The Hawk Kitchen 9:38am
I have My Kitchen Witch —
It’s a hand-carved, hand-painted Blue Jay
fat, sitting by My Sink Window
looking out
watching over Me
while I make
egg plant parmesan
The Tomato-coloured Couch 7:39pm
I’m seeing The Universe again
this time on the behind
of My Navy Blue Long Johns
static-y with cat hair
globules of fuzz, lint
& God knows what all
The Hawk Kitchen 2:10pm
I stood in The Portal
of My House
waving good-bye
to My Husband after
lunch —
I stood
as A Woman
not just of The House
but of The World
The Hawk Kitchen 8:18am
I have A Crystal Ball
stationed in My Kitchen
It tells My Fortune
while I steep the coffee
It trims The Lamp
I retrieved from Barrington
when The Sun
hits Its Prisms
It Lights My Morning
in The Dawning
of My Extended Life
The Tomato-coloured Couch 4:00pm
I have a crowded secret
in My Heart:
something I threw out
in My fire-burning
desire for ridding
The World of that
deemed garbage by Me
something as simple
as a moulded glass dish
with matching lid
— too small to be bothered with —
held momentarily
in My Frantic Hand
I let it go
into the 39th trash bag
The Tomato-coloured Couch 5:55pm
Today I built a mountain
of the discards of the rich
stacked on top
of the refuse
from The Department of Health and Wellness
piled in doorways
and corridor
of My Husband’s old office
and residence
The Heap grew literally
from floor to ceiling
and I achieved
My Freedom
from dead wives
and grown children
and in a laundry room attic
I said I would never clean out
I found, like a miracle
a brass lampshade knob
to secure
the naked bulb of a fancy floor lamp
with its preserved shade
properly fit
The Hawk Outpost 7:40am
The Sun looks cold
this morning
muffled behind a cloud
of fog
My Trash is bagged
to be dragged to the roadside
& I am about to have coffee
with My New
Husband
The Hawk Kitchen 2:55pm
I put My green-checked apron
on over My Glittering Chains
dangling from Eliza’s left-over sweater
while a big black cat circles My Ankles —
I’m ready to make lasagna
for various dinners this week —
the first week for My Husband
in His New Town
The First for Me
as The Doctor’s Wife
The Hawk Outpost 1:41pm
There’s a ridge of ice
on The Ocean
& Deer in the yard
hungry for Our Neighbours’
carrots
I’m done packing
Dr Blair’s
book collection
18 boxes in all
moved from Barrington
to The Hawk
in time for
lunch
The Hawk Dining Room 8:35am
The Silver is on The Water
again
as Timeless as Ever
greeting Me
on This New Day
of My Husband’s Ready Office
seven minutes
from
The Hawk
&
a five-minute walk
for
The Secretary of Twenty-seven Years
Joanna Gilman Hyde 