I Live In Canada
where a friendly neighbour’s flag
lifts itself to My Side
of The Lawn
flanked by The Space
of Ocean Beyond
It’s The Flag I Use
for Determining Direction
of The Wind
for Gauging The Space
of My Life Before Me
here in This Sea Coast Town
of My Own Choosing
The Cats have lacerated
The Posts
on The Deck
but We don’t care
–It’s An Old Deck–
–no paint–
& We Love The Cats
& have no trees nearby
except for The Scrub Spruce
& That’s too far
for Half-a-Dozen Cats
dat De-Press-ion ain’t
gonna git Me agin
no matta how It come
lurkin’ around
–
It ain’t gonna stop Me
from doin’ de dishes
–
eatin’ Ma suppa
–
It ain’t gonna stop Me
from drivin’ wid Ma Baby Girl
out to La Creamy
Treat
in de settin’ sun
I remember lying in That February Sun
or was it March or April?
inadequate
with a step-sister who couldn’t help Me
no one could
I had abandoned My Self
to My Suffering
alleviated only by
bed-lying
couch-lying
& towel-lying on driveway stones
in the tepid sun
of 1997
I just woke from a dream
of being hurled to a prison floor
with My X Husband’s German Shepherd
lying on Me, peeing on Me
so I couldn’t get up
I couldn’t call to that dog I once cared about
Someone got Me out
assigned Me to a Shower
when I stood before Her
I announced, “This is because of dog urine”
She said, “You danced all night once in My House”
The Shower was open to a room
filled with teenagers giggling and watching
as I stood naked
under a series of levers,
some of them broken,
I chose “Stream”
and was assailed, blasted
and again could not breathe
Someone chose “Rain”
and that was better, lighter
but then Someone made “Iridescent Bubbles”
pop out of a circulating shower bar
overhead
and I was happy
How grateful I am
for the rustling hedge
for The Second Labatt’s Blue
there in The Fridge
H–‘s upstairs finishing
a nap
Eliza’s been horsed
all that’s left
is supper
on tap
I wonder if I am going
to fall into a routine —
sleeping with My Pills
showering in The Morning
walking to The Infirmary
visiting Dr Blair —
walking back to The Hotel
awaiting My Message
There
God Made That Peach
or Did That Peach
have The Know-how
To Make Itself?
–
Why Is There Something Rather Than Nothing?
If There Were Nothing
No One Would Know
& There Would Be No Question
–
Rudder’s, Yarmouth, NS
We are teetering on The Brink
of abandoning God
which We Must Not Do
for then We would Be
Abandoning Ourselves
–
THE HAWK DECK 8:25pm
Tonight I See
Oh — where did It go?
I See, I Write
an ink blot
White Ink
against a grey page
of Sky
–
8:39pm
Why on Earth is That Sun taking so Long?
It’s preparing to make a Rainbow
— a full arc with rainbow ripples
on The Inner Edge
*
Joanna Gilman Hyde 