The Silence of Horses

Publisher: Caitlin Press Inc.

We need no longer hide
behind concepts of alienation
or the language of clever linguistics
while the poor are dying
we need the silence
of our horses.

In Lorne Dufour’s third book of poetry, The Silence of Horses, he shares this insight: “It is our past, present and future and how we are all tied together in this tiny thread we call life that defines the importance of our existence.” In poems such as “Inebriation” he asks us to occasionally pause for a moment in this busy world to look between the spaces. To remember that in the stillness we find the spirit of life. 

But Dufour moves beyond simple reflection in this inspiring new book, as he tackles difficult and contentious political issues such as poverty, racism and devastating resource development—“Once we find reverse, let’s stick to that method until the world slows down, let’s celebrate horse speed…, till we meet Henry Ford living on Capitol Hill, until we precede slavery, … Let’s drive in reverse, so much that the world will breathe a sigh of relief.”  

Lorne Dufour has worked as a teacher, a counsellor, a logger, a travelling showman and a poet. In 1985 he played the alcoholic priest in the film The Honor of All, the story of the Alkali Lake Reserve's battle with alcoholism. Dufour has published two books of poetry, Spit on Wishes and Starting From Promise, which won the Poets' Corner Award from Broken Jaw Press in 2000. He is a
handlogger and lives off the grid in McLeese Lake, BC, with his wife Diana.