the others are complex
: vampire mark, independent,
strong makes you their thrall
; vampire mark, distracted
with adhd will at least not drain you. a co-dependency of incomplete.
— I’d
stake my not-life on it
contained between glass ceiling and forest floor
j jointed cased larvae twitching when unburied. what is your proper depth for transformation? scaled to your habit, how deep would I have to dig myself?
S leaf miner wandering as I do to the next tasty. there are no rile of grids. sometimes small roomba circles until there is only the structure left. even the rug sucked down as a wad in my satisfied gut.
Y tiny stem hoof, petiole of
maple leaf, the fist around stem loosened once all
that could be sucked back to the tree has been taken. why do I feel for
you?
out to grass, not much longer
l scuffing along, eyes stuck on the ground, a
stray bit of metal to pick up
u looking up gets only so far
as eavestrough inspection. tasks, tasks.
c (beyond the pines, a
sundog)
k force self to not do
things, just sit there on the muskoka chair
y stretch out legs, cross
ankles and wait, fidgeting, to get back to action
z the gate in the cedar rail
fence is shut but not secured
o a nose shaped hole in the
ice of the water trough
n frost heave and a few kicks
dislodge of long lost rusted horseshoe
e a twist of rope over the
rail to secure the gate
s glance down the path worn
to packed dirt, across the nipped
short grass, the white of it all
cutting across country
H rock bluff. a ladder a wish not a plan
a fluffed against wind little brown job
r walking stick made from windfall branches
d right foot steady, left finds clay
C muzzle of horse pressing through fence
l what was a weed cropped to a stem
i here electric fence, listen for the tick. is it on or off?
m in the middle of woods a car abandoned for decades, tree
growing through it
b left foot. so troublesome, something hidden in grass’ thatch
breaks underfoot.
Pearl Pirie's fourth published poetry collection was footlights (Radiant Press, 2020). rain’s small gestures (Apt 9 Press, Sept 2021) is her chapbook of minimalist poems which won the 2022 Nelson Ball Prize. Her most recent is in this style, Heat Lamp (above/ground, 2025) Her author site is www.pearlpirie.com