#226 mary-jack

her trailer once stood here

now nothing but a field

but with a reverent feel

like a vestry or a high-ceiling library

and though the trailer's gone

life reminds me of her

a radio left on for a pet

classy dangling jewelry

picking apples or berries

being told i know someone i don't

scrabble, holiday decorating, photo-filled walls

and then i'm in the field

and it reminds me of the reminders

#225 shock and grief

deserted beach pulls a girl

she walks walks

walks straight into the ocean

stops thigh-high

eyes still forward

feeling neither cold nor warmth

not wave nor grief

the body postpones feeling

knowing the risk of breaking

but soon a door will open and the storm will enter

#224 the casket

tell me who's dead

let me skip the back section,

the bishop's accolades.

childhood faces

stare from newsprint

scores of scores

old and new

tomorrow

today

and 1852

#223 seasons

a hundred and a half days ago

it was an overgrown hayfield

surrounded by infinite names of green

today

it is a meringue

surrounded by one white

next year

it will be suburban brown

the colour of progress

#222 written on the couch

do you believe the truth in your lie?

not only can you change the world

you will

but how

sitting in the couch receiving geostationary satellite signals

writing letters to friends

handwritten

will you lie in your truth

or will you lie in your truth

#221 frank

Peter built his church

and we build a highway

a tourist attraction

a town slept

and 100 never woke

did they hear?

think it was a dream?

how long did they live?

stories of gold never grow old

we played with nature

men digging man-sized boy's tunnels

and the mountain fell

the Natives would build a legend

a respected lesson

and we dig bigger tunnels

for paper

and build highways

for tourists and convenience

#220 similarities

hair in a garden

butter on rolls

nothing in her tea

beer in a bottle

butter on all trip-food

nothing else i can see

#219 constructive procrastinationing

laundry

cleaning

reading

studying

cuddling

cooking

fixing

procrastinating

#218 big little differences

the difference between action and acting

is the difference between hockey with a puck

and hockey without

the difference between a children's play and children's play

is a script

the difference between good teachers and good students

one pushes their students

the other pushes their teachers

#217 on age and time

time is like a train

so slow at the start of the ride

the adults don't understand how long "just one more sleep" is

but impossible to slow down when it gets moving

stuff flashes by and we can't go back

not on this ride

#216 jigsaw and her

the jigsaw puzzle covers half the kitchen table

a coral scene

bits of blue and pink and green

with their male and female parts and edges

concave and convex

she does 95% of the talking

90, if you count Mmhmm

i have two pieces in my hands

one mostly blue, the other mostly pink

and as they snap together

i dwell on how they fit because they are opposite

#215 on walking a trail

the black wet leaves are part of the path

black and transforming into ground

i awoke to smashed pumpkins

and a cold that laughed through my fall fleece

the next seven weeks will be cold and dark

the days will be so short they will be the longest of the year

then will come a decorated tree and a new calendar

snow-white snow

and blue-sky-blue blue skies

and the days will grow

shorter in feeling

#214 naming our son

i said Apu

and Tyrese and Tyrone

suggested Jamal
and Kobe too

she said

no! those aren't right

but i knew she meant...

something more white

so i suggested one whiter
than pre-tiger golf...

i said, hey

how 'bout Adolf?

here i'll end and not go on

but suffice it to say

our son's name is John

#213 them vs. us

speaking was out of the question

they were the enemy

their uniforms made them look intimidating

so we made fun of them

in numbers

jealous of their talent

and them the same

#212 extra kibble/dog day afternoon

at ten a.m., i overheard my boss saying to my best friend

that i was incompetent

and my friend agreed

at lunch, i opened my bag and my soup had leaked all over my weekly reports

at two, i handed in a photocopy of the reports and the stains

to my boss

at 6, i stopped to pick up supper

and realized i had two dollars and thirty cents,

at the cash register,

while my old high school english teacher stood behind me in line

but when i got home,

when i got home

i saw her tongue in the window

and when i opened the door,

when i opened the door,

she smiled at me and wagged her tail

#211 alternative treatment for depression

her sunken head, her big brown eyes

she alternates

staring at me, staring at the object at my feet

we've been here before

many times

i bend down

pick up the object

hope invades her eyes

i throw it away, again

she chases

drops the sphere of our joint attention at my feet, again
and wags her tail

#210 mount fernie

as fall and winter overlap,

a half-moon works in a sky half-filled

with cloud

at the end of twelfth street

illuminates

a ghost ship, but bigger

the mountain's hull, black

blends and blurs with the valley landscape

the mountain's masts, white

jump into sight

levitate

and i see the mountain for the first time

again

#209 november dump

soft silent snowflakes the size of marshmallows

pulled to the ground

no wind, no bite

zip the jacket, yes

all the way, no

find a field or a trail or a hill

the world's oldest etch-a-sketch awaits

bring the dog or the snowshoes or the skis

be a kid

laugh

jump

play

#208 74.125.74

everyday i see you

wonder who we are

how our lives bumped

our circles encountered.

an ocean view,

mountain view?

a dot on a map...

i know the map,

not the dot.

a place,

a name,

and an identity...

