Fredericton, NB
She wore skimpy turquoise
& was an indeterminate age —
an unnatural blonde
sharing the frozen peanut butter dessert
w/ a guy who did all the talking
while She checked Her Phone —
rain came
as He paid The Bill —
He left to get His Vehicle
while She pony-tailed Her Skimpy Hair
in preparation
for Her Ride
in His New Jeep/Truck
as bright blue
as Her Gym Dress
w/ Its Hidden Phone Pocket
Eye moved away
from an attractive woman
w/ a tabby cat
upon Her Lap
2 sit instead
beside a French Man
w/ a labradoodle
in the open air
beer garden
beyond the walking bridge
in downtown Fredericton —
Eye told Him M(eye) Life Story
or at least parts of It —
just because He asked
& because Eye knew, somehow
that Eye would never see Him again
The Hawk Queen Bed
June 20, 2024
9:50 pm
What Eye Say
when people ask
What Have You Been Doing?
Eye Say
Eye Am Working On M(eye) Book
So Long Sam
& today Eye had a discussion
w/ an elderly friend
who thought Eye shouldn’t publish It
for fear of adding fodder
2 The Fire of Gossip
around here —
so Eye asked another elderly friend
who has volunteered 2 read It
when Eye’m done editing
Proof #7 —
tonight Eye got as far
as The Part Where M(eye) Mother
Dies
The Hawk Kitchen Outpost
June 18, 2024
8:22 am
The Lure of The Ocean
Calls Me 2 M(eye) Kitchen Outpost
Window
Where Eye Catch A Fleeting Glimpse
of Silver Streak
Across The Latitude
of Open Atlantic
& STRATOSPHERIC SKY —
Oh, There’s Another!
The Hawk Kitchen Outpost
June 18, 2024
6:45 am
M(eye) Field of Daisies
Is Like The Milky Way —
Star Clusters Abound
Dancing In Place
& M(eye) Gully
Wades Through —
A Capital Gull
Submerged In The Waves
Of Tall Grass
& Blossoming Stars
The Hawk Deck
May 29, 2024
8:00 am
This Morning Eye Set Out
M(eye) Glass Top Table
Under The Heralding of The Jay
So Eye Can Eat M(eye) Breakfast Here
On The Deck
On M(eye) Singular Folding Chair
& Drink M(eye) Tea
The Hawk West Window
May 15, 2024
9:36 am
Eye Wept & Wept
Eye Painted & Eye Wept
Eye Wrote Poems & Eye Wept
Eye Cr(eye)ed & Wept
& Eye Prayed
Eye L(eye)ned M(eye) Mouth
w/ Lemon Cream
2 Smooth Out The L(eye)nes
Of Grief
Follow up poem 2 What Eye Am
The Hawk West Window
May 15, 2024
9:00 am
Eye Have Been A Death Doula
All M(eye) L(eye)fe
& Didn’t Know It
Until Now.
When Eye Was 4
Heffelump D(eye)d
& Eye Questioned
Where Did He Go?
Did He Turn In2 Air?
When M(eye) Big Tom Cat D(eye)d
In 1977
Eye Thought He Had Been Reincarnated
In2 A Litter of Dark & Dusty Kittens
Next Door.
Then M(eye) Mother D(eye)d In 1993
& M(eye) L(eye)fe Turned Ups(eye) Down
Butt Eye Witnessed Her Death
& Handled Her Cremation
& Wrote About The Experience
In M(eye) Book So Long Sam —
When Abby The Foster Cat Was D(eye)ing
Eye Stayed B(eye) Her S(eye)de
& Only Got Up 2 Go 2 The Bathroom
Whereupon She Mewed Outloud
For Me Not 2 Leave Her.
A Week Ago Eye Held A Vigil
For A Dear D(eye)ing Lady
In Her Palliative Care Room
& Found M(eye) Calling.
The Hawk West Window
May 23, 2024
8:50 am
Eye Will Never Go Back
2 The Island House of M(eye) Mother:
Her Little Red House On The West Side
of McNutt’s Island In Shelburne Harbour.
After Her Death Over 30 Years Ago
Eye Sold It 2 A Couple of Methodists
Who Rearranged The Interior
Making A Big Room Downstairs
Out of M(eye) Off-The-Kitchen Bedroom
Out of The Graceful Livingroom
w/ Its Mahogany Pump Organ
w/ Arms For Oil Lamps.
M(eye) Brother’s Narrow Back Bedroom
Went Too
w/ Its Narrow Iron & Brass Bed
He Named “The King’s Bed.”
Eye Will Never Go Back
2 The Guest Wing
Where M(eye) Mother Slept
w/ Its Dutch Door Opening
Its Top Half 2 The Back Stone Wall
& Locust Tree Where We 1st Showered
w/ The Pull-cord Bucket From Africa.
The Methodists Took Out The Dutch Door
& The Salmon-coloured Wood Panels
Raising The Ceiling 2 The Rafters.
They Got Rid of The Nifty Shower Room
w/ Its Slatted Floor For The Pull-cord Bucket
& A Triangular Shelf
For Basin & Pitcher
Building Instead A Standard Bathroom
On The Opposite Side of The Wing.
The Kitchen Was Plumbed
w/ A New Kitchen Sink
Minus The Sequential Wood Stoves
Named Master Climax
& Prizer Regal.
Eye Will Never Go Back
2 The Midnight Suppers
& Kemex-perked Coffee
In The Mornings
w/ The Sun Shining Through
M(eye) Eastern Bedroom Window
In M(eye) Mother’s Little Red House
Painted Now Lupine Blue.
Joanna Gilman Hyde 