaic Green Room, Catherine Raine, 2013 Frog also encourages us to “look for the beauty and the magic behind appearances” (19).
Thank you, Frog, for your wisdom and artistic inspiration!
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Dixit Storytelling Cards Inspire ESL Class
As an ESL teacher at a college, I’m always searching for interesting images to discuss, and these cards for the storytelling game, Dixit, struck me as richly imaginative. Recently, I asked students in my communication class to choose a picture from the deck of cards and give a short presentation about it. I was delighted by their insightful responses and asked permission to share their descriptions of the cards on my blog.
Dixit card illustrated by Marie Cardouat Sometimes life is so difficult, but you should always have hope and life. For example, look at the air in her hair. You need to fight all the time against air and the weather, but I think it’s worth fighting for life. And sometimes the world is cold, but there is still a flower growing to give you hope. (Karen)
Dixit card illustrated by Marie Cardouat They are playing chess.The warm light is shining on the couple. There is a loving feeling. . . Love is like playing chess. Regardless of the outcome, everyone can enjoy this process. In simple terms, just I want to find a girlfriend. . . The picture is very sweet and can give me a deep impression. . . Love is a wonderful thing. (Edward)
Dixit card illustrated by Marie Cardouat There are two fairies and a monster. The monster is trying to eat one fairy, and the other fairy is helping the fairy to escape. The monster is thinking, “I will eat you.” The fairies are thinking, “We want to leave.” I’m worried about the fairies. I chose this picture because it looked like the fairies said, “Please help us!” (Alvin)
Dixit card illustrated by Marie Cardouat Long, long ago, there was a rabbit kingdom and wolf kingdom. The rabbit king had to kill the wolf king. In the picture, the rabbit is holding a sword. To kill the animal, he has to slip into the bedroom of the wolf. He sees three doors. He doesn’t know which door to choose. He thinks a king lives behind the flower door because it is beautiful. He goes in to kill the wolf. He stops the war. The rabbit kingdom’s citizens call the rabbit an iron man. He is very brave. (Jian)
Dixit card illustrated by Marie Cardouat One day a boy is standing in front of the tree. His hand is holding an axe. He’s hesitating. Will he hack the tree or not hack the tree? I think he will hack it because the fruit of this tree is imagination. . . . Everyone has an imagination. (Teo)
Dixit card illustrated by Marie Cardouat I think this is a comedian. I think he’s crying. The comedian has finished his work. In fact, he’s facing his life. He’s an ordinary human being. I think he may have run into some trouble or a sad thing. When I see the picture, I feel very helpless, sad, and very lonely.
I chose this picture because it is very realistic in our lives. Sometimes many people show their glamorous side to everyone and keep the sad side to themselves. Their heart is very strong. A lot of people are like this. He can make others happy but not make himself happy. He has a strong heart. (Jerry)
Dixit card illustrated by Marie Cardouat A boy is planting seeds. The boy is thinking about a good harvest. When I see this picture, I feel hope for the future. I think the boy is not just planting seeds. He is planting hope. In the future, his dream will come true. (Annie)
Dixit card illustrated by Marie Cardouat This girl is an island. She’s watching the ship. She looks sad. She wants to be a person again. (Gold)
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Joe Leinburd’s Holocaust Survivor Testimony
For the past four years, I have been attending programs in honour of Holocaust Education Week at the Toronto Public Library. Last Tuesday, November 5th, I went to Sanderson Library to hear Joe Leinburd speak about his experiences in wartime Romania.
In 1939, Mr. Leinburd was only 17 years old when he heard the news that Germany had invaded Poland. The news interrupted a volleyball game he was playing with his friends, and at that moment he realized that his “plans and dreams were shattered.”
To help us visualize the horror of heavy forces of history pressing down on innocent people, invading their lives without consent, our speaker held up a piece of black construction paper. It resembled a shroud with menacing scallops that showed the arbitrary curves of political borders. When he placed the black cape over a map of modern Europe to indicate areas occupied by the Nazis during World War II, the effect was shocking. Very few countries evaded the reach of that twisted blanket of death and hatred.
Two years after the start of the Second World War, the “Romanian Fascist Regime, collaborating with Nazi Germany, deported the entire Jewish population of Northern Bucovina and Bessarabia to Transnistria, an area in southwestern Ukraine” (Neuberger HEW 2013 information booklet, page 40). Mr. Leinburd told us that the authorities only gave them 24 hours to leave. Then the nightmare journey to Transnistria began, in which Leinburd and his family rode in a cattle car for two and half days “without food, water, or medicine.” They were in “total darkness with no space to move and little air to breathe.”
In response to a question about whether he had a numbered tattoo on his arm, Mr. Leinburd said that the “Jews in Romania died of starvation and sickness instead of being gassed.” Later, one of the middle school kids in the audience asked, “If you had had a tattoo, would you want to remove it?” Leinburd’s short, emphatic answer was “No.”
Suffering drew no distinctions between concentration camps or starvation and sickness in the open air. Joe and “his entire family survived a death march from Moghilev to Murafa and was liberated in 1944” (Neuberger HEW 2013, page 40). The forced march lasted two days, and “nobody dared help the elderly, sick, or children who fell behind. The helpers would be shot.” However, during three years of forced labour and unspeakable privation (including eating grass), Joe recalled that everybody helped each other to survive.
As Joe Leinburd’s talk was coming to a close, a young girl wearing a headscarf asked, “What is your wish for this generation?”
“My wish is for them to remember what happened and to distinguish between right and wrong.”
I’m thankful for the courage and fortitude of our 92-year-old speaker who shared traumatic memories with us so that we can remember the past into the future, pushing against shrouds of hatred the moment we recognize them in ourselves, our communities, and in our governments.