A Poem by Lorna Crozier

The New Poem

It will not know the meaning of
decorous or Annunciation
It will not grace its feet
with embroidered slippers
or wear sensible shoes.
It will not say rose as if the word
smelled better than the flower.
It will not hate men –
unconditionally.
It will not be a nursemaid
brought from abroad.
It will not help you die
the way you think you want to.
It will not split the atom.
It will not split hairs.
It will not save your children
from themselves.
It will not decorate its wrists
with scars or put its head in an oven.
It will not say vagina.
It will not teach you how to die.
It will not pay homage to anybody’s
mistress.
It will not make it through Security
at the Yellowknife Airport.
It will not forgive.
It will not unlock the mysteries of cats.
It will not save your children.
It will not help you die.

It will bark and growl
and some days it might bite
but always without fail,
it will let you in.


(contributed by Thea "The Hammer" Marlatte)