Bind.

 

A weekly showcase of poetry written by Douglas College students.

The Red Notebook

By Pam Becker

Bread rises in the oven
The smell of yeast in the damp air
And on the table sits
The red notebook

The smell of yeast damp in the air
She hands it to me
This red notebook
“Read” she says.

She hands it to me,
Opens the book in the flat of my palm
“Read” she says again and points
To small phrases scrawled in black

Open this book in the flat of my palm
To the sum of her life,
Small phrases scrawled in black:
Teacher of Russian and German, husband dead ned

To Sum of a life
Measured on a page:
Teacher of Russian and German, husband dead
Keeper of bees.

While I measure this life on a page,
At the table sits the

Keeper of the bees, her
Bread rising in the oven.

Submit your own poems to Douglas Poets Society by emailing arts@theotherpress.ca.

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