Old Man Harper Remembers

Old Man Harper Remembers
(for Kathryn Mockler)


strained peas don’t exist
icebergs or glaciers

and yams, yams don’t exist
children downstairs singing

chesterfields of seniors don’t exist
or their teeth which I’ve stolen

pastel walls don’t exist
or linoleum and walkers

personal service workers don’t exist
or their meddling fingers

I hide in the closet
filled with newspapers

news doesn’t exist
or history just an Original Six

and war
Indians don’t exist or their schools

and science, science doesn’t exist
and what it says about the tailings-pond soul

also Canada doesn’t exist
and its metastasizing weather

just a few good elections
I seem to remember

locking us inside