“A Period of Increased Darkness” by Ben Robinson
Poetry Pause is the League of Canadian Poets’ daily poetry dispatch. Read “A Period of Increased Darkness” by Ben Robinson.
A Period of Increased Darkness
By Ben Robinson
The Trustees moved the spring PA Day
to coincide with the total solar eclipse in April.
The peak period of darkness will occur
at approximately 3:20 pm, the press release reads,
posing potential safety concerns during dismissal.
It is up to us, then, to keep their eyes averted.
Our family doctor moved his office
to a retrofitted medical centre on the mountain.
The broader building is dilapidated,
extension cords pulled through drywall,
a sun-starved money tree by the elevator.
His unit, though, is all fresh white—
tile, walls, lightbulbs.
Every time Al or I have an appointment, he
implores us not to consider a vasectomy
yet. Never having asked what we deem
enough, he repeats the same story
about regretting his, the ordeal of having it
reversed, as our boys vie for control
of the examination table.
Every time our oldest gets hurt,
no matter how small, he presents his injury
and asks the same question: Will it heal?
What else is there to say but yes. If not,
I’m sure we’ll find a new doctor soon, son,
though a replacement for yourself is technically
still possible.
Just past midnight, our matching touch-activated
bedside lamps turn on simultaneously.
Al and I exchange confused looks.
At the end of the hall Jim calls out twice,
“Dada, guess what!” When I finally shuffle down,
he is fine, fast asleep, bathed in the bubbling
orange of his lava lamp.
Copyright © Ben Robinson
“Ben Robinson is a poet, musician and librarian. His first book, The Book of Benjamin, an essay on naming, birth, and grief was published by Palimpsest Press in 2023. His poetry collection, As Is, was published by ARP Books in September 2024. He has only ever lived in Hamilton, Ontario.
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