Tomorrow’s my day off.
Well, my day off from here.
She scans the green and red
crates with distracted ease.
I volunteer at CAMH on Mondays.
And Tuesdays I answer phones at
a respite home.
There are items missing from my
order. This has become familiar.
I will need to go into the store
to grab onions and apples.
She notices me noticing.
Onions and apples are missing.
She says.
Sorry for the inconvenience.
She hands me a blue card.
Bold script reads-
We value your business.
We apologize for the
inconvenience with your
order. Please use this
code to get $10 off your
next order.
I ask what school she attended.
Seneca.
She explains that the program
was good but it’s been a
challenge to find paid work.
She is bothered.
She dials up an edge of sarcasm.
Lot’s of volunteer options
though…
A quiet space expands into
our conversation. Her sudden
story sharing has made a
transactional moment feel
like so much more.
We are caught in an eddy.
She breaks the silence.
Thanks for the chat.
I consider the service
rendered and bounce back
with a You’re welcome
that sounds more like
a question than an
offering.
balance
animate nation
Dear Empty Coffeecup
I see you
At the end of my arm cradled in my hand tilted questioningly
A sliver of last sip smirking at me
You are in queue behind other hand raisers
Snow Filleddriveway
Overloaded Dishwasher
Ripe Litterbox
Bag of Work in the front foyer
And the Mind that Thought it wise to bring school shit home over the March Break ‘just in case’
Also needs emptying.
verisimilitude
another message
without
a subject line
a flat assumption
that you are
owed my time
and a reminder
what’s mine is yours
but mine ain’t mine.
no matter
what i’ve said
or redefined
about changing our
relationship
for the thousandth time
you hear
your own voice only
saying ‘like this, is just fine.’
sometimes i need a second coffee
you may not
know this
but there’s a moment,
a cosmic
roll of the dice,
that sets up
a potentially
life altering
cataclysmic folding
of the known
fabric of reality,
just after
the last sip,
when i truly believe
that the universe
hangs precariously
in existential balance
between two possibilities-
should i have
one more cup
or not?
stars
[for b.h.]
I spend some nights
stargazing. Maybe
star searching is
a better term for
it actually. My eyes
hopscotch and slide
between points of light
and patches of dark.
I imagine the minds
that played with the
constellations, connecting
the sparks, conjuring
bears and lions
and tigers
on the inky
canvas of night.
Effigies to calm
and protect.
Familiars to
guard and worship.
I suspect they needed
reassurance too.
Who doesn’t need light?
This happens
mostly after open
ended moments.
What the hell
just happened
moments.
What was it you
once told me
moments.
Dark moments of
night.
And standing
out under the stars
scrying my future,
finding proof,
and accepting the truth,
that reading messages from
messengers millions
of miles away,
somehow makes
me feel that much
closer to
you.
flaw
often, not always.
sometimes, not never.
quiet, not silent.
wise, not weathered.
careful, not cautious.
sharp, not clever.
offering, not ordering.
for now, and forever.
words keep wolves at bay 