Gestures Simply Slip Out and On by Heather Cadsby
Turtles are very old, have no teeth.
Not lost, never had. Not fearful
of first-person singular.
No turtle turmoil. A reptilian gaze
is fixed on us as you
adjust the focus.
This is our assignment. A singular adventure
to create a life list for ourselves.
Something outside ourselves. Before
we do ourselves in. Copulation
requires an hour underwater.
Aye aye aye.
But the good part is a start.
So get your picture.
We’ll call this one painted
and turn the page
as if that’s all we need
to know it all.
Heather Cadsby is the author of four books of poetry. The most recent book, Could be, was published by Brick Books in 2009. Her poems have appeared in such journals as The Antigonish Review, The New Quarterly, PRISM international and The Best Canadian Poetry in English (2008).
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