California

#207 wallflower

the tentacles slipped around me

they waited in every room

in every stranger's smile

in every set of folded arms

everything i spoke sounded stupid

i peeled my beer label with my thumbnail

caught myself and stopped

caught myself again

#206 yanging with procrastination

emptying the toaster-tray

opening the Pink-Elephant book on your night-table

changing the porch light bulb

all procrastination

doing things instead of the Should-Do's and Have-To's

sometimes, screwing the Should-Do's is good

be aware of Procrastination's power

she looks slender and inviting

until she flips you in a headlock

don't let her waste your time

but appreciate when she seduces you from the Should-Do's

practice resisting her kisses

but give in when her ideas are life-giving

the Should-Do's can wait,

despite the World's opinion

#205 how to eat an airplane

play guitar 5 minutes a day

juggle once

post one poem

exercise

read a chapter

call a loved one

do something scary

kiss her

#204 thank god...

grids and blocks

signs and laws

STOP

LEFT TURN ONLY

one inch lush grass

shining white suburbans

traffic lights and noisy fights

crosswalks and cross walks

skylights but no sky lights

#203 before sitting with tea and the paper

the floor, cold on my feet

the toilet, ice

the fire ended through the night

i slept, uninterrupted

but this morning, my duvet cocoon

was the only warm spot in the house

the shower starts icy and warms

the furnace bangs as i toss in logs

#202 ...promise to repeat

when i started punching and shoving other boys to fit in

the day i was told to stand in the back row for class pictures

long able to see the top of the fridge

now without tiptoes

back to back, taller than Mom

an impossibility to the younger me

i learned about sex

and pretended to know anything i didn't

saw different friend take different paths

adults one moment, children the next

first kisses, first drinks

too often coincide

some secrets will someday be shared with parents

others never

realizing some teachers were lazy and none knew everything

supervision dropped

team bus-trips and hotel rooms

#201 paper wait

a shoebox squish-full of receipts

mostly white

some crisp, some crumpled

some smudged with dates rubbed out

but we just reached the cardboard

the bottom of the ALDO box

fresh start

and we promise it'll never get this bad again

again

and there's adrenaline and high-fives and hugs and kisses

a weight has been lifted

a paper weight

#200 ebb and flow

the intertidal zone is laid bare to enjoy
slackwater coincides this time

but i worry about what's coming

i am with my girl
our last argument was months ago
the synapses in my cortex forgot the path
that remembers how it was her fault
or if

we pack camp stove and tent and gear, walk home
make love on fresh sheets
fall asleep spooning

at 6am
the phone rings

#199 steps

stepping to the doorstep for today's training run

sitting at the desk for the novel

pressing start for timed guitar practice

dialing to tell the girlfriend i love her

leaving on the ground the tug-of-war rope

pulled by resistance, procrastination, self-justification

no excuses

only decisions

and
while the best predictor of future choices
is past choices

each day is new

each hour

each decision

shake the universe

do great things, big and small

especially the small ones

because they are the big ones

items

transferred from daily checklist to daily checklist

for too many tracks in your life

#198 fernie candles

my best friend is almost twice m age

yet he's younger than me

50's the new 20 here

the air, the people, the mountains

age is more than a candle count

experience

life experience

real life experience

a -26 thumb out under an overpass experience

grows youth

and age grows experience

so age grows youth

#197 evening out

red wine

brickhouse

friends

old and new

conversation

shallow and funny

deep and funny

its all good

even the bill

#196 accessory

around my neck

over-over-under-through

tighter tighter

fit the code, fall in line

and more people call me mister

unearned respect

imagined status

#195 on completing a marathon

at the end, what do you really have?

sore legs?

a time?

a medal like all the others'?

but what else?

a new comfort zone

a bigger answer to I can...

an accomplishment that no one can strip

and yes

sore legs too

#194 real men...

