FarNorth Lockup Blues

4am witness statements and
instant coffee, he said
it's over and I tried to
give him back his
ring

drunks are snoring until
woken by coffee and
the arrival of those who
work in the
day

can I have a cup of
water and a blanket, needs
are few in the dark
and then he banged my
head on the steps and
I said grow up,
baby

a drunk with a few teeth
says he'll meet me at
the Lodge for lunch.

Sometimes my hand is shaken
sometimes, hugs.
cleaning cells I find my name
in one handwriting
and 'bitch'
in another
and I know it's a boy
who I wouldn't let
have a smoke

soon, snow. soon, darkness
one day I won't smell of cheap vodka
and unwashed blankets
I'll be asleep at 4 am, without the
voices in my head, and there will
be no instant coffee, no news
in Inuktitut.
Mamiana. such a shame

My neighbour's dog, Kaylar, died this week. The vet consulted on the phone said "deathly ill. probably dying". After some discussion, (her husband is out of town and I was being surrogate spouse, I think) we decided to end the poor dog's suffering humanely. I have dogsat her on occasion, the last time for five weeks, and I've seen her go downhill over the last few months. The vet said, liver failure. Poor sweetie.

thus, at 9pm on Monday night, another friend and I were out trying to dig a hole in the tundra (permafrost's not that far down...) and joking around about Six Feet Under. We buried Kaylar out near where Jazzy's ashes are, but Kaylar's in the valley behind the hill and Jazzy's up top.

Can't resist the urge... turns out it's Red Rider I want to listen to over and over.

I had you and my poetry to protect me
We were so much younger then