#canadianpoet — Public Fediverse posts

The Thirsty Horse

I led a thirsty horse to an empty trough
in a town without a name. 
Wrapped the horse’s lead around a wooden pole
then stepped into the saloon.
Cobwebs and poker chips littered the room.
Overturned chairs and a broken piano left nothing for the imagination. 
Just another abandoned town with no story to tell.

I step behind the bar.
Old shelves that once supported society’s interests
now coated with distorting dust and disparity.
I spit to the floor adding my own interest
and reach for a bottle that sits on the shelf.
Labelled Inspiration it’s as empty as the trough outside.
Discarding the bottle I reach for another labelled Motivation.
It too is empty and no longer of use.
The bottle labelled Creativity I threw out the window.
It’s as empty as everything else in this town.
The one bottle I couldn’t find was Etc. 
Either it wasn’t delivered, or it was stolen.

The six-shooter strapped to my waist
Held only empty shells.
For six nights I shot at the moon 
as its reflection luminated the desert floor.
Never missing my target I put six new holes in it.
But now I’m out of bullets.

It’s wintertime in the desert
I taste the dust in the air
fragmented particles falling towards the ground
each claimed by gravity
will find death before the coming of dawn.  

My time in the saloon is done.
Nothing more to find here.
The dust that accumulates on my hat
shall be swept away as I cross the desert
in search of Etc. 
and a trough full of water. 


Edited with the assistance of Marie Metaphor Specht.
Image: Pure White Horse from FreePixel.com

The Thirsty Horse

I led a thirsty horse to an empty trough
in a town without a name. 
Wrapped the horse’s lead around a wooden pole
then stepped into the saloon.
Cobwebs and poker chips littered the room.
Overturned chairs and a broken piano left nothing for the imagination. 
Just another abandoned town with no story to tell.

I step behind the bar.
Old shelves that once supported society’s interests
now coated with distorting dust and disparity.
I spit to the floor adding my own interest
and reach for a bottle that sits on the shelf.
Labelled Inspiration it’s as empty as the trough outside.
Discarding the bottle I reach for another labelled Motivation.
It too is empty and no longer of use.
The bottle labelled Creativity I threw out the window.
It’s as empty as everything else in this town.
The one bottle I couldn’t find was Etc. 
Either it wasn’t delivered, or it was stolen.

The six-shooter strapped to my waist
Held only empty shells.
For six nights I shot at the moon 
as its reflection luminated the desert floor.
Never missing my target I put six new holes in it.
But now I’m out of bullets.

It’s wintertime in the desert
I taste the dust in the air
fragmented particles falling towards the ground
each claimed by gravity
will find death before the coming of dawn.  

My time in the saloon is done.
Nothing more to find here.
The dust that accumulates on my hat
shall be swept away as I cross the desert
in search of Etc. 
and a trough full of water. 


Edited with the assistance of Marie Metaphor Specht.
Image: Pure White Horse from FreePixel.com

The Glass Ceiling

You have to have the attitude of a brick
in order to bring down the glass ceiling above you.
The strength of a madman
and the willingness to fail.

How easy it is to point out the failures of yesterday,
and how difficult it is to admit our own failures upon inheriting our parent’s success.
There is no perfect flower in the rose garden
only the perfume of the bloom, and the smell of fertilizer.
Your tears shall not feed the roots of tomorrow
for that blessing comes from higher up.

Instead,
try nurturing a thistle of your own to perfection
sharpen the colors with love and dignity
Watch it grow in the worst of times.
For it’s core strength stems from appreciation  
and determination.

Those that forge their life from your work
hold you in honorarium!
When they dance, they dance for you
when they sing, they sing to you,
when kind words and actions flow from their souls
it’s an acknowledgement of your attentiveness.

What feeds the stem will feed the soul
and what feeds the soul, feeds your God.

Image: A Blue Thistle taken from Nature and Garden’s web-page.
used without permission.
https://www.nature-and-garden.com/gardening/thistle.html

Coming up at 6pm on June 27 at L’Eugélionne the Feminist Bookstore: Seed Beetle + Fire Cider Rain Poetry reading! Come to 1426 Beaudry, in Montréal for a beautiful and thought-provoking evening with poets Mahaila Smith and Rhiannon Ng Cheng Hin.

