Young a poet

Long marriage inspires
anthclogy dedicated to wife

Catherine Barr
Cantributing Writer

AT 84 years of age,
author Cy Young is
‘still a story in the
making.

“I hate being catego-
sized,” said the former long-
time.North Shore resident.
“im a different breed of cat,
actually.”

Young, who is now
retired, is a respected and
well-known publisher and
journalist. He is especially
recognized for his forestry
trade magazine HiBaller.

But lately, it’s his poetry
that is gaining him attention.
He recently released his scc-
ond book of poems, dedicat-
ed to his wife, entitled Olga
iI, He published it in hon-
our of their 58th wedding
anniversary.

According wo Young, it’s
less of a love story and more

- of a'success story all wrapped
up into onc.

“Weare not two senti-
mental, hand-holding, walk-
ers-into-the-sunset-in-our-
golden-years kind of peo-
ple,” he said.

“We're still kicking butt,

-and screaming at what does-

n’t please us.” .
nd Young, who includes

My philosophy 4 |

in writing is, if

you fire ten balls,

‘and you’re lucky,
one or two will
hit. :
—ty Young,
” author of Olga i

Thomas
among

and
his

* Dylan
__ Shakespeare |

*:favourite poets, says he has
no intention of going quietly.

into that good night.

> In-fact,: he is’ somewhat
“uncomfortable -about his
> new found fame. “I’m always
seared to death of being
interviewed» as poet
“because you. never know
“what they are going to do
with it,” he said in reflection.

Still, he thinks poetry is
the “cream of literature” and
it is something. that he has
written all his life.

"His most recent collec-
“tion in Olga 1 is a compila-
tion of some of the poems he
has written since 1945. But

-for every piece cf paper he
has’ kept, he said there are
“hundreds more in the v aste-
basket.

Young, has alse weitten
the. Ivries’ for what he’ says
could: bea ‘new national

“anthem, Calling it. “Our

Canada”, he vis ‘still waiting

for someone te come along,

and put it te music.

“Mv philosophy in writ-
ing is, if you fire tea balls,
and you're lucky, one or two
will hit.”

Meanwhile, this soft spo-
ken student of fife continues
to teach, to learn and to
make the most out of every-
thing.

He’s battling congestive

heart failure by singing. A.

procedure, he savs, that
helps loosen the congestion
and ease the pain.

And now, as he sits at the
wacer’s edge of his Parksville
home paddling his feet, he
contemplates life and sings
arias at the top of his lungs.

Buc remember this, call
him what you will, but don’t
call him a poec.

“If you want to be a mil-
lionaire, you don’t get into
writing,” he said. “And
whatever you do, avoid poct-
ry —~ it’s poison at the & box
office.”

i ONGTIME North Shore resident Cy Young with his wife of 58 years, Olga, at their Parksville residence. Young
continues to write poetry although its not a field he advocates for its financial reward.

-

4

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