William H.A. Willbond MSM, CD
ABOVE THE STAIRS
Busy passersby – Humans with many cares
Images captured from below the stairs
Semi artistic paintings on the stairwell wall
Admired by some, but by others, appalled!
Leighton’s a Canadian poet – that many of us know
John captures street traffic from way down below
Street ladies in shiny leather high heeled boots
Revellers staggering by on a down town toot
JWL’s Black and White photos and the words that I see
Relate a bold inner spirit – a soul that is free
Showing us Vancouver’s street life as it passes by
Away up the stairs beneath the city’s bleak sky
©Copyright September 15, 2007 by William H.A. Willbond, MSM, CD
Inspired by the photographic and poetic series, “Stairwell Poems”
©Copyright 1991 by John-Ward Leighton
©Copyright 1991 by John-Ward LeightonAuthor’s Note: John Ward Leighton is a retired soldier. He served with this writer in Calgary, Germany, Victoria, and Cyprus and he transferred to Royal Canadian Signals and traded in his heavy machine gun for spook decoder’s Signals Intelligence kit.
He currently (and has for many years) resides where he writes – in downtown Vancouver. He is an outstanding award winning Canadian poet and he is professional Photographer who has photographed the best jazz musicians of the 2nd half of the last century.
He snaps photos of the bridges, buildings, flowers, and parks in the ever changing scene, in the city of Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. His photos are forever noting the changing landscape which is evolving due to the BC Government’s clean ups for the 2010 winter Olympics at Whistler and the subject is a scene constantly evolving and changing the historical flavour of the inner city.
John is a loving and dotting grandfather, a supporter of HIV and AIDS orphans in Africa, and a man I call my friend. We disagree from time to time on politics, but that only enhances our outspoken relationship as friends who can agree to disagree.
John’s Canadian poems are classical word pictures of his Canadian surroundings projected from an outspoken person with a cool, observing mind. As he drinks his morning coffee at local caffeine bistros, he observes the daily foot traffic entering and departing the scene along the front of the shop window. His daily journals provide the ammunition for his wonderful poems. John rides a bicycle and tours the city with his camera. His daily excursions are a work in progress.
Billy Willbond,
Friend and fellow poet
September 15, 2007