The Hawk Portico 6:40pm
The Jays Have The Propensity
To Call Me Away To My Childhood
Raised By A Single Mother
On Top Of A Hilly One Acre
In Woods Of Birdsong
& Blind Man’s Bluff
The Hawk Queen Bed 7:35am
I Hear The Surf Surge Through
My Open Black Window
& One Solitary Fog Horn Echoing
As If It Were Six
The Hawk Queen Bed 6:30pm
I Am A Baby
In A Bassinet On A Beach
How Many Of Us Have Been Born On The Surging Crest?
How Many Of Us Will Die Upon The Ebb?
I Am Rocked To Sleep
By The Rhythm
I Am Awakened
To My Infancy
The Hawk Portico 3:00pm
The Signalling Call Of The Gull
Is To Alert Others
But That I Too Hear It
Must Mean, Momentarily,
That I Am In An Exchange
Of
Ear
And
Voice
The Hawk Deck 12:30pm
I am out of the literal
& metaphoric bed
of My First 52 Years
I have been shedding My 145 pounds
& am down to a proper 136
with two cups of tea
& half a banana left by Eliza
I have suffered a 24-hour fatigue
& wondered if I was not eating enough —
So What Will Become of My
Shredded Manuscript?
(need I remind You, My Audience,
that 2 copies may, with the Luck of God,
still exist)
& if They do not?
I must accept Their Loss
& shed Them as well
PLEASANT THINGS TO DO*
Things To Do On Your Own
Write a letter to a friend
Write in your diary
Play a computer game
Play a musical instrument or sing
Paint, draw, or do some pottery
Do some woodwork
Do a jigsaw puzzle
Read your favourite magazine, newspaper, or novel
Buy or make a present for someone
Look through your favourite photo album
Play a card game (e.g., solitaire)
–
Things To Do Around The House
Gardening
Do some handiwork around the house
Rearrange the furniture
Sewing, knitting, listen or dance to music
Watch short TV shows
Play with your pets
Sit in the sun
Make a cake
–
Social Activities
Phone or visit a friend
Invite a friend over for a video and popcorn
Prepare a special meal for friends or family
See a play or movie
Pamper self — visit restaurant or hairdresser or masseuse
–
Active Things
Go for a stroll, brisk walk, or nature walk
Run up and down stairs for a few minutes
Do 10 minutes of gentle stretching exercises
Play ping-pong or tennis, golf, swim, bike
Do some aerobics or weight lifting
Visit a museum, art gallery, book-store or library
Visit the zoo
–
* From The Canadian Network of Mood and Anxiety Treatments (CANMAT)
The Hawk Family Room 1:22pm
Hunter’s cat Cami
reappeared today
one day shy of a week
since disappearing —
a brown & ginger little cat
Who gingerly taps Hunter’s Arm
when She wants to go out
or wants a treat
The Tomato-coloured Couch 1:52pm
I Am The Silver Bullet
Circling This Globe
Spermatozoan
In My Femininity
The Tomato-coloured Couch 8:00pm
All Other Losses
Seem To Culminate
In The Loss Of A Pet:
down to The Fish Plant I went
in the blowing fog
to look for Cami
& saw nary a cat
only a nice man
who wondered what I wanted
“I’m looking for a lost cat”
“Oh, I’ve had about five people so far
this summer —
one fella even had a picture — ”
believe it or not
a helium balloon
flew
overhead
