prison song 08

prison song 08
by Joe Blades © 2006

not many words in the stress
the ramrod back twisted in sleep
restless tossed pillows and
covers too warm too hot too moist
head drenched in night sweat
better that attempting sleep
on a straw-filled bag or under
a bridge or in a muddy trench
the papers for my release
have been delivered by bicycle
but i must stay wait until
my time is done and my cellmate
returns as this casemate must
never be closed during the hours
of monday to saturday: 10am to 5pm
then to the credit union and
a pint of picaroon’s best bitter
during or after the thunderstorms
there’s a writer’s starter kit
on a nearby desk—white paper
and a ceramic jar of typewriter
keys (some assembly required)
claw hammer found on brunswick
street a sign of reconstruction
or building something ahead
(like that path closed: detour
around art gallery sign found
those many years ago while
living in the post colonial
inn near the bottom of regent
street that now is a table)
a whisky last night loosened
my back’s knot and wound mind
with the onset of light rain
i’d like a coffee or black tea
—something warm and bracing
royal canadian legion pipeband
highland dancers and redcoats
parade queen street to city hall
the highland games about to begin


T-shirt: Highland Radio 1996
loc: FAA casemate
temp: 24 C
sound: The Barra MacNeils “Clumsy Lovers Set”