Food Court - Poetry by Timothy Kaiser

River
They taught us that
In school.
How to Write a Poem
About a River.

Rivers like flattery, they said
And we prairie boys
Sharpened our pencils against our haircuts
Trying,
Trying hard for metaphors
To take home to our parents.

On a piece of foolscap destined for classroom aviation history
Henry Larsen
Now a successful Toronto MD
Scribbled as the bell propelled us onward:
        Rivers are wet
        Rivers are fun
        Rivers smell like dead fish.

It took me years to finish the first line of my poem.
It's not that prairie boys
Can't grow to understand rivers.
What Does Saskatchewan Mean?
It's just that rivers take time, they didn't teach us.
Rivers take time.

home | some sample poems | reviews and comment | about the author
buy the book | e-mail the author | chameleon press