leonardcohenforum.com

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In the New York booklet, the piece written by Bobbie regarding Leonard was the one I resonated with; this year in Berlin, it was the words of Peter Dawson that touched me.

Simply titled “Leonard Cohen and Me,” Peter wrote:

In 1969, at university, suffering the usual student angsts, girlfriend trouble, father seriously ill, I called round to see a friend, hoping for a sympathetic ear. It was midday but he came to the door semi-naked, invited me in and said, “You’ve just got to listen to this.” He proceeded to play two albums - Songs of Leonard Cohen and Songs from a Room. He was so excited by his new discovery that it was only when he had to get out of bed to turn the record over that he realized he hadn’t introduced me to his friends, “Oh, by the way, this is Jean and this is Sarah.” He was in bed with two women, one with long blonde hair, on with shorter, Mary Quant style black hair and panda-like eye make-up. My introduction to Cohen.

That same summer I was working in London and enjoying what the capital city had to offer a young boy from out of town, when I came across Selected Poems of Leonard Cohen in a library. I took it out on loan but, as things turned out, for the only time in my life, I failed to return it. The volume became mine.

Skip forward thirty-three years and I am sitting in a poetry cafe in Cambridge and strike up a conversation with a beautiful, interesting woman. We continue the conversation later in a pub. She blows my socks off! Her name is Lizzie. Later she is looking at my bookshelves and says excitedly, “You’ve got Leonard Cohen!” My introduction to Lizzie and the world of Leonard Cohen events.

Jonathan, of the two albums and two women, remains my best friend; Lizzie still blows my socks off!

Peter Dawson

Beneath Peter’s piece, at the bottom of the page, rests a small, colour photograph of daisies... titled “Daisies for Lizzie.” Daisies from Diane’s childhood, as she speaks her heart and love for her cousin, Joy, finds its counterpart in Peter’s piece, as he shares the serendipities of Leonard in his life, and speaks his heart and love for Lizzie. Impressive to me will always be the man who is proud of his love for his woman... and doesn’t care who knows it. He’ll tell the world. When I wrote Lizzie to ask for her and Peter’s permission to include his piece in mine, she further responded:

It is one of the things I first loved about Peter - his ability to be very expressive about his love for me and our relationship together. After living in a marriage wilderness for so many years, it is bliss to not just "know" I'm loved, but to feel it every blessed moment of the day and night. He has taught me a lot about expressing love to one another and we do it all the time.

In the Berlin photos, it’s easy to find Lizzie and Peter, without much looking. They are clearly in love and their hearts all but visible. Love in Berlin ~ in person and in the booklet... amongst other photos, there, is Kim Solez’s tender one of Anjani and Leonard at their dinner table, their smiles reflecting the clarity of their love, as well.