How to be Knocked Down a Peg
There is nothing quite like a good failing: a failing grade, failing health, failed relationships, vehicle, intention, job or school application or, as the modern turn of phrase goes, “failing at life.” Rather broad statement, wouldn’t you say? In my time as a student at VIU and now, gratefully, an employee, I have heard the … Continued
Ode to Greta
O’ earth, my muse, tell me of your young heroine who travelled far by catamaran. She suffered her own education in rage and fire to torment governments and corporations far and wide. Tell me more, oh worldly muse, how your lush and wildness still stands so tall. But will you perish? Oh, toxic earth, a … Continued
This Woman is Free
How do you live so freely? So untangled from societal reigns? Well, my mother taught me the independence of a woman. When a man leaves, he mustn’t take your spirit— it must strengthen with the wind that carried him away, like my father, who was willingly swallowed by the cigarette shop, who willingly stepped into … Continued
Impressions of Japan
Shinkansen Silent sleek ghost train Slices through so much busyness; Inside all is calm. Tokyo Izakaya Tasty snacks sizzle, Tipsy salarymen smile, While Chet Baker sings. Karakuen Autumn colours blaze, Streams burble, scent of pine wafts; Perfect harmony. Fujisan Sacred peak reflects In the smoothness of the lake; Eternity looms. Zen Garden Lonely rocks stranded … Continued
Canadian Anti-Bullying Charity in Search of Support
A recent press release suggests that along with the new school year has come an increasingly high demand for support from a national anti-bullying organization. BullyingCanada is searching for volunteers around Canada to ensure that their services be made available on a 24/7 basis, and they need volunteers to fill various positions. To meet the … Continued
Malecon Quinceanera
The chrome Indian head of a black ’49 Pontiac Chieftain Coupe, shimmers in the late afternoon sun. My Dad had one fifty years ago; it had leaky brakes and sometimes he had to angle it against the curb to stop it. It must have died long ago, but here, frozen in time, this one glides … Continued
When I Stopped Clapping
In a one-room schoolhouse a cast iron pot belly stove burned through great stacks of wood and sometimes mice whose necks had snapped in shiny steel traps. We all cheered and clapped when our hero dangled them by their tails and flung their tiny corpses into the fire. He was a lanky man … Continued
Glitter
It took Lydia five minutes to pry Pointer away from the door, where he growled and barked incessantly. With one hand buried in his silken gold coat she cracked the door with the other, the dog howling in distress. “Can’t you read?” Lydia yelled over the wails from Pointer, and then flung the door open. … Continued
The little fish
The little fish yawns like an operatic tenor, as if he wants to sing to the clams that are digging— to the coral reefs who are judging that b-flat that he is belting. The little fish yawns like my dog Buttons after she wakes from her nap and then shakes her head— trying to loosen … Continued
For your safety, please hold on
Stop #117 — Kingly and Seventh — 6:54 AM He woke and slowly detangled his body from hers, folding her limbs back on herself like origami. Lost in her dreams, she murmured softly into his shoulder, her hair a tangled veil across her face. He paused, and trailed his fingers down the dinosaur ridges of … Continued
Moving box blues
Tastes like cardboard, you say, face scrunched, wistful of a mother’s recipe you haven’t yet mastered. I swallow my offense: this may be the last time I hear it; your voice. Stacked by the front door with my fellow fallen comrades, our frayed edges fluttering in the burst of cold each time you pass. If … Continued
Charged, with love
We met in the local mall. I was hanging out in a department store when he walked in. I noticed him immediately. He was tall, clean-shaven. He wore dusty Carhartts, and his steel toes echoed loudly across the linoleum floor. He looked at me, smiled, and sauntered over. He reached out his hand and touched … Continued
At five years
I cannot consent to swallow your love cold— down my throat you pour, I choke. At five years we left your stranglehold. From you, my childhood was pigeonholed, left alone, you couldn’t phone despite us being kinfolk. I cannot consent to swallow your love cold. At nine I suffered from your mould. Ten I counseled … Continued