The poison is in all of us:
Half-smoked cigarettes lay on the side of grainy gravel paths,
crinkly Dollarama bags and glass beer bottles.
We relax on trees
leaning
backs against the braille texture of bark
that tries to speak to us in a language we don’t understand.
We lean back and raise our faces
towards the sunlight dancing between
the leaves of the canopy,
listening to the tires
whizzing against concrete,
but think it similar to the smacking of waves against stones;
lean back and savour the syrupy smell of maple trees
against our tongues,
thinking to ourselves
how grateful we are for nature
as we sit in a paradise of tall trees
their branches intertwined in a space
smaller than bathroom stalls;
lean back and breathe in exhaust
and cigarette smoke masked
behind a layer of sweet antiperspirants
and coconut-scented shampoos
as the wind whips hair against your face.
We take peaceful naps against the undeciphered braille,
but the poison is in all of us
and one day this paradise will become
nothing.
A bed of dirt
blanketed by prickly store-bought
strips of grass.

I’ll forgive you.
I’ll forgive you, though not from the heart
Not even from any other significant
Body part
I’ll forgive you quickly, a reflex.
But from my elbows
Or from my teeth
Or from the space right behind my knees
I’ll find forgiveness to give you there.
But not the heart
No, that’s rare.

If forgiveness is a gift then my
Gift to you is cheap
I’ve cheated you just as you’ve cheated me.
My tongue says, “I forgive you”
But my eyes say, “I’m still hurting.”
So here, take my gift-
My ankle, my appendix, my right earlobe…
And I’ll say we’re fine, I’m fine, wholesome and cool.
And here I am, a smatter of lies,
A fool of a fake plastic heart protected and tucked away.
I’ll forgive you
But I probably got it from Dollarama
Or Army and Navy
I’m a bunch of puzzle pieces connected with tape and glue.
Here take it. Just take it! This unimportant ***** is for you!

And now I’m quickly
Running out of places to find spare parts…