tap in the 8-ball

know when to fight

know when not to fight

have made mistakes, big ones

have met their dark side

fix things

play

own hammers and a skill-saw

buy flowers

possess more strength than they show

can be quiet

honour women

#193 go outside, skip

when did you stop skipping and rolling as forms of transportation
stop shouting and running as acceptable means of showing excitement
do you remember how huge the halls and walls were in kindergarten
taking each stair up one foot at a time, then hopping or sliding down
when hands weren't necessary for eating
velcro on your feet
when bedtime stories opened magical worlds each night

when did you grow up
when did you forget the magic

#192 destination vacation

Main Street

attractive false fronts

early Sunday run, dawn

broken bottles and frozen puke

city workers are just leaving The Yard

the hours between the late drunks

and the glitzy tourist shops

fooling ourselves into thinking this is paradise

and maybe it is

if we succeed in the deceit

#191 a dream

a cabin in the woods

see people once a month

food

library

family news

meet all the thoughts my life avoids

shames

fears

inadequacies

to persevere on my own

no distractions

no help

#190 bathroom sink and empty bakeware

i was destined to change the world

but to-do lists interfered

and for all my twenties i blamed a girl

yesterday's excuse

no longer holds any use

i bit resentment and blame

dirty bathroom sink

but the whole time the calendar was flipping

i was learning without knowing

learning to change the world

#189 chewing the pew

teeth on the pew

varathane in my mouth

the priest moves his mouth

but his words blur into background sound, hum of a fridge

if mum asks me about the homily

i'm in for it

and no Sunday Donut

i stand

because everyone stands

bow my head in pretend prayer

#188 injustices of age

white at the top of my mirror's reflection

getting winded or sore on a once easy hike

putting cupboard things in the fridge

not making it to the bathroom

calling people by their parents' names

realizing regular print has grown too small

#187 suspended

bright red, bland wall, empty hallway

then

ears are attacked overwhelmed

and he walks

fast

away

how do you trust someone who never went over

someone who follows rules all life

versus someone who has rebelled

and has fed the temptation

and come back

#186 september-october cusp

enough moon to make the mountains ghosts from another time

enough autumn chill to make little sounds big

to keep the summer strollers behind windows lit by tv's

to force the decision: fleece or stiff shoulders and hands in pockets

kids and marketers think of halloween

new school-year goals abandoned

old routines renewed

pumpkins fill space between asphalt lots and fluorescent interiors

block grocery stores

an urge to bake enters as the hot days exit

#185 tees and trees

the sound of your golf-ball dancing and rattling into the hole

or of a well connected drive going right where you planned

happiness can be heard on a golf course

between the moments

when you want to wrap your club

around the nearest f***ing tree

#184 i worry

the way bad news sticks to him longer

the way he unloads his full weight into his chair

and the way he gets up from it

a chore

the way he sleeps in

but never looks well-rested

and his former passions

now seem mundane

and he, unawake

i worry that his bed does not remember being made

or his sink being clean

or his mail pile being empty

#183 learning guitar

learning chords

blaming fingers

chubby

skinny

brain knows

fingers don't

or

vice versa

wondering

if the pinky and the ring

belong to someone else

or are they just defiant

slowly

you improve

imperceptible

until you meet someone

who is where you were

#182 we never grow up

behind the white hair

is a boy

behind that bent back

is a man who wants to make his wife feel special

behind those gnarled hands

is a provider for his kids

behind those wrinkles

are great stories from the outdoors

behind those stubborn wobbly knees

is a life of giving

#181 my community

people laughing and smiling and talking

taking their time

hurrying is as out of style, as being-in-style

rushing is rude

thirty minutes in overwaitea grocery

to get lettuce

car horns mean hello

there are few rules, more like... guidelines

the movie store only charges late fees if you sneak out

10 centimeters of snow is a valid reason for closing shop

and beer is borrowed not taken

'cause you'll give one to them the next time they visit

and if you're looking for someone

just ask on 2nd ave

#180 the first step is the biggest

a single step

a date in the diary

a number for the poetry blog

foot on the morning floor

opening the briefcase

filling the sink

#179 got with the program

my shoes slap the pavement

rhythmic

miles accumulate

and the tread wears

i started months ago and now

so few blank calendar-squares remain

before the big red circle

one more long run

then the taper

that seemed so far away

now so close

#178 sidewalk dandelion

life

has thrown some uppercuts to my jaw

but i've got love

love is my weapon

experience my ammunition

do what you want

i'll still react with love

i might cut you out of my life

but i'll feel sorry for you

wish well for you

love you

#177 building peace of mind

inner peace through swinging a hammer

relaxing thoughts through pounding pavement

building by hand

measure carve whittle

an active body helps a healthy mind

a happy being provides a solid foundation

run dig haul jump dance

go

#176 income and attitude

disposable.

