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What I learn today by belle auld

4/4/2023

3 Comments

 
Picture
That it takes less than 10 minutes to get to the ferry
but that doesn’t mean you’ll get on.
I don’t.
 
There is a one hour and 20-minute wait between ferries.
 
That it is best to sit in the front passenger seat
of my car
in the rain
    there’s more room to knit there.
 
That eating a can of kippered fish in a closed car in the rain is not a good idea.
 
That the kids who sit across from me
on the ferry
are Willow and Jake
Willow is five and Jake is seven.
I know this because they tell me.
 
That the ferry takes 30 minutes to cross Kootenay Lake.
 
That Jakes’s soccer jersey has the number 7 on the back
Jake’s soccer team had to play in the rain
and they lost
to kids who were younger than them.
 
That Willow had a seed wart removed from her foot in Nelson
and that it didn’t really hurt much.
 
They had cokes while they were in town
and Willow got a new dress
and Jake got new soccer shoes that his coach says will help him score a goal.
 
That their mother died in Calgary three years ago
maybe it was four.
 
That Willow is learning to knit a scarf that is turquoise
and her grandmother is going to knit her a hat to match
maybe gloves and pants too.
 
That the car smells even more like fish when I get back in.
3 Comments
Ashley Holloway
4/4/2023 10:09:38 am

I really enjoyed this poem. Great use of subtext and strong language. I felt as though I were an observer to the scene - well done!

Reply
Allison Brigden
4/4/2023 01:49:01 pm

There is so much richness to be found in the spaces in between, and in the people who share them. Thank you for listening to Jake and Willow, and for sharing your listenings with us.

Reply
Scott Paul
4/4/2023 08:15:03 pm

You put me right there on the ferry, listening to Jake and Willow, their stories … I felt like I was magically sitting beside you, watching an ordinary, but oh do extraordinary world, opening up to us.

Reply



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  • Home
    • About >
      • The History
      • The Mission
      • The Team
      • The Board of Directors
      • Employment & Volunteer Opportunities
      • Our Sponsors
    • Contact
  • Membership
    • Member Showcase >
      • A Poem a Day
      • Two Truths and a Lie
  • Services
    • Current Courses and Workshops >
      • Chapter by Chapter
    • J Michael Fay Subsidy Program
    • ABLit Book Club
    • Annual Writers Retreat
    • Author Development Program
    • Books, Gifts and More...
    • Get Lit Writer Series
    • Manuscript Review Service
    • Many Voices Monthly Writing Contest
    • Writer in Residence Program
    • Writes of Summer - 2023 Short Story Challenge
  • Events
    • People's Poetry Festival 2023