my sister is dying……………..at times she states it
……………………..her life parsed
phrases/phases………………..terms/terminal …
or she avoids it…………………we turn
………………………..to the syntax of empathy
the right words……………………………………to say those not
then…………………the silence…………….all words erased
the unheard question mark…………………………..remains
Blaine Marchand is a poet on the unceded territories of Anishinabe Algonquin territory (Ottawa). Active in literary scene for over 50 years, his seventh poetry book, Becoming History, was published by Aeolus House in 2021. He has just completed his new collection, Promenade. He is openly gay.
