COLD WAR WASH DAY
When we integrated under the curve and the fuel
ignited, when push came to
rubber glove, and in all the kitchens
food fell from plates,
…….. we leapt into our holes and made
tracks, one small,
one just right.
…….. One side makes you human.
…….. One side wakes you.
…….. One side makes you see stars.
When we pulled out all our handkerchiefs, chain
rule, integration by parts, Bessel
functions and approximation by
infinite series near a point, the gap
…….. dilated and everywhere we walked
in new-bought shoes,
…….. here one centimeter, zero point five, there
a squeak, a prize
blister, a glow. The lint detached itself
from our jackets and we paraded before our own
discarded fluff. We shed,
…….. and were proud.
Never have the oven and the dryer
stood so square, nor their dials
counted further down.
Author’s Bio
Dawn Macdonald lives in Whitehorse, Yukon, where she was raised off the grid. She holds a degree in applied mathematics from the University of Western Ontario. Her poetry has appeared in The Antigonish Review, Literary Review of Canada, Rattle (Poets Respond), and elsewhere.