#poetry #canadianpoetry #canadianpoet #canlit #canadianliterature #speculativepoetry #sciencefictionpoetry #narrativepoetry #canadianbooks #canadianauthors #books #smallpress #bookstodon

Coming up at 6pm on June 27 at L’Eugélionne the Feminist Bookstore: Seed Beetle + Fire Cider Rain Poetry reading! Come to 1426 Beaudry, in Montréal for a beautiful and thought-provoking evening with poets Mahaila Smith and Rhiannon Ng Cheng Hin.

#poetry #canadianpoetry #canadianpoet #canlit #canadianliterature #speculativepoetry #sciencefictionpoetry #narrativepoetry #canadianbooks #canadianauthors #books #smallpress #bookstodon

Coming up at 6pm on June 27 at L’Eugélionne the Feminist Bookstore: Seed Beetle + Fire Cider Rain Poetry reading! Come to 1426 Beaudry, in Montréal for a beautiful and thought-provoking evening with poets Mahaila Smith and Rhiannon Ng Cheng Hin.

#poetry #canadianpoetry #canadianpoet #canlit #canadianliterature #speculativepoetry #sciencefictionpoetry #narrativepoetry #canadianbooks #canadianauthors #books #smallpress #bookstodon

Coming up at 6pm on June 27 at L’Eugélionne the Feminist Bookstore: Seed Beetle + Fire Cider Rain Poetry reading! Come to 1426 Beaudry, in Montréal for a beautiful and thought-provoking evening with poets Mahaila Smith and Rhiannon Ng Cheng Hin.

#poetry #canadianpoetry #canadianpoet #canlit #canadianliterature #speculativepoetry #sciencefictionpoetry #narrativepoetry #canadianbooks #canadianauthors #books #smallpress #bookstodon

Coming up at 6pm on June 27 at L’Eugélionne the Feminist Bookstore: Seed Beetle + Fire Cider Rain Poetry reading! Come to 1426 Beaudry, in Montréal for a beautiful and thought-provoking evening with poets Mahaila Smith and Rhiannon Ng Cheng Hin.

#poetry #canadianpoetry #canadianpoet #canlit #canadianliterature #speculativepoetry #sciencefictionpoetry #narrativepoetry #canadianbooks #canadianauthors #books #smallpress #bookstodon

Heads up, poetry lovers! Another great poetry event is coming up in a week. The Factory Reading Series, with Mahaila Smith, James K. Moran, Pearl Pirie, Manahil Bandukwala, and MA|DE will be on June 20 7pm at Anina's Cafe, 280 Joffre-Bélanger Way, in Ottawa. Mark your calendars!

#poetry #poetryreading #canadianpoetry #canlit #canadianliterature #speculativepoetry #sciencefictionpoetry #canadianpoet #ottawa #ottawaevents

Heads up, poetry lovers! Another great poetry event is coming up in a week. The Factory Reading Series, with Mahaila Smith, James K. Moran, Pearl Pirie, Manahil Bandukwala, and MA|DE will be on June 20 7pm at Anina's Cafe, 280 Joffre-Bélanger Way, in Ottawa. Mark your calendars!

#poetry #poetryreading #canadianpoetry #canlit #canadianliterature #speculativepoetry #sciencefictionpoetry #canadianpoet #ottawa #ottawaevents

Heads up, poetry lovers! Another great poetry event is coming up in a week. The Factory Reading Series, with Mahaila Smith, James K. Moran, Pearl Pirie, Manahil Bandukwala, and MA|DE will be on June 20 7pm at Anina's Cafe, 280 Joffre-Bélanger Way, in Ottawa. Mark your calendars!

#poetry #poetryreading #canadianpoetry #canlit #canadianliterature #speculativepoetry #sciencefictionpoetry #canadianpoet #ottawa #ottawaevents

Heads up, poetry lovers! Another great poetry event is coming up in a week. The Factory Reading Series, with Mahaila Smith, James K. Moran, Pearl Pirie, Manahil Bandukwala, and MA|DE will be on June 20 7pm at Anina's Cafe, 280 Joffre-Bélanger Way, in Ottawa. Mark your calendars!

