MEDITATION ON ENCLOSED SPACE
A room is
a refuge
…………a reformatory
……………………a universe of thoughts
a landfill of dreams
A room
…………keeps weather outside
& others away
A secret
gives birth
…………in a room,
……………………rearing its
little rumours
A border
is a line
…………on the floorboards
……………………in a room
with two towns
Two rooms
…………are countries
divided by drywall
A room
…………acts airily
……………………around argument,
knows
when to amplify anger
A room
gets exposed
…………postmortem,
……………………found naked
post theft
A room
…………is a timpani
of feet & water
A room is
…………imagination
at night
A room is
rapture before
…………a long choir
……………………of silence
A mother is
…………the first room
we ever knew
Author’s Bio
Aidan Chafe is the author of the poetry collection, Short Histories of Light (McGill-Queen’s University Press), which was longlisted for the 2019 Gerald Lampert Memorial Award. He lives on unceded Musqueam territory (Burnaby, BC).