and cameras and and pampers

jumbo plastic cups

with lids and straws

maybe we're due for a market crash

a full on depression

force us to care

about our gross amount of stuff and waste and crap and plastic

#175 tic-toc

a packed lunch

homework almost done

i walk to school

sit in my desk

busy day

at lunch i chat with friends

the afternoon clock moves slower

just like when i was a student

#174 september

when did the leaves turn

and my hair turn white

when did the days grow colder

and my eyes grow older

the days shrink in daylight

and in quantity

a crispness in the breeze

something in the wind

autumn has begun

and i'm enjoying every moment

#173 proctor and the sisters

indecision cost him life

a mountain forever

but his ladies stand by him

a still line

happy to be near

they're the ones in all the photos

the ones everyone first notices

but their space would be empty sky

if not for his procrastination

in choosing

among three beauties

#172

mums on the table

but she's not here

bright and cheery

homesick and gloomy

the bubbly acquaintance

when you just want to be alone

so lonesome

as pathetic and out of place

as one lobster in a grocery aquarium

#171 side profile

my favourite shape

the small of her back

makes geometry exciting

a well-proportioned curve

invites my hand

#170 a neighbour

dark windows and a closed door

no roaming cat

no borrowed baking ingredients

no lamp glowing on midnight dog walks

all gone

chats on 2nd ave

borrowing tools

spontaneous bike rides

and he only moved down the street

#169 194 to go

fresh binders and crisp pages

clean erasrs and long pencils

even lunches demonstrate extra care

hopeful goals,

organized math-and-compass sets

septembers resolutions

self-promises

new starts

straght A's

textbook numbers assigned

seating plans strategized

Welcome Back

blu-takked to the door

and written

meticulously

on fresh-washed boards

in every room

#168 good little citizen

i wear happy clothes, stay clean-shaven

drive to work, drive home, add to my shopping list

i read the paper a few times a week

i'm involved in my community

i'm a good little citizen

but i'm angry

angry at humanity

myself included

angry for putting ourselves first

for ignoring large-scale depression

for encouraging Sprawl-Mart

and all the chains we lock on ourselves

Convenience, Luxury, Lowest Price

we know that Lowest Prices comes at highest costs

but we're contented by our distance

off-line for a week... gone travelling... juan de fuca

#167 the art of handling the aggressive talker

standing on the wharf

seaweed and saltwater

demand olfactory attention

then i see the boat

heavier than anything

i could ever budge an inch

hull aiming 12 o'clock

for the now fragile wooden dock

collision course

a wave from the steering wheel

suggests i save the disaster

and i do

not with strength

not much at least

but by deflecting the dory's momentum

and the boat

now parallel

kisses the dock

#166 moments between moments

we hiked a trail today

and one of our crew said

this is my favourite time for waterfalls

but there was no waterfall to be seen

we'd passed it several minutes before

i asked him to explain

when its not so intense on the ears

when its in the distance a bit, soothing

there are moments in life

between the big events, before and after

these moments are life, no expectations

these are the moments

that if freedom was lost tomorrow

we would spend nights dreaming of

#165 a.m. prep

my eyes want to close

unadjusted to the early hour

i force them open

guilty for not showing them more sunrises

my feet want to walk back to bed

but i shuffle them to the kitchen

to pack sandwiches and gorp for the hike

my stomach pleads for pepto-bismal

instead i feed it orange juice

my Lab wants to go

I open the door

#164 something good must come

rain covered our street last night

while i tossed and turned from my thoughts

alone in a bed for two

now, mid-morning

dips, potholes, and cracks

hold the only evidence

and soon, all will be dry

no sign of the dark and glum night

but some morning

from this rain

from one of those cracks

will spring a remarkable daisy

#163 grief details

how long after the coffin is covered

before you delete her Contact info

recycle her mail in the bin under the sink

forget her laugh

one month?

six?

a year?

