Life Advice from Everyday Objects

            “Separation is natural. Stir well. Refrigeration not necessary. Store in a cool, dry place.”

            Almond Espresso Butter.

You broke up. That's OK.

Be sure to socialise.

Keep good people around you.

It is fine to say that you are not fine.

You do not need to keep your cool.

Nobody expects that from you.

Practice self-care.

Figure things out.

Don't drink through it.

Remember, separation is natural.

I Saw You
Georgia Straight, March, 2013.

Did you see me bail on my bike?

Friday, around 8:30pm,
defiantly a few beers in,
en-route from Mt.Pleasant to East Van - blue road bike,
blonde hair...
one big bad bail...
trying to put the pieces together.

Black Dog

True dogs dissemble,
Wag their tails
Frantic, fast or forlorn.
She stares unblinkingly,
Her tail low and still,
Her mouth closed,
No saggy tongued smile
To trick me into believing
That she is happy when she is not.

True dogs allow themselves to be
A blank canvas onto which we
Smear our emotions, messy,
All the colours running to brown.
Her canvas is black and allows
Nothing of me, nothing reflected.
She takes it all in, absorbs me.
I utterly disappear in that steady gaze.

This dog, my dog. I stare into her
Wonder what she sees in me,
If I, too, am a void in which
She finds the solace of vanishing.