Poetry Pause is the League of Canadian Poets’ daily poetry dispatch. Read “I hear better than most” by Taylor Balfour.

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I hear better than most

By Taylor Balfour

my ears are labelled “imperfect,” distorted

via generations. it’s so much deeper than surface bone.

but I hear how her shoulders sag

despite the lullabies of laughter. the odes are

never for her. I hear how the poet craves quiet,

and the teacher, peace; the ache of the call, and the crimson

on the keys. I hear the nervous hair braids, fingers

wrung and winding, like a cloth and a bird,

both out to dry. they crave spring

like the larks long for breeze. I hear his eyes

moan about slogging through the bog of a thursday, and I hear

the sworn-in secrets of a shared glance. I hear it

in the squeeze of my ring finger under the oak.

maybe I hear better than most.

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Copyright © Taylor Balfour

Taylor Balfour is a writer, poet, journalist, and creative from Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada. Her debut poetry collection, At Least We’ll Always Have Spring, launched in June 2024 to rave reviews. She loves rabbits, used bookstores, coffee shops, and visiting the mountains. Previous publications include Esthetic Apostle, Beyond Queer Words, and the #1 Amazon poetry anthology And We All Breathe The Same Air. More of Taylor’s poetry can be found on her Instagram: littlesugarwords.

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