Eye had a lakeside cup of Bengal Spice
offered by Corinne from Pubnico
Who lived the life
under Her Canopy of leaves
of 22 years
beside the Lac d’en Bas
She saw a turtle
from Her Dock
(complete with wooden diving board)
Eye met Her Husband
of salty stock
Who showed me Art
found in burls
and tree knots —
a wolf, a whale, a dragon head
and out in His Back Field
His “Camouflaged” Trailer
to hide His Cars
amongst His Collection
of ancient tractors, lumber mills
and What-not
Eye sat in my black car
in a short red dress
in front of Tim Horton’s
and thought
This is what prostitutes do
Eye caught the eye
of an Indian man
sitting at an outdoor drinking stand
Eye was wearing a new black bra
under a sleeveless pant-dress thing
black with small floral print
as Eye walked past
Eye am a single Love Bird
bereft of its mate
Eye had a vision
to propell me through the last 28 years
The Vision of The Union
with one other
— a little man
who wanted to fly —
What is the call
of The Love Bird?
Something Eye have never
heard
She looked at me with eyes so blue
and wore a sweater that colour too
She sang this song
and I told Her it was a song for me —
“I wish I had someone to love me
someone to carry me home
someone to call me their own
I wish I had someone to love me
I’m tired of living alone
If I had the wings of an angel
over these prison walls I would fly
I would fly to the arms of my darling
there I’d be willing to die”
She sang this song
while She waited
to have supper
at Her Mother’s
The call of The Jay
is from my childhood
The Gull my present day
The Crow is of my new reality
The Willet Jordan Bay
The Chickadee is my mother
as the window opens wide
Eye sit to listen as I’m told
and always question Why
Joanna Gilman Hyde 