when do you remove her blu-tacked photo from the wall

move her e-mails to the Trash Bin

for whom would we keep them

she's gone

wasted space

#162 baggage and trash

i still sleep on the left side, habit

stretch

trust is slow

and might never return to its former glory

rumble of the approaching garbage truck rushes me

everyone knew

i'm in time, at the curb

sky one hundred percent blue

the only sign of rain-

everything is wet

must've rained an hour before i awoke

sometimes we see a thing happened

only after it is done

standing, i watch the man empty my metal bin

then his truck drives drives, ten yards

and the scene replays

again

and again

#161 a choice

the 8-ball awaits

he stands

bent, poised

sliding the cue-stick
back-forth, back-forth

his elbow a pendulum

a decision to be made

to smash or to tap

strength and authority over opponent

or finesse and understated power

back-forth, back-forth

his eyes blink

#160 the clean-up job / the hit man needs an "s"

no matter how many times

i never like this part of the job

i cover my hand in black plastic bag

wear it like a glove

i glance

ahead

left right

hoping for no witness

then

I

bend

at the knees

and scoop

her poo

#159 goodbye teacher

he cleaned toilets and changed the world

wore simple clothes and affected world leaders

stopped the British Empire, with salt

einstein said

there will come a day when it scarce be believed

that such a man as this ever did walk upon the earth

einstein

and still we failed to learn

#158 in my head

words spiral

hail mary

slip

flip

invert

convert

the homynym track is endless

the synonym track is parallel

puns appear

double-meanings abound

but what errand did my wife suggest 

twenty minutes ago..?

i have no idea

 

#157 one writer's argument against the Law of Conservation

my world

a radius of 30 inches

my mind my hand my pen

working at fever

time 

is an empty word

a non-existent phenomenon 

during these zone moments

energy cannot be created nor destroyed?

falsehood

ideas and images and sparks 

jump and dance and explode

in my inner space

if the energy leaves in the form of heat

a mammoth hole exists above my desk

in the ozone

#156 levels of participation

to watch golf re-runs from a couch

to watch a basketball game live

to play in a softball rec league

to join a competitive hockey team

to host a marathon

these re all participation

any one only better than the others

by situation

the recovering patient

the caring father

the new community member

the introspective teen

the injured athlete

#155 haiku2

write five syllables

write seven more syllables

then finish with five

#154 haiku

body and mind balance

mind walks: apples, gravity

i stretch, write a story

#153 the writing body

 isaac (mr newton)

was garden-walking

an apple fell

a catalyst 

for the theory of gravity

elite athletes 

visualize 

perform mental relaxation techniques

i write

and i stretch

i juggle 

i run

i eat apples

i walk

hoping to find My poem

#152 introspection

grey

raining

no cars travel to my ears today

just the plip-plip-plop

of drops drop-dropping

on metal roof and eavestrough

a day that begs you to  stay inside

to be inside

to look inside

#151 how progress has altered my day

wake up 

check my e-mail

lounge 

watch tv

check my e-mail

surf the web

check my e-mail

lounge

microwave lunch

check my e-mail

#150 the bravado of the male

as i near the tree

he shouts and screams

to convince me 

he's of colossal size and reputation

the nearer i get

the louder he gets

bullying me out of his territory

this happens everyday

as i pass by his home

the bravado of the red squirrel

#149 the measure of a boy (*accepted in "message in a bottle")

the boy strides outdoors in rubber boots

fishing rod in hand

it might not be far

but it's out of his mother's calling range

forbidden just last summer

his boots squeak-clunk down the trail

through still evergreens to the silent lake

he attaches a worm and casts

no people talking

no tv

no brothers

just the lake

later

on the picnic table in front of the house

he measures his one catch

it passes the halfway of the ruler

will be shorter after he cuts and guts

fish don't look so alive until you stare at their eyes

inside his chest, he is proud

mother watches out the window

nervous about the steak-knife

she bends to a lower cupboard and then brandishes a frying pan

happy to see her boy

enjoying something

#148 looking down on her overturned 4-runner

sirens wailing in drivers' ears

vehicles pulling onto shoulder

the jaws of life arrive on scene

but the jaws of death just left

is there some new understanding

some knowledge of the bad things in this world

the medic moves from joanne 

nothing left to do there

to her daughter

so much blood

but

the medic is relieved

all mother's blood

#147 monday morning, sunday long-run

hips swollen

quads screaming

stairs taking forever

even my arms hurt

why do my arms hurt?

i'm glad today is a rest day

not sure i could tie my runners

#146 sometimes

better teams lose

good people are pricks

jerks do nice things

rain is relief

#145 a nation asleep

the people's voice

the people's parade

undesired by those in power

montreal

seattle

then nothing

why?

