In Spring 1997 Leonard Cohen, or Jikan - as the other monks at the Zen Center of Mount Baldy near Los Angeles used to call him - started to contribute to The Leonard Cohen Files with colour copies of sketches, paintings, drawings and computer art taken from his numerous scrapbooks. Cohen also gave his permission to show any of these on the pages of this "Blackening Pages" section. Several works of art have never before been seen in public.

He wrote: I want to send, among other things, the first manuscript scratchings for Suzanne and other early songs. I'd like to make the process clear, or at least throw some light on the mysterious activity of writing.

Later we have received more unique contributions from Leonard: a number of previously unpublished poems written on Mt. Baldy, Mumbai, Los Angeles, and Montreal.

Many of these poems were later printed in Book Of Longing, a collection of 167 new poems and more than 40 line drawings and colour art, published in Spring 2006.

New Songs A Thousand Kisses Deep New Poems The year indicates when the poem was posted on the Blackening Pages 1997: The party was over then too Love Itself - for L.W. Not A Jew Seisen Is Dancing To A Young Nun You Are Right, Sahara Sorrows Of The Elderly 1998: The Goal Never Expected Book Of Longing Roshi at 89 From The Book of Blue Coffee: Better The Drunkard Becomes Gender-Free 1999: Roshi S.O.S Religious Statues Mt. Baldy Monks The Best Not So Friendly You Have Loved Enough Alexandra Leaving Because Of A Few Songs A Promise 2000: The Correct Attitude Mercy Returns Me The Sweetest Little Song Good Advice For Someone Like Me The Moon 2001: Thousands A Life Of Errands Hospitality The Flood Looking Away 2002: This Isn't China The Road Is Too Long No Middleman 2003: It Seemed The Better Way 2005: Never Mind When I Went Out Go Little Book 2006: Dear Roshi 2007: If there were no paintings

Drawings and Paintings Rays of Life Page 48 Marianne The Naked The Easy chair Woman in red The Grecian One Of Those Days Jikan The Horse The Holy Spirit My Mother's Last Hand Montreal Woman, Early Eighties "Lorca's Ear" The Inner Sweetness Father Teresa Inner Peace & Harmony Too Tough The Guardian Angel Leonard's Decision We Are Not Convinced Previous Existence Looking Good Off Balance Mysterious Imprecision Follow Me My Guitar Sit Still Computer Art Father Cohen loves us all The Mirror Perla Julie Angry at 11 pm The Collapse of Zen Still Life Studio Self-portrait 1991 Norris danced for the Greek sailors Happy At Last Notes and drafts from Old Scrapbooks Hotel de France, 1968 Suzanne Joan of Arc The Old Revolution The Stranger Song Hallelujah A Note to the Reader Special Features Self-portrait for Halloween 1994 Alternative covers for Ten New Songs Album cover for NEeMA 2011: The Muse of the Laboratory The Grim Days 2013: Portrait of Eric Lerner 2014: Homage to Morente 2015: Homage to Morten Rosengarten 2016: Happens to the Heart

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All poems, drawings, paintings and computer art in this section:
© 1997-2016 by Leonard Cohen.
Reprinted here with Leonard Cohen's special permission.


Photo © Lorca Cohen. Los Angeles 2006. All rights reserved