Once was an alcoholic named Rick.

Who sometimes called himself Dick.

Put down the booze.

It’s your name you choose.

Richard, can you cease being a prick?

Once was a girl who quit it cold turkey.

All that smoking and puffing didn’t quite workie.

She’d rage day and night…

About being happy and right.

In the end we all thought her quite quirky.

Dennis Mantin was born in Toronto in 1958. However, he grew up in rural Nova Scotia and Cape Breton, where he was introduced to painting and literature.

Mantin left the east coast for Alberta in 1980 and landed a job as a nude model at the Banff School of Fine Arts with acclaimed American Painter and Sculpter Eric Fischl. Meeting Fischl opened his feelings and eyes to really seeing color and tone; even in the most unexpected places.

In 1992, after having returned to Toronto, Mantin dedicated himself to painting and had the good fortune to meet the extraordinary Canadian poetic Painter Paul Fournier, which ignited a lifelong creative friendship. With Fournier’s mentoring, Dennis mounted his first solo exhibition in an antique store in The Beaches neighborhood of Toronto.

After a decade of painting and exhibitions, raising a family and life circumstances forced Mantin to give his attention elsewhere.

In May of 2014, Mantin renewed his relationship with painting and was invited to share Paul Fournier’s studio, which culminated in a solo exhibition at the Abbozzo Gallery at 401 Richmond Street. The exhibition was called The Meditation and alluded to Mantin’s recent interest and dedication to the practice and study of mindfulness Meditation.

While working on The Meditation, Mantin was encouraged to reexamine his writings, which stimulated a revision of a short screenplay from 20 years earlier.

The short film, a 15-minute drama entitled The Meditation, was written, directed, and produced by Mantin in 2017 and featured world renowned actor Jonathan Hyde of the Royal Shakespearen Academy. Jonathan won best supporting actor at the Top Shorts Online Film Festival, and Dennis received an honorable mention for narrative at the same festival. The film received the Award of Excellence from the Canada Shorts Film Festival in 2017.

Dennis started his WordPress blog in 2013 and has over 2000 posts in the decade that followed.

In the autumn of 2023, Dennis will publish his first novel, ‘LOOK THEM IN THE EYES’ with Canadian publisher Friesen Press.

Dennis is a single father, currently living in Toronto with his 12 years old daughter Zylia and their cat Ned.

Dennis Mantin

He was an ad man in earlier life who swore that any problem involving negative human emotions could be solved with kindness and love.

I put it to the test and have found it to be true. It didn’t come easy, however Mort changed me.

I loved the man, especially the sound of his voice that spoke often of love and kindness.

The problem I have right now Martin (Mort) Walsh is I miss you.

Brian said it best; “God bless you and keep you safe on the next part of the journey old friend.

I never met Peter… however I regret not knowing this rule as a younger man .

The rule simply stated that until you were intimate with someone at least 10 times… DON’T make any major decisions about that person: such as

1.Marry them.

2.Move in with them.

3.Say’ “I love you.”

I believe that with a better press agent, Peter Bacon could have won the Nobel Peace Prize with this brilliance.

The glitter  lost her luster.

Paranoia’s all the rage.

We’re staying in and looking out.

Too scared to turn the page.

It’s something in the water?

No, it’s something in the air.

Its’ cool now in the evening

I miss that I don’t care.

It’s calmer in the evenings, bathing in that sparkling light.

Just moments of peace and wonder where wonder brings the night.

Before the fears take over and time has had her way.

Its nothing short of dying and those words you try to say.

It’s because we love and want and out of that we grow the fear.

When I see my daughter and wish my Mom was here…

It’s Truman and Capote.

Shakespeare and Macbeth.

It’s Homer and the Illiad

And Merchants peddling death.

It’s the Bible and the Proverbs.

Commandments and the rules.

It’s Fredrick and his observation

Of Kingdoms and the Fools.

It’s Dostoevsky and the Russians.

It’s sometimes you, often me.

It’s story that we’re telling.

And there’s no fiction that I see.

She said she was a dancer. I said I didn’t care. I didn’t use my big boy words. Just a cold and distant stare.

Then I saw her smile. I said I kinda like your shoes. She’s been hanging around awhile. Now I have that dancers blues.

Having thoughts lots about dying.

And other things that I don’t know.

Its not the fear that’s got me down.

Just that I don’t want to go.

Now sure I know I have no choice.

Has been made abundant and clear.

This transformation is all the rage.

I just kinda like it here.

I hear all this complaining.

What’s wrong about this and that.

You never really stood a chance.

With an attitude like that.