#poetry #poetryreading #canadianpoetry #canlit #canadianliterature #speculativepoetry #sciencefictionpoetry #canadianpoet #ottawa #ottawaevents

Heads up, poetry lovers! Another great poetry event is coming up in a week. The Factory Reading Series, with Mahaila Smith, James K. Moran, Pearl Pirie, Manahil Bandukwala, and MA|DE will be on June 20 7pm at Anina's Cafe, 280 Joffre-Bélanger Way, in Ottawa. Mark your calendars!

#poetry #poetryreading #canadianpoetry #canlit #canadianliterature #speculativepoetry #sciencefictionpoetry #canadianpoet #ottawa #ottawaevents

Thank you Myna Chang for this lovely little interview with Mahaila Smith about their upcoming poetry collection SEED BEETLE! "The sweep of the story feels epic, almost mythical. Each poem brings another grain of understanding, building a complex world."

https://mynachang.com/2025/04/04/author-interview-mahaila-smith/

#poetry #poetrycollection #canadianpoet #canadianauthor #sciencefiction #sciencefictionpoetry #narrativepoetry #canlit #speculativepoetry #books #bookstodon

Thank you Myna Chang for this lovely little interview with Mahaila Smith about their upcoming poetry collection SEED BEETLE! "The sweep of the story feels epic, almost mythical. Each poem brings another grain of understanding, building a complex world."

https://mynachang.com/2025/04/04/author-interview-mahaila-smith/

#poetry #poetrycollection #canadianpoet #canadianauthor #sciencefiction #sciencefictionpoetry #narrativepoetry #canlit #speculativepoetry #books #bookstodon

Thank you Myna Chang for this lovely little interview with Mahaila Smith about their upcoming poetry collection SEED BEETLE! "The sweep of the story feels epic, almost mythical. Each poem brings another grain of understanding, building a complex world."

https://mynachang.com/2025/04/04/author-interview-mahaila-smith/

#poetry #poetrycollection #canadianpoet #canadianauthor #sciencefiction #sciencefictionpoetry #narrativepoetry #canlit #speculativepoetry #books #bookstodon

Thank you Myna Chang for this lovely little interview with Mahaila Smith about their upcoming poetry collection SEED BEETLE! "The sweep of the story feels epic, almost mythical. Each poem brings another grain of understanding, building a complex world."

https://mynachang.com/2025/04/04/author-interview-mahaila-smith/

#poetry #poetrycollection #canadianpoet #canadianauthor #sciencefiction #sciencefictionpoetry #narrativepoetry #canlit #speculativepoetry #books #bookstodon

Thank you Myna Chang for this lovely little interview with Mahaila Smith about their upcoming poetry collection SEED BEETLE! "The sweep of the story feels epic, almost mythical. Each poem brings another grain of understanding, building a complex world."

https://mynachang.com/2025/04/04/author-interview-mahaila-smith/

#poetry #poetrycollection #canadianpoet #canadianauthor #sciencefiction #sciencefictionpoetry #narrativepoetry #canlit #speculativepoetry #books #bookstodon

Stelliform's 1st poetry collection is now available to pre-order directly from us. Mahaila Smith's SEED BEETLE is tender, whimsical, and quietly revolutionary. Filled with beautiful illustrations by Toronto artist Julia Louise Pereira.

Find out more about the book and order your copy here: https://www.stelliform.press/index.php/product/seed-beetle-by-mahaila-smith/

#canadianpoetry #poetry #canadianauthor #canadianpoet #canlit #canadianliterature #narrativepoetry #bookstodon #books #poetrycollection

This coming Monday March 10, 7-9pm at Glad Day Bookshop:
Trinity's BIPOC Writing Circle & OCAD Emerging Writer's Reading Series. Come for readings by Mahaila Smith, Mechelle Wu, Alex Samuel-Bethel, Nishka Srivastava, Rayn Lakhani, Alyssa Johnson, and Elliot Black.

Mahaila Smith will be reading from their forthcoming Stelliform Press poetry collection, SEED BEETLE!

