new from above/ground press: FLORALS, by Misha Solomon

FLORALS
Misha Solomon
$5

Chunnel

a stranger looks like a boy but yawns like a man
children yawn freely
little lions roaring at their tiredness
he shows restraint
jaw tense, cheeks taut
ashamed of his fatigue

I was last on this train as a boy
expecting to see fish under the Atlantic
expected to read the map for my mother

now, fish surround me
one raises the armrest between our seats
and leans its head on my shoulder
I’m not sure I’m moist enough
to keep its gills from drying up

I’m tired too
but my jaw clicks
and my cheeks

published in Ottawa by above/ground press
June 2020
a/g subscribers receive a complimentary copy

Misha Solomon (he/him) is a queer poet in Tiohtià:ke/Montréal. These are his first published poems.

cover artwork: Naomie Hadida

To order, send cheques (add $1 for postage; in US, add $2; outside North America, add $5) to: rob mclennan, 2423 Alta Vista Drive, Ottawa ON K1H 7M9. E-transfer or PayPal at at rob_mclennan (at) hotmail.com or the PayPal button at www.robmclennan.blogspot.com