Drifting | The Chapel

Canadian History

Sometimes it feels like I am sitting perfectly still, going nowhere,
when I am, actually.
Sometimes the sounds outside my window on a summer’s night
are so absolutely crystal clear that I
wonder if in fact, I might be outside.

You know how some say, “My mind drifts”?
Tonight my mind drifts out the window.

I found A First Book of Canadian History
and knew that time had passed
while drifting.
Florence Lahti’s name on page 38
made me suddenly feel a longing.

I can only guess that she was the
young girl who meticulously underlined
dates and lines of significance with a
ruler.
I was once like that.

I wish now that I had penciled over
faces and written dialogue, instead.

I pull the window tight, (the sound)
covering the screen.