portrait of the poet
i wish i could
show you the true contents of my world
and how i see the sky
i would show you how it feels
to lie on a beach
and curl up in the sand
i would let you see why the words
keep me awake at night
and why i long to be embraced
and how cold your teeth feel
against my neck
i would rip my guts out
so you could see the beautiful
patterns they make
i would give you the joy of singing
and speaking with my voice
i’d show you how good
chocolate can taste
but most of all
i long to teach you to
dance
on the constellations
~ Alexis Kienlen
Alexis Kienlen is a poet, fiction writer, journalist and editor originally from Saskatoon, Saskatchewan. Her first book, She Dreams in Red was published by Frontenac House in April 2007. Her work has appeared in numerous publications, including Strike the Wok (New Asian Canadian fiction – TSAR books 2004), 2000% Cracked Wheat (Coteau Books), The Ottawa Citizen, Broken Pencil, Prairie Fire, and The Western Producer. She holds an International Studies degree from the University of Saskatchewan, and a Graduate Diploma in Journalism from Concordia University. Alexis is of mixed ethnic heritage: Chinese, French, German, and English/Scottish. She has lived in Montreal, Wainwright Alberta, Grande Prairie Alberta, Vancouver, Indonesia and Mongolia.
She currently works at the Grande Prairie Daily Herald Tribune as the arts, lifestyle and agriculture writer.
Leave a Reply