someone

take back our streets

#144 learning the process

poetry is a habit

a poem is a plant that grows

from a lot of decomposing matter

poems and poetry are what happen 

when someone thinking

holds a pen

a poetry book then

ample unseen rot

#143 tenth anniversary

her ring has lost shine

but gained meaning

if she lost nine years ago

replacement would be an option

now

though the shine is gone

so many everydays 

and stand-out memories attached

sleeping in Saturday

skydiving

the ring goes to the right of the sink now

automatic 

without thought

the ring has lots its shine

but is part of her now

#142 the beast about to strike

king of pop

to butt of all jokes

then death

now social hero again

we all know he was odd

struggled with his childhood

even up to his death

what was he

singer

entertainer

icon

pedophile

father

son

chameleon

all these and more

he had a dark side

a private side

a result 

in part

of being a consumer product

a commodity

and whose fault is that?

the consumer.

you

me

and it will happen again

#141 us and nature

square buildings

boxy cars

straight lines and right angles

round trees

unsymmetric beauty

fluid lines and curvy angles

#140 float like a butterfly

from clay he grew

his words and fists mesmorized all

once so fast

now so slow

an honourable reminder of mortality

he lived

his life burst at the seams

he stung and was stung

but learned through it all

and now he's in a long battle

which he will surely lose

but their is a victory

in losing against impossible odds

if you are graceful 

and honourable

#139 pizza and poetry

first, mix all the ingredients together

get some words on paper

then place it, center of the pan

re-read it

play with the dough in your hands

switch things around

work the ball from the center out

add sentences, change words

when the pan is covered take another look

when the poem feels done take another look

fix thin parts

tweak

put it in the oven

let the page sit for a while

enjoy

share

#138 cycling to break the cycle

at home

alone on the couch

small fears grow big

upcoming appointments and assignments and commitments

the air

only goes as far
as my throat

and before i slip too far

down that dark mineshaft

i stand up

open the door

step outside

unlock my bike

unlock the grip that was on me

#137 a word on the street

spare some change?

a hoarse whisper

from the smelly guy 

sitting indin-style on the grimy sidewalk

huddled under a stained sleeping bag

a father of three

a schizophrenic

a self-medicator

he hears get a job and bum

several times a day

before sleeping in the Royal Bank ATM room

with empty pockets

i shake my head

sorry man

and i hope that soon

the world can spare some change 

#136 big family supper table

one on couch for TV

one at badminton practice

one reading upstairs

one helping prep

one at work

two playing outside

but then

they all join

round the rectangle

one family

#135 women's weekend

dog underfoot

cold beer in hand

quiet

except for the tv commentator's voice

this is the life he thinks but man

i miss her

#134 sandwiches are beautiful

i made mother a mayonnaise sandwich

with peanut butter and pickle

because she wasn't feeling well

she said it looked to good to eat 

that she'd eat it 

after she finished appreciating its innate beauty?

#134 #3 3/8"

from a warm autumn Sunday

i enter

i sit

middle of the kitchen

mother walks round and round

she the moon

my noggin the Earth

scrutinizing my head

clumps of brown

(long since white) 

drift to linoleum

arms folded

my nose tickles 

i blow 

she leans in

i focus 

the hum

electric scalp massage

the drone

bass note of the didgeridoo

finished

she brushes me off

hands a mirror

i nod approval

sweep the fallen

to dustpan

then dump 

to grocery bag

she vaccuums the tiny remnants

and i'm good 

for another few months

later i walk the bag 

to the garden and spread

a deterrant for unwanted ungulates

i rub my head

it feels cold out

#133 travellers

know how 

to make every backpack item count

know how to make a pint last

never turn down free meals or showers

and

maybe most importantly

know how

to make a friend 

in a room full of strangers

#132 the man inside

just gave me an F

unhappy

with my effort and performance

knows i can 

do more

do better

be kinder

be stronger

says this is unacceptable

says i am wasting my gifts

is tired of excuses and self-lies

is about to lay down the law

#131 last call

listening to her voice

cell phone message

i hang up

order another

stare at my left digitus medicinalis

no mark left anymore

no sign that the band was ever there

when did the last trace leave

i swallow liquid medicine

not enough to be the drunk

just enough to blur the pain

and to stop looking at my finger

trying to forget why i'm drinking

#130 inverted oceans

at first

i tried the muskokas

where the pines 

pointed me east

back to ocean

but i was pulled away again

and found fernie

where i feel at home

in mountains

which display 

ancient inverted oceans

everyday