Who Has Seen the West

About the Book

Who Has Seen the West: Poems, Songs and Reflections is a book which invites the reader on a poetic exploration of the soul of the North American West...from the dawn of human arrival... through the historic Old West...to post-modern and zen-like reflections on past, present and future. Integrating idioms as diverse as cowboy and haiku poetry, visions, dreams and song lyrics, while interweaving historical record, fiction and biographical sketch, this original work illumines the existential struggles and wisdom of prophetic figures such as Sitting Bull and Big Bear...and everyone else who follows their dreams from the Missouri to the Pacific....and the Canadian West. Stories of the cowboy, pioneer, native visionary, western woman, artist, iconoclast and adventurer are brought to life in tales which give voice to their heroic life journeys. The book is organized into thematic sections entitled Glimpses, The Natural West, Peoples Who Came First, The Old West, Of Cowboys, Cowgirls 'n Poets, Outlaws, Heroes 'n Such, This Western Romance, Now And Zen in The West, Places Of The Heart, The Enduring West, and Epilogue. Far from being exclusively concerned with the affairs of mankind... consideration is given to those who do not speak with a human tongue... the wild horse, the salmon, the eagle, and many other spirits of the West. Comic relief is achieved through the bridging of cowboy and oriental metaphors, in such poems as Haiku Noon, and The Cowboy Met The Buddha. Contemporary moral and environmental issues are viewed through poems such as Karla Faye, and The Oceans Are Turning Blue, while spiritual themes are reflected throughout. End notes provide historical references, further resources, and the author's music discography.

About the Author

Marshall Veal writes poetry and music. His western roots go back to his great grandfather George Veal who, with three sons, including Marshall's grandad Austin Veal, emigrated from England and pioneered in Saskatchewan in 1886. That must have been quite a time...with the recent Riel Rebellion and departure of Sitting Bull, the demise of the buffalo, uncertain politics, and those long prairie winters. It could fire the imagination of any would-be writer...as it apparently did.

Born after the war, and raised in Ontario's Ottawa Valley, with a few boyhood years in Manitoba's Red River country, Marshall developed an interest in western history, music and lore, and a talent for writing western songs (not to mention other styles, such as songs for kids)...poetry, and playing guitar. Early music forays included a duet with his sister Marianna (some say their version of Darcy Farrow is the best they've ever heard); later collaborations have followed, in folk and country music.

Marshall turned to his feeling for deeper roots in the West as a young man, moving West again after college. He lives in southern BC, where he once co-owned a co-operative cattle & farm operation. Along the way...he has worked in the health sciences, and may be one of the few western poets and pickers with a master's degree in psychology. Marshall has also travelled in the far east...and developed an abiding passion for the parallel wisdom and humour of both East and West. He has performed at Gatherings and Festivals from Europe to North America, and recorded three CD's of his own songs. Visit Marshall at www.marshallveal.net.