Joanna Gilman Hyde

"Good Morning, World!"

Tag: nova scotia poet

SURGE

The Hawk West Desk Window 7:40pm

I hear the distant surf

coming in like radio static

whose constant frequency

is broken only intermittently

by the heckling of a gull

or by the infrequent surge

of a vehicle on the road

acting as an incoming wave

I BEGAN THIS DAY

The Tomato-coloured Couch 6:57pm

I Began This Day

Lying In Bed

& Now I Want

To Go Back

To Go To Sleep

With The Windows Open

Upon My Dream

SOON

The Tomato-coloured Couch 4:56pm

I am feeding

on the greenery of quiet

waiting for word

from a fleet of white

Silverados

telling Me

“Now’s The Time

Just Sit Tight

We’ll Be There Soon —

The Answer Will Be Soon — ”

The opening of My Cocoon

will be applauded

I AM A WOMAN

The Tomato-coloured Couch 1:17pm

I Am A Woman

Who Writes Poetry

To Slice Its Way

INTO LIFE

My Tools Are Silver Swords

Forged From My Brain

Brandished Publically

To Zap

The Unaware

With Words

Of Flame

Engulfing

The Globe

&

Beyond

To The Molten Makings

Of The Stars

ODALISQUE

The Hawk West Desk Window 9:45am

Back in My Bed

on the pretence of not enough sleep

I lie in repose

and wonder the look

on The Face

of The Nameless, Faceless Doctor

Who scraped out My Dear .4

and what of it

in My Reclining Pose

had I demanded My Pieces

be saved —

saved in a jar of formaldehyde?

BACK FROM ATLANTIC

Highway 103, NS 2:22pm

Today I washed some dishes

left by My Daughter

in the house in Atlantic

My First Marital House

where My Third Child was conceived

and aborted on the anniversary

of My Mother’s Death

My Daughter is going to college

this weekend

My Son is out west

— I may see Him at Christmastime

and .4 — that’s what I call Him/Her —

is not in heaven

because I don’t believe in heaven

She/He is still with Me

My Body is My Heaven

CHAMBER

The Hawk Queen Bed 7:45pm

When I am old & dying

I want to lie beside an open window

letting in the waves on air

the freshest murmur of the sea

so that I may be carried off

to My Next Plateau

wrapped inside

The Nautilus

of

Sound

FFU — 798

The Hawk Portico 12:50pm

I got The Best License Plate Ever

picked out at random from a big drawer

by The Lady at The Motor Vehicles Registry —

It proclaims:  FFU

& now My Temporary License

has been removed from the driver’s side

back window

after applications of nail polish remover

& oven cleaner

to get the stick-um off

I got it off

with My Own Spit

FAVOURS I DID TODAY

Yarmouth NS, afternoon

Today I gave three dollars

to The Art Gallery of Nova Scotia’s

donation (admission) box

Today I gave three dollars

to a hungry (He said) bum

who remembered My Brother Howard

but didn’t know

He had died, or how

Today I gave My Daughter

fifty dollars

for a pedicure

JUNK MAIL

The Hawk Library 5:25pm

I sit across from The Golden Gleam

of My Husband’s Collection of Folio Books

it is here I can prepare My Dream

of Intelligence vs Intellect

recollect My Childhood Scheme

gathering boxes of My Mother’s Junk Mail

calling Them My “Indeportanz”