Fenn Stewart
$4
polonius
give thy furrows no fatigue
nor any charming king his march
be thou clever, but by no means five feet high
the blows thou hast, and their remonstrance tried
compact them to thy palm with venison
but do not dew thy dog with common law
for each malignant, unrepentant fish
doth know: that every grief remains in common yet.
give every woman’s ear thy question voice
beware the ambergrise, that it beware of thee
take each man’s acre of inclosed land
reserve thy wild, uncultivated wastes
costly thy nations as thy purse can buy
but not expressed in quarrels, fancy, hums
for oft it is delight proclaims the ban
& the fleetest part of all’s the baker’s sweat.
neither abundance nor a husband be.
supply my defects: this is thy chief end
and thou, my proper fee.
published in Ottawa by above/ground press
March 2012
a/g subscribers receive a complimentary copy
Fenn Stewart reads and writes in Toronto, Ontario. Her work has previously appeared in The Capilano Review, Peter F. Yacht Club, and Open Letter. She is currently writing a dissertation on de/colonization and literature, and reading Daniel Deronda.
cover artwork by reed stewart
To order, send cheques (add $1 for postage; outside Canada, add $2) to: rob mclennan, 402 McLeod St #3, Ottawa ON K2P 1A6 or paypal at www.robmclennan.blogspot.com
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