new from above/ground press: Inconsistent Cemeteries, by Mckenzie Strath

Inconsistent Cemeteries
Mckenzie Strath
$5

Bring Back the Wolves of Cape Breton


I dipped my feet into the Atlantic ocean
during a thunderstorm

It puddled around my toes and seeped into my veins
as I pondered whether the weather would electrocute
me for thinking

About how a moose
can eat an entire Christmas tree
without dying

Though many trees are
deciduous in the East
like Betula papyrifera
or Sorbus americana

moose eat Christmas trees
that are protected

Smashing needles
and cones with gnarled teeth
pulverizing bark with sharp hooves
they create havoc on our ecosystem
just by existing

They squat throughout the Cabot Trail
having no predators
except for brain worms
and sometimes bears

But bears are often humble
and couldn’t care less for a moose
unless it has babies
So let's bring back the wolves

The wolves of Cape Breton
whose paws create earthquakes
crumbling mountains
into small hills

The Wolves
that snarl at antlers
and gouge out spleens
while howling during the solstice

The wolves of Cape Breton
eating moose like royalty
dining on them for feasts

published in Ottawa by above/ground press
October 2024
a/g subscribers receive a complimentary copy

Mckenzie Strath is an (almost graduated) undergraduate at Simon Fraser University studying Archaeology, English and Creative Writing.

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