War Poet.ca - A CFAP Project by Suzanne Steele

for you (a father's song)

Sep 8, 2009

for Murray

I will save first snow-
fall over streets of Montreal,
shuttered winter, my winter
of restlessness to come,

beside late autumn, pressed
wild, faithful maple leaves
blood, tangerine, green, unfaded
as the one on your ISAF sleeve

left right left creaky floors,
six months long, my laptop,
the Gazette, crooked in an arm
like a C7, a C8, a newborn son

my words, my speech,
numb I am numb my son
though the Herc, whirly-
bird has yet to come for you;

silver-thaw, ice-storm,
the wires of winter sing
the angels of Indian summer heat,
flattened pages of the scrapbook
ready to receive
my song for you, my song.

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