Oh Luminous Cloud —
am I the only One Who sees You?
I watched Your Golden Aura fade
& then The Moon peeked out
from underneath
Your Grey Companions
The Hawk Kitchen 10:38am
A single splash of spray
out My Kitchen Window
evokes a silent prayer
that I may find relief
in The Changing of Hands
of My Mother’s Island Property —
a property I could never see
as My Own —
even if Peak or Eliza
had It — It would still be
My Mother’s
I see a great hull of a cloud
draining an isolated shower
out over The Atlantic
blue-grey into blue-grey
–
I have begun reading
Anne Yarbrough’s Bowl of Light
a beautiful record of Her Time
living on Mc Nutt’s Island —
Eliza says she wants to read it too
The Hawk West Desk Window 8:00am
It’s Time I Said Good-Bye
to My Mother
right from where I stand Today
I will not be going out to The Island
with The Alternative Energy Tech —
My Daughter will go in My Stead —
I can rely on Eliza
as My Mother relied on Me —
I will not be going down memory lane
to The Thoreau House in the woods
built by My Mother’s Perfect Son-in-law
I will not be going There —
I will not be sweeping up dead flies
in My Mother’s Island House —
I swept the flies there alone once
when I was 18 — Eliza’s age —
to open The Place for My Mother’s arrival —
Today Eliza will be readying for a prospective buyer
& I will not be walking down to The Lower Orchard
to visit My Mother’s Limestone Squirrel
perched on Her Granite Marker —
Today I Stand in Eliza’s Corner Room upstairs
Here At The Hawk
& gaze upon The Panorama of Sun’s Rays
filtering down on My Atlantic Home
The Hawk Kitchen 2:52pm
Black Jesus was busy today
in Her Black Jesus Kitchen
She cooked peppers that were going bad
–for spaghetti sauce–
macaroni for Eliza & Tyler
when They get back from Their first night
on The Island
Shepherd’s Pie with corned beef
from The Hawk Basement
She listened to Her Black Jesus Radio
& drank Her Black Jesus Tea
–She was busy all right–
She even did two loads of laundry
still hanging
on Her Black Jesus
Line
How pleasant that was
having Eliza bring out Her Laundry Basket
to fold Her Clothes beside Me
as We both sat on The Stoop
listless in The Afternoon Light
— no wind —
mild enough for bare feet or socks
while We imagined what kind
of House Wife She would be:
“Better than You,” She said
I said, “So rich You would have a maid”
“So rich I could micro-lend
to poor women in Saudi Arabia”
The Hawk Portico 1:15pm
On A Day Like Lovely Today
Eighteen Years Ago
I Laboured All Day
With My Daughter
Who Was Hardly A Labour
Born Into An Inflatable Pool
@ 9:04 That Night:
She Came Out PERFECT
My Daughter stood above Me
on The Hawk Balcony
wearing an off-white sweater
She slipped on a pearl earring
Her Face was “Done”
She looked like the apparition
of An Angel
— I wished I could just send
My Mother’s Island Possession
over to Her —
but She’s going to Her Boyfriend’s hockey game
& turning 18 tomorrow
& now She’s changed
into a grey sweatshirt
I see My Neighbour’s Flag
luffing in the nil wind
smack-dab on the horizon
grey mixed with sky grey
–
It’s still hear-here
I hear The Waves
& birdsong in the distance
The Flag luffs
back & forth
My Daughter comes downstairs
brushing Her Teeth
before getting picked up
in a big black pick-up truck
Joanna Gilman Hyde 