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Now is not the time for me to dawdle
on a poem that jests at the expense
of my winter heart, not a frolic nor
a trifle, though you would be forgiven
for your quick joke as we pull on boots
to gamble at the air being just warm
enough to divert from the seasonal
sadness, dallying as I allow. But
I can find my delight in this gesture
that won’t just dabble in warmth, but fully
cavort, a bonfire, even in snow waist-
deep. Je m’ébatte avec toi, as the world
rollicks in these ending days, and we will
skylark, screaming poetry as kindling.
A Year is Forever When
- a found poem on nuclear semiotics, from the Sandia National Laboratory Report
This message is a warning about danger —
and it can kill
Rudimentary cautionary information —
tells what why where when
and how it increases toward a center
Basic complex information —
no highly esteemed deed
is commemorated here
We consider ourselves to be a powerful culture —
nothing is valued here
This place is not a place of honor —
and part of a system of
messages
This place is a message —
what is here is dangerous
and repulsive
In your time as it was in ours —
this place is best
shunned and left uninhabited