Leonard Cohen almost always ends up on my Spotify Wrapped. His gritty, sensual, laconic, husky voice resonates with my melancholic spirit. His music is enduring—sardonic, philosophical, and rhetorical. It’s his refusal to be boxed in that draws me in: his waltzing numbers, pacing and bringing in the unconventional—accordion and string quartets, diverse cultural influences, the dark comedy, and, of course, a relentless inquiry. I’m also a sucker for a good synthesizer.
Written by Dick Blakeslee, an English professor in the U.S., Passing Through is a meditation on the impermanence of our lives. It was quite a popular folk tune in the States, but Cohen’s timbre and poetic stylings make it my favourite version. Its themes of transience and reflection draw me to add it to nearly all my road mixes, which is why it's referenced in my poem “In Pursuit of Prairie.”
Being Métis, listening to this song has me reflect on how our ancestors experienced constant relocations, migrations, and dispossession. I sometimes wonder if that is why I often find myself in this state of perpetual movement. The lyrics speak to the fleeting nature of home and belonging and explore moments of connection and reflection amidst the chaos of existence. And then, I think about history, place, time, and religion—these things that make and break us. Like Cohen, I am eternally examining the state of the world and searching for moments of divinity, often found in the mundane, in the small, slow moments of our lives. After all, we are all “only passin’ through.”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lnvv1Lgj9zM
— Kayla MacInnis is a Métis storyteller born in the prairies but raised by the sea. Through sharing stories that mix visual arts and the written word, Kayla hopes to inspire people to find different ways to connect with themselves and one another.
You can read Kayla MacInnis' poem "In Pursuit of Prairie" in Issue 302 Winter 2024. Order the issue now:
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