Domenico Capilongo | PASS THE NOTE, Vallum Award for Poetry Honourable Mention

 

PASS THE NOTE

in the palm of your hand. cup it in the hollow between life line and the
lines of children. sometimes I check mine to see if my wife is pregnant
again. pass it like a drug deal on a crowded subway platform and the
train’s about to come. somewhere there is that urge to jump. the urge
to hang for that second alone above the tracks. once looking down I
saw a mouse zip between shadows. between garbage. how about that
man who dropped something, leaned forward and slipped so easily?

pass this note like a secret whispered while the teacher has her back
turned and you’re dying to kiss the girl at the front of the class hoping
the message can get through. lost in a smile. a flick of her hair. pass it
still warm from your hand to the next like some strange bird passing
her eggs from nest-to-nest till they hatch.


Author’s Bio

Toronto-based writer of fiction and poetry, DOMENICO CAPILONGO is also a high-school teacher and karate sensei. His first three books almost won several literary awards. Although he usually writes for adults, he is currently working on a children’s book about a boy who hates kissing old ladies.