#gladdaybookshop #readingseries #canadianpoetry #canadianpoet #poetry #ecofiction #canlit #torontoevents

This coming Monday March 10, 7-9pm at Glad Day Bookshop:
Trinity's BIPOC Writing Circle & OCAD Emerging Writer's Reading Series. Come for readings by Mahaila Smith, Mechelle Wu, Alex Samuel-Bethel, Nishka Srivastava, Rayn Lakhani, Alyssa Johnson, and Elliot Black.

Mahaila Smith will be reading from their forthcoming Stelliform Press poetry collection, SEED BEETLE!

#gladdaybookshop #readingseries #canadianpoetry #canadianpoet #poetry #ecofiction #canlit #torontoevents

This coming Monday March 10, 7-9pm at Glad Day Bookshop:
Trinity's BIPOC Writing Circle & OCAD Emerging Writer's Reading Series. Come for readings by Mahaila Smith, Mechelle Wu, Alex Samuel-Bethel, Nishka Srivastava, Rayn Lakhani, Alyssa Johnson, and Elliot Black.

Mahaila Smith will be reading from their forthcoming Stelliform Press poetry collection, SEED BEETLE!

#gladdaybookshop #readingseries #canadianpoetry #canadianpoet #poetry #ecofiction #canlit #torontoevents

This coming Monday March 10, 7-9pm at Glad Day Bookshop:
Trinity's BIPOC Writing Circle & OCAD Emerging Writer's Reading Series. Come for readings by Mahaila Smith, Mechelle Wu, Alex Samuel-Bethel, Nishka Srivastava, Rayn Lakhani, Alyssa Johnson, and Elliot Black.

Mahaila Smith will be reading from their forthcoming Stelliform Press poetry collection, SEED BEETLE!

#gladdaybookshop #readingseries #canadianpoetry #canadianpoet #poetry #ecofiction #canlit #torontoevents

This coming Monday March 10, 7-9pm at Glad Day Bookshop:
Trinity's BIPOC Writing Circle & OCAD Emerging Writer's Reading Series. Come for readings by Mahaila Smith, Mechelle Wu, Alex Samuel-Bethel, Nishka Srivastava, Rayn Lakhani, Alyssa Johnson, and Elliot Black.

Mahaila Smith will be reading from their forthcoming Stelliform Press poetry collection, SEED BEETLE!

#gladdaybookshop #readingseries #canadianpoetry #canadianpoet #poetry #ecofiction #canlit #torontoevents

I’m delighted to be part of this June 23 event at the Art Shoppe in Miller Lake, launching a new book of poetry by Kim McKellar, with readings interspersed with some of my original piano compositions, as well as wine and charcuterie yummies. To buy tickets, use the QR code in the poster, call 519-373-3526 or visit https://the-art-shoppe-events.square.site/ ..looking forward to it! #canadianpoet #booklaunch #gowakethebear #canadianwriter #naturepoetry #Colmanjones #piano #theartshoppeatmillerlake

I’m delighted to be part of this June 23 event at the Art Shoppe in Miller Lake, launching a new book of poetry by Kim McKellar, with readings interspersed with some of my original piano compositions, as well as wine and charcuterie yummies. To buy tickets, use the QR code in the poster, call 519-373-3526 or visit https://the-art-shoppe-events.square.site/ ..looking forward to it! #canadianpoet #booklaunch #gowakethebear #canadianwriter #naturepoetry #Colmanjones #piano #theartshoppeatmillerlake

I’m delighted to be part of this June 23 event at the Art Shoppe in Miller Lake, launching a new book of poetry by Kim McKellar, with readings interspersed with some of my original piano compositions, as well as wine and charcuterie yummies. To buy tickets, use the QR code in the poster, call 519-373-3526 or visit https://the-art-shoppe-events.square.site/ ..looking forward to it! #canadianpoet #booklaunch #gowakethebear #canadianwriter #naturepoetry #Colmanjones #piano #theartshoppeatmillerlake

I’m delighted to be part of this June 23 event at the Art Shoppe in Miller Lake, launching a new book of poetry by Kim McKellar, with readings interspersed with some of my original piano compositions, as well as wine and charcuterie yummies. To buy tickets, use the QR code in the poster, call 519-373-3526 or visit https://the-art-shoppe-events.square.site/ ..looking forward to it! #canadianpoet #booklaunch #gowakethebear #canadianwriter #naturepoetry #Colmanjones #piano #theartshoppeatmillerlake