“the providing type” by Salem Paige
Poetry Pause is the League of Canadian Poets’ daily poetry dispatch. Read “the providing type” by Salem Paige.
the providing type
By Salem Paige
fields roll like
wagon wheels like
words escaping from
beneath my tongue,
gentle grasses lick
my โI love youโs
whispered across the
pasture as you herd
the cattle before it storms,
into the corral with the
weathered fence-post I
promised to fix,
ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย and will
once the storm settles.
you lean forward on
your horse, steady,
certain. the wind
hits your face like
a kiss. inside the ranch,
you take the kettle
off the stove with calloused hands.
the rain beats hard
against the window
above the sink.
my heart rattles like
the bottles on the wall
with each wave of thunder,
until your hands find my shoulders
and I am steadied.
the cows in the pasture
start at the flashes of lightning;
a heifer keels over in
the mud from the shock.
when the storm clouds subside,
you are on your knees between her
corpse and the broken fence-post
with a tear-stained face. you heave
her indoors and cook us
steak for dinner.
Copyright ยฉ Salem Paige
Salem Paige is a queer poet whose works explore identity and discomfort. They appear in their debut collection, The Third Self and their chapbooks miraculous dead things, evolution artificialis, and to grow roots, as well as many literary publications. Read more on their website at salempaige.com.
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