The chime of your kiss
Made me forget the chalk
that marked the stitch-line
where madness
met easy charm.
I don't wear vanilla scent
anymore--it reminds me of
your flocked, bread-crumb skin
the braille I
got lost in.
Toronto has Billy Bishop Airport--
you can fly in,
fill a bag at the duty-free
then cab it
to Yonge Street.
We made love at the Double Tree
with a balcony
to waver on the edge of, after.
Oh, Canada--
Canada heart
is the half sweet, half bitter
half bustling,
half empty landscape where
missionaries say,
"I knew her."
That is where I found this poem, north of Yellowknife,
and south of solace not looked for anymore.
_______
For Word Garden Word List--Paige Ackerson-Kiely
Music: Gordon Lightfoot Affair On 8th Avenue
I loved the familiarity of the place names I knowe so well, as Canadians do, even though I have never been to Toronto. Love the story in the poem, and am intrigued by the reference to north of Yellowknife, a whole other direction. All too accustomed to the "solace not looked for any more." (Otherwise known as Thank God for dogs!) A poem I felt right along with you as I read, having made the same journeys.
ReplyDeleteLet me see if I can explain. My idea of a "Canada heart" is one that's half full and half empty, like the bustling south with the major cities, and the sparse north which is "empty" if you will.
DeleteAh, that makes SO MUCH sense........a vast wilderness up there, above the frantic, stuffed cities down below.
Delete"The stitch-line
ReplyDeletewhere madness
met easy charm": and we know the unraveling is about to come and it does with the half-seeing eye of memory, "duty-free" shrugging off of love, and the resigned "I knew her well", forever lost, now "unlooked for." But. But. The "Canada heart" remains. Framed in this beautiful poem. Thank God for poetry, amen?!!
You said it, Dora. And, nice catch on the "duty-free."
DeleteWell, this is beautiful, Shay, but then of course it is. Love how you used the prompt words. Love the sense of sweet nostalgia, the dreamy memories, how the heart always remembers such moments. The second stanza is my favourite.
ReplyDeleteFantastic. The "Oh Canada" line is brilliant. Lovers and their anthem, allegiance, hands over hearts. (OK, fine, hands over hearts is a US thing, but still...) Wavering on the edge, like that chalk-line demark of madness. Closing line is perfect.
ReplyDelete"I don't wear vanilla scent
ReplyDeleteanymore--it reminds me of
your flocked, bread-crumb skin
the braille I
got lost in." Lord, I love these lines. You are such a clever writer. Thanks for being you. It is always a treat.
With such an amazing first stanza, I thought - how can she possibly keep the tempo going at this level? Well, you did with all the wonderful lines mentioned above.
ReplyDeleteAs I have said before, no one can write about love and loss quite like you Shay! I have that image saved in my pinterest. I love it!
ReplyDelete