The Hawk Portico 5:00pm
My House faces South
here on The Hawk —
a spit of built-up sand
growing only scrub spruce
& beach dunes
— grass does grow in My Yard
except for a barren spot
where We can park —
but yes, This Is Where
I have found such joy
in the sounds of The Birds
& The Waves — Waves
all the way around —
I hear Them to My Right Today
as I gaze to the blue horizon
to My Left
The Hawk Portico 3:45pm
“All She did was sit
out on that front stoop
of Hers
while other women
hung out wash
or brought in groceries
She never seemed to have anyone
over
— Oh She’d talk on the phone
al-right
half The Hawk could hear —
but how could She just sit
like that —
sit & look
at The Ocean?”
The Hawk Portico 3:15pm
I live at A Beach Resort
out on My Portico
with potted palm fronds
to either side
& all The Bird Song
I could cling to
above
the gentle surf
out front
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
Joanna Gilman Hyde 