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Refuge

            In the quiet town a group of children sought refuge in an abandoned home. Peering through dusty windows, they were astonished to see what appeared to be Pitbull’s outside- only to discover they were lions, a majestic herd approaching with curiosity. The children fearing the unexpected visitors, struggle to secure the door as the lions enter.

 

            With the sun setting and darkness enveloping the abandoned home, the children’s anxiety heightened. Just as hope seemed to wane, the owner of the homestead arrived, calling the lions away. Relief washed over the children as they were freed from the gripping fear and anxiety, grateful for the owner’s timely intervention.

 

Winter Escapade

            In the snowy expanse up north, Frieda and her mother embraced the winter wonderland, skiing and snowboarding down the snow-covered hills. However, an unfortunate turn led them to the wrong side of the mountain, and they found themselves lost and separated.

Realizing she had her bicycle with her, Frieda, determined, decided to use it. Eventually, she reached an old lift. The attendant though struggling with the aged equipment, managed to tie Frieda in. Sitting in the chair behind her mother they ascended to great heights.

            As they soared through the darkening sky, snowflakes began to fall, creating a magical scene as they passed through the silent woods. The adventure though challenging brought a sense of awe and wonder to Frieda. Finally, after a suspenseful journey they approached the end of the ride, the distant lights signalling safety and the end of their unexpected mountain escapade.

 

Mirrors

            In my friend’s apartment, where I was spending the night, an unexpected twist unfolded. Another guest was present, adding an element of surprise to the evening. While taking a shower in her bathroom, I realized the apartment lacked privacy, and to my dismay, I discovered that even a couple on sailboat form afar could catch glimpses of me.

            Undeterred my friend was determined to give me a makeover. She handed me fragranced soaps for my body, and as I reached for shampoo, I found a container of coconut conditioner. Not wanting to spoil the mood, I hesitated to mention my coconut allergy. Meanwhile, her friend handed me a sausage creating an odd feeling during preparations.

            As we readied ourselves, I couldn’t see my reflection properly in the mirror, and my body image felt distorted. Exploring my friends closet I discovered mannequins adorned in high fashion attire. Eventually, dried hair and all, I joined the girls as they got ready to hit the town for a night of partying.

 

Sepia

            From the bus window an unusual sight unfolded- a primitive figure resembling a stone-aged Jane in sepia tones, darted between houses. Undeterred Suzanne determined they keep going, anticipating more discoveries. As they journeyed beyond the city limits, passing open fields, the silhouette of sky scrapers emerged on the horizon, preceded by a quaint family owned grocery store.

            Intrigued they entered an found a treasure trove of fresh produce- strawberries, raspberries and fresh currants. Unable to resist I grabbed a basket of fresh raspberries and retreated to a room with my dog. As Suzanned checked out, my craving persisted, and I continued searching for more amidst the abundance of fruit.

            Just as Suzanne left, new faces entered, and I inquired about black currants. Amidst the mundane shopping an unexpected turn of events occurred in the city- a shootout unfolded. Feeling the danger I clutched a clay face of my Father, hoping it would offer protection. As we paraded past peril some did not make it.

 

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Birthday Cake and Rollerblade s

The night took a bizarre turn as half-naked revelers, accompanied by Taylor Swift, invaded my mother’s home and threw a party that spiraled out of control. The aftermath was devastating- the house was left in shambles, with milk soaking the carpet, flooded kitchens, clogged bathrooms, and stolen credit cards adding insult to injury. To compound the chaos an old childhood friend took it upon themselves to wax off my eyebrows and paint my face red, leaving me utterly disoriented and violated.

As the police intervened, issuing ultimatums to rectify the damage or face consequences, the weight of the situation sank in. The sense of horror and helplessness lingered as my mother, and I ventured to the mall the next day. Despite the somber mood, the allure of black sequined dresses on sale caught my eye, offering a glimmer of distraction from the recent turmoil. My mother’s reluctance to indulge my desire for more clothing underscored the tension between us, yet I remained determined to find solace in the midst of chaos.

Amidst, the mundane shopping an incident with a birthday cake and rollerblades added a touch of absurdity to the day. As my mother negotiated with the staff, I made a hasty exit, the weight of the situation bearing down on me as I navigated the uncertain path ahead.

 

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The Woods Near My Home

The woods near my home

 in early morning-

I wander through

I can see a caravan of men

On horseback

Pulling-

Tents, wagons, blankets, pots and pans

 

The woods near my home

Are full of coyotes

-wolf spirits?

