OUR CATEGORY : Barbara Janusz

technocratic army

“we can’t come to the phone right now; please leave a message” all weekend, holed up like moles in their condos technocrats’ telephone voices taxed nerves, like fringed babushka shawls frayed even by so-called friends compelled to unload, seek solutions where none exist ride a bicycle to save the planet better to chill rest up […]

Paskapoo

moraine sculpted rise, plunges to glacial fed running waters of Bow River valley a basin of cottonwood forests first bite of hoar frost jumpstarts snowmaking, frolicking chute christened “the bone yard” reminiscent of Blackfoot buffalo hunting grounds? – haunt of the under twenty-five set fear, consequences not yet indelibly etched hardwired upon malleable grey matter […]

Loose Change

in the city money sleeps on the street pennies, nickels, dimes, quarters to find a coin portends more to come put a penny in your shoe, walk around like an octopus its tentacles armed with seductive suction cups holds fast its grip, foments strangulating self-doubt a craving for that adrenalin rush the bright lights never […]

Sniffing

this house, so much comfort here subsurface – I imagine hands wielding shovels dreams reinforced by timbers felled in back country forested decades before cement trucks excavated, solidified foundation before natural gas supplanted coal corner of root cellar, diagonally opposite coal chute hollowed out for pipe, meter. half a century passes utility removes old meter, […]

My Country is the Wind

before the snow melt before the maples sprout their buds cauldrons of hot maple syrup ladled onto snow laden makeshift tables scraped off, taffy on a stick chased down with hot spiced wine plume of wood smoke billows foot stomping, accordion bellows fill cabane a sucre they sing, “mon pays c’est l’hiver”. here, on the […]