The Hawk Living Room 2:00pm
I am sitting cross-legged
in a column
of light
on My Living Room Floor
I have a cup of tea
within reach
The Radio is on
playing a song
I like
& I Am Dreaming
The Hawk Deck 10:40am
The Scraggly Apple
is a stunted tree
in My Back Yard —
The Only Tree
within Our Boundaries
used by various types of birds
as a deck-side outpost
for viewing and warbling:
I’ve seen Jays, Robins
Grackles, Sparrows, Warblers
and once a small Woodpecker
— anything heavier
would not be given perch
by Its nearly leafless
lichen-covered
branches
The Tomato-coloured Couch 6:22pm
In This Red Book
I Write Instruction
for Women of Child-bearing Years
I Write Steadfast Instruction:
Lay Down Your Tools
of Abortion
Think
of The Twins
Think
of The Single Entities of Humanity
Look At What You Are Doing
To Your Selves
And To The People Who Love You
Think
of What Possession
You Have Been Given —
How Can You Not Want It?
He And She Are A Significant Part
of You
And You Are
All Of Them
The Hawk West Desk Window 9:40pm
When I was eight
I had My Tonsils & Adenoids out
& answered a nurse’s question
“Do You have a Boy Friend?”
“My Step Brother”
I was told to count backwards from ten
with the Ether Mask on —
I made it to nine
& when I woke up
I sat up
immediately
a nurse came running over
I was put temporarily in a room
with TV’s on the ceiling
& My Mother took Me out
reluctantly
whereupon I threw up at the check-out counter
trying to aim for a proffered garbage can
At Home I feasted on ice water
& mint chocolate chip shakes
& did My school work
with a very nice tutor/babysitter
for ten days
before going back to school
ten pounds lighter
& telling everyone how badly
My Throat hurt
& how much I loved Ice Water
The Hawk Kitchen 11:40am
One Day This Week
I grew into A Giant
somewhere between
Prom on Saturday
& Graduation on Thursday —
It was Wednesday
I came out of The Bathroom
Naked
& felt My Shoulders Rise
My Chest Heave
My Legs Muscle Up —
I felt My Self Grow
like Alice In Wonderland
& climbed the stairs DOWN
to go tell Hunter:
“I’m A Giant —
I’m A Giant!”
–
I’m A Giant of A Mother
I’m A Giant of A Wife
I’m A Giant of A Lover
I’m A Giant of My Life
The Hawk Family Room 8:30pm
Today I left My Grey Purse
in a shopping cart
at Sobey’s cart corral
which says
“In The Event of An Emergency
Gather Here”
It could have been a bomb
but My Grey Purse was found
by a Do-Gooder
& returned, unopened, @2:22
for My Husband
to pick up
Joanna Gilman Hyde 