 

The dew of morning

Settles

on trees

 

The men turn around

The horses pull

Uphill

 

Equipment, firewood

 

The bush rustles

The leaves move

A deer in the distance

Comes toward me

 

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Canoe

A canoe sinks

Bobs up and down

Rolls over

Sinks again

Surfaces

In green-black water

 

There is no way to save it

-only jump out

Onto a wooden dock

 

As it bobs up and down

Its tip emerging

Only to fall again

 

-how strange to watch?

 

I look like my mother

My face is not my own

My hair is cut to the bangs

A bob around my shoulders

A long coat

-I have cat’s eyes

 

They are selling something on

The street

 

Or giving it away

For free

 

-baloney sandwiches

 

Their hands assemble a platter

Bare hands

Bread, meat

 

I think, would it not be better in

Foil?

 

It is thrown away anyway-

No one wants to eat it

 

When I walk into the room

From the corridor

I remember someone gasping

I think of a number

The number is how many souls?

How many lives?

How many?

 

I have bread stuck between my

Teeth

-from eating too many

Sandwiches

I force my tongue to press my

wounds

 

 

 

 

***********************************************************************************************************************************

 

“They disappear”, she tells me. As I look down the steep flight of stairs. I am following her to a Tim Hortons, but somehow, she seems to be leading me further and further from where I want to go.

 

I remember running down the sidewalk, chasing someone who would ultimately leave. In the group, the staff members yell at the elderly man sitting next to me. They say his budgeting is horrible. They try to look at mine and remind me that I will be doing a commemoration speech soon. But I’m not ready! I don’t want to go!

 

I remember running down the sidewalk through the city. I get separated in the elevator from the person I am with.

 

He sits down across from me. It’s the last time I see him.

 

 

 

***********************************************************************************************************************************

 

 

 

As the bus passes through familiar neighborhoods in the night, we laugh and ask if they would like to join us. The young man sitting in front of us turns around with a serious expression on his face. He points out the window and says, “there is something buried here. There is something buried here.” He directs our attention to a door in a stairwell.

 

I wonder what it is that is buried? Somehow I don’t think it is buried treasure.

 

Suddenly the young man opens his mouth wide, and at the roof of his mouth, behind his human teeth, grow large canines. They look like dinosaur teeth sticking out of his throat.

 

 

 

***********************************************************************************************************************************

 

 

 

 

In the midst of anticipation for a stage theater production, our group indulged in a variety of snacks, including cheese, nuts, seeds, and chocolate, at a table inside the theater. Suddenly, chaos erupted outside as a gunman began shooting in the neighborhood, sending shock waves through our gathering.

 

Though my back was turned, shielding me from witnessing the horror outside, the women beside me bore witness to the harrowing scene unfolding beyond the windowpane. Before we could comprehend the gravity of the situation, the gunman infiltrated our sanctuary, holding us hostage with a chilling grip of fear.

 

Amidst the turmoil, I seized a moment of opportunity and managed to break free from captivity. Racing through the city streets, I sought refuge at a nearby fire department, where they guided me to safety through their doors. Boarding a streetcar in a desperate bid to escape, I watched in disbelief as the police engaged in a fierce gunfight with the assailant.

 

But, fate had other plans as I found myself once again in proximity to the gunman, trapped in a nightmarish cycle of danger and uncertainty. With adrenaline coursing through my veins, I braced myself for the next twist in this surreal ordeal, determined to navigate through the chaos and navigate to safety.

 

 

Acrylic nails

$250

And she takes my hand

Gives me a sample of plastic

Like Halloween nails

They are long and green

With fake jewels around the

Edges

 

She sprays her hair with perfume

Spraying me also-

Her hair has curled from the rain

Soft drizzle

 

Standing at a bus shelter in a

Long green coat

Red hair and all

 

        II

I go down to the river

To bathe and surf-

 

I borrow gasoline for my car and

Drive

On this land where I trespass

 

A man watches me from a

Distance

It is his land-

And his gasoline

 

The water is clean

 

When I stand up to go and

Change my clothes-

Small clay granules have formed

Where water droplets fell from my

Body

 

 

*************************************************************************************************************************************

 

 

 

 

We break bread

Like in church

-like Christmas

 

We split it

 

My father takes a piece

Of what I have

 

A smelly sourdough

 

Some people plug their noses

Offended

By the pungent smell

Of fermented

Rye and wheat

 

A huge clump in my hand

 

The good bacteria they say

-a mushroom in my stomach

 

Last Call

Sam opens her eyes. “Last stop!” the conductor announces. She is holding her comforter in her arms and sitting at the back of the train. “I must have dozed off,” she thinks to herself. She looks around and panics. This does not look like Jane Street. Sam can see the people on the train un-boarding. Again, she looks around thinking that, maybe they had stopped somewhere at the side of the station. That, this was a mistake. Or, that she had gone too far out in the city. “Where am I?” Sam thinks to herself. And, when she looks around, she becomes even more confused.

         Sam stands up from her seat. She makes her way to the side of the train, stands behind a crowd pushing through the door and exits. Outside on the platform she can see mountains overhead. It is a bright clear day. The people from the train proceed into the station and she follows them. But, inside Sam becomes even more disoriented. She can not recognize any of her surroundings. Sam tries to catch up to someone, a grey haired man in a leather jacket. She tries to stop him to ask, “excuse me? But where are we?” The man does not stop to look at her. He moves away and leaves; hurriedly goes downstairs. Unable, to figure this out herself Sam decides to approach more people and ask, “where am I?” But they all react the same as the grey-haired man. They all hurriedly walk away. Sam does not want to follow the crowd because she thinks that maybe, she should turn around and take another train home. Instead of going further.

         Around the corner Sam spots a café inside the terminal and a woman working. Sam is relieved to see her in her black work uniform. She walks toward her and asks, “excuse me? where am I?” The woman does not answer because she is busy working. And pretends to have no time. Sam asks again and again, “where am I? where am I?” Finally, the woman responds, “you are in the mountains.” Sam stops and thinks, “but that’s impossible. I live in the city. How could I have ended up in the mountains taking the subway line?” She asks the woman again. This time she states” you mean I am not on Jane street?” The woman answers, “no. you are not on Jane Street.” Sam thinks “how did this happen?” and she is suddenly devastated.

         Another woman approaches, she too works at the station café. Together, the two women walk Sam toward a room with a window. Sam closes her eyes for a moment and can see a white Styrofoam tomb. Enriched with Greek god figurines in an open grave. A man stands next to it whom is the excavator. Sam opens her eyes, she turns to the woman and asks, “did I die?” The woman answers, “yes.” Sam looks at them thinking ‘she is going to cry’. She thinks now that, she has one more request. She thinks she wants her photograph taken. As if, the two women can read her mind they bring her a monkey to hold onto. They cover her body with a shawl and her face with a piece of paper. So that only her golden eyes peer out. They set up the camera on a tripod in front of her. The monkey squirms and stretches. The paper digs into the side of her face like metal. Outside the window, Sam can see milk snakes on top of an old truck in the night. she thinks, “it looks like the snake I was dreaming about on the train.” She turns to one of the woman who had now turned into a man with black hair and asks, “how did I die?” Sam asks again. But the man begins to speak and avoids Sams questions. Sam looks out the window again. The snakes’ coil and slither on top of black metal. A trees hanging branches fall over top of the vehicle in the night. Sam then looks at the cross-legged man sitting in front of her in her chair. She asks, “why are there snakes here?” The man smiles and responds, “because I heard you were drunk.”

 

 

Sometime between here and

forever

I fell through the smallest 

hole

in the earth

like a mouse squeezing between

objects

 

I can feel the pull

between my body

and this tunnel

 

Somewhere there is an exit

to a school yard

 

It looks like it has snowed

The green grass turned white

 

 

I can remember

red wavy hair

Tiger orange

curling

and a black jacket

 

Pizza

 

I hitched a ride to my destination

 

The vehicle is old and dirty inside

there is a hamster wheel 

Some notes on the floor

 

We drive past a cemetery

The exterior a tropical ocean blue

 

I can see trees

Canopies falling to the bottom of the earth

 

Our  guard is down

I take a lot of time answering the questions on the exam

It was due yesterday

but,  I still hold onto it

 

I never handed it in

the questions ask to compare two

scenarios

I erase what I wrote and start over

 

It's time to quit

but I'm still answering

questions

 

 

 

*************

 

Standing on a hill top 

overlooking 

the city

I can see its devastation

 

The hill rolls

toward the horizon

The sun is rising

a yellow shimmery glow

on the ocean

 

Standing now in front

of a vending machine

I press

for something

But, it does not fall down

to the bottom 

where I can reach

 

I try again

This time I place my fingers

in the coin slot

I find urine and a sewing needle

Like rainfall gathered

at a basin

​

the sky turns

The buildings ruins turn to sand

 

 

 

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