As the crisp chill of winter is settling over our beautiful Burlington, there is truly no better way to keep cosy than sipping a warm cup of coffee or tea, alongside the comfort of poetry. In this feature, “Burlington’s Got Talent” presents a series of poems by freelance writer Emily Zarevich. Grab a mug, your favourite blanket, and be prepared to dive into these wonderful poems.
Little Titanic on the Pond
Little Titanic on the pond,
your fate will be determined by
a little boy with a remote control.
Though it’s too hot for icebergs,
or even the slightest hiccup
of a tempest.
You just might make it
to New York this time
or at least
to his waiting father’s feet.
______________________________________________________
Time Invented
It’s nearly September, and then October, and then December.
Time invented the wheel, not man.
The whistle of wind blows leaves in your hair
to pick out hours later. Nature sticks. Nature demands.
Ponder over the burns of snow and the chills of fever.
It’s the paradox even Pandora couldn’t free from the box.
Yearly, we don’t bother to solve it either.
January arrives, apologetic, with empty hands.
______________________________________________________
Night Owl
I am a night owl. I cannot fight
my nature. I know I’m meant to be
patrolling the night
slicing through the clouds and stars
with my razor wings
and daring mice to throw raves in the grass.
Past three a.m. I accept my follies
Though my neck’s too stiff to turn it round.
The all-knowing moon
locks her accusing eye with mine.
I’m caught with itchy claws between the hours.
______________________________________________________
“Black of the Colour of…”
“Black of the colour of pen ink.
It sounds like the peaceful humming of
insects, skulking out in the dark at night.
It feels like power in my hand.
It takes like licorice, but I don’t have
to put it in my mouth. I don’t like licorice.
You can’t write with licorice.
Anyways, it smells like airplanes
and trains
and other carpet-scuffed places that move
while I sit and work.
It makes me feel like I’m getting somewhere.”
I wrote this for a poetry class.
I seemed to be the only one who trusts
the colour black.
Everyone else spoke of storm clouds.
Empty spaces. Death.
God said, “Let there be light” and struck a match.
Why is it so shocking
that I snatched a chunk back?
______________________________________________________
Breaking News
When friends
and protestors
chain themselves to bridges
and disasters knock them down
you still hear their screams echoing across the rivers and streams
and see their names scratched in the rust, the rubble,
respectfully spelled correctly, unlike what’s printed in the
newspapers. The scandals.
_____________________________________________________________
Old Grey Tree
Last year that weary old grey tree fell over at last.
Collapsed like a man after taking his last stand.
We used to race to him, cutting sharply through the
water. Frisky little fish with new silver fins.
To win you had to climb out quick and knock on his trunk.
Since then he has sunk into the mud our feet couldn’t touch.
Poor old grey tree. He was a sapling once too.
It’s true that his stalky chalky self spoiled
the view from our bedroom windows.
He was a grouchy relic. Always threatening to fall.
We all betted on the day. An August storm
finally did him in. He coughed and shuddered
and swooned, branches first, into the
water that I remember now was never warm.
His fossil-like body lay exposed in a coffin
of minnows and weeds, for the eyes of
the cottagers who would leave
before December.
They swept in and formed for him a glassy lid.
Poor old grey. To have once been a proud tree,
a young princely seedling, who stood up straight and lived.
We hope you have enjoyed Emily’s series of poems. Be on the lookout for more local talent in our newly developed column, “Burlington’s Got Talent,” where we will be featuring a multitude of talents and creative projects. If you are a local artist, storyteller, or have a unique talent you would like to share, please send an email to talent.localnews@gmail.com for an opportunity to be featured.
