The Hawk Deck 10:05am
There may be only so much
I can write about birds
bird life & song
the lull of the waves
has made Me strong
but I must wait
for the outcome
of a medical concern
involving My Children’s Grandfather
The Hawk Kitchen 8:08pm
What does The Sky look like
to Juvenile Joanna
sucking Her Right Thumb
but NOT twiddling Her Hair
(It was in braids)
This Sky out the East Kitchen Window
looks like oatmeal
–
From The West Desk Window
The Sky looks like striated years
representing decades
of living, & nearly dying
of having two babies
& losing the third
of having grown children
having no more mother, no father
a second loving husband
& a house from which
to watch The Clouds
The Tomato-coloured Couch 3:33pm
What happened to That Long-haired Girl
Who painted That Giant Canvas
on The Roof of #5 World Trade Center?
I heard She turned 52
& writes in Her Journal
sitting on Her Tomato-coloured Couch
in Her astral-cork-floored living room
surrounded by beaches & dunes
waves & bird life
while Her Son starts a tree-planting job out West
& Her Daughter finishes correspondence courses
for Her Last Year
of High School
The Hawk Deck NOON
The Grey-robed Figure
spirited out of bed at 11:00
takes Her Tea out to The Deck
assesses Her Timing
of This Morning’s Flirtation
with Depression
marked by Her Son’s Imminent Departure
for which She is cancelling
The Last Supper
The Hawk 4:50pm
I sing My Heart out
for every sailor Who comes along
for My Son Who’s later than expected
driving from Montreal
with an Australian
ready to take in Nova Scotia
–
I stumble over being A Mother
to My 25 year-old Son
skipping stones as if He were 9
& I forgot to buy more beer
in case He & His Buddy come back
before the obligatory good-bye
The Hawk Queen Bed 8:00am
When I left My Children’s Father
fourteen years ago in June
I left My Clothes in Atlantic
I left The Pets
I left My Share of The Atlantic House
I left money in a joint bank account
I left two enormous pieces of furniture
The Secretary & High Boy inherited from The Woman I was named after —
I left Them in The Divorce Papers for Peak & Eliza
I had to leave My Kids
because I couldn’t take care of Them
The Tomato-coloured Couch 7:15pm
When My First Husband told Me
He Loved Me
I wore a floral summer dress
to receive My Canadian Citizenship
He was renting a room
outside of Halifax
for a movie job
— He was a Master Carpenter —
I stayed the night with Him
— brought The Children —
in the sparse house of a Scientologist
— the only books were Scientology —
in the dark, quietly
with Eliza in Her portable crib
& Peak on a spare bed
I heard “I Love You”
in My Left Ear
The Hawk Dining Room 2:22pm
In My Sleep This Morning
One Line came to Me
but I was too tired
to write It down:
“My Love Is As Deep As An Unsung Well”
Here It Is Penned
At This Time
while I spoon My Christmas Turkey Soup
out of a big black cup
The Hawk Kitchen 4:30pm
Born Twenty-five Years Ago
in a rinky-dink hospital
in a fishing town
My Sweet Child is a grown man
& I Love Him So
out with His Camera
in a Montreal Blizzard
If I could say anything right now
anything I wanted — what
would It be?
–
The House is buffeted by a rainstorm
I Am Cosy In My Bed
(to use a phrase of WHB’s)
with tea beside Me
I Am Free
–
The Anti-Christmas Poems
are over
The Shooting Victims are being mourned
I Am Free
–
I Am Free To Love
& harbour no known hatred
–
I Am Free To Love
My Daughter, My Son, My Husband
My House, My Cats, My Country
My World, My Life
–
I Am Free To Love
My Spiritual Partner
& Believe Me — I HAVE ONE
Joanna Gilman Hyde 