“Love Was” by Dawn Steiner
Poetry Pause is the League of Canadian Poets’ daily poetry dispatch. Read “Love Was” by Dawn Steiner.
Love Was
By Dawn Steiner
I never said I love you
to my father
nor he to me
Love was a shoulder ride
my father’s handkerchief
three-corner knotted
on my head
the treat
secreted in his coat pocket
on Friday nights
pennies
for the corner store
banana popsicles
a bouquet of daisies
displayed in a jar
on the kitchen table
a hike
to the peak of La Tuque
backpack full of ham sandwiches
crunch of forest floor
hush of carpet moss
a backyard rink
ice pucks in the freezer
A yawn
when I came home late
my father mumbling
he was just about to turn in
porch evenings
the gift of silence
night skies drinking the moon
Copyright © Dawn Steiner
Dawn Steiner began writing poetry under the guidance of Stephanie Bolster. As a member of The Wellington Street Poets, she has collaborated on five chapbooks as well as a collection in book form called Oblique Strokes. Her poems have appeared in Prairie Fire, Ferral, Juniper, Bywords, In/Words,, CP Quarterly and flo magazine. She is the winner of the Diane Brebner award (Arc Magazine 2019). She is an active member of Ottawa’s poetry community and is currently working on her first complete compilation of poems.
Subscribe to Poetry Pause, or support Poetry Pause with a donation today!