A soft hat makes it considerably easier
to avoid the inevitable purple headache
it's always too warm in the winter here
everyone wears their coat and sweater
but the heat stays on for courtesy

don't let the voice wake you
as often as it wakes everyone
you know it's coming so drown it out
with something sweet in headphones
like Tom Petty or the Nutcracker Suite

sometimes peacefulness surprises you
on your way to Rosedale in the dark
submerged in December outerwear
falling asleep against the cool glass
of the southbound train window.

memories unfold and roll around on the
corner of Parliament and Bloor

people walk by the tall windows
at Timothy’s World Café, reminding
me of others from past

memories, long-forgotten, spring to life
experiences, half-hidden, step out
from behind trees covering the ravine
leading down to Rosedale Valley Road
far below

it is late morning in early April
at Parliament and Bloor, and the day is
moving faster than Sunday mornings
are supposed to


Bonaventure Saptel