Testing Pattern

a bus jumps out of nowhere and
runs over my daughter

I wake up
snap on the TV
students have pushed over
the prime minister have set him
on fire
my bedroom is a shouting mouth
my bed a gigantic tongue
my parents climb in beside me
and my children and my children’s children
put on a show

my son the prime minister
forbids me to
jump in front of the bus

these are the things I will give you
I plead
two sizes of regret and a blowtorch
the tiny beating wings of an anteater
the heart of a shovel
a can of fried lemons
some guilt that’s had
better days

this is a touching moment in the life of the family
my son says
we need dental floss

irony is a test pattern in his eyes
I am hoping the broadcast day will begin soon
even if it’s only
Yoga with Kim

my bedroom begins to snicker
then to yodel
my parents my children and my children’s children
are propelled into space
just another family
squabbling
as they speed past the stars

—GARY BARWIN

(Originally published Christmas, 2005.)