“Known Unknowable” by Charis Young

Poetry Pause is the League of Canadian Poets’ daily poetry dispatch. Read “Known Unknowable” by Charis Young.


Known Unknowable

By Charis Young

Find myself torn between the desire,

of the unknowable and the seen.

Bonfire/Flashbang

breathe in the morning

mourning every word Iโ€™ve ever spoken.

who is she the unknown

layers translucent.

keep others from peering in,

Maintained habits of leaving the door open.

Life story free from hello.

Yet here wondering if I could be unknown.


Copyright ยฉ Charis Young

Charis Young (She/They) is an indigenous two-spirit writer from B.C. Canada. She has a passion for storytelling and writing and has been performing and writing poetry, monologues, and short stories since elementary school. She received a Creative Writing BFA at UBC in 2024. Since graduating she has been published in Beyond Queer Words, The Antigonish Review and Room Magazine. Most of her time is spent hiking and exploring with her cat and co-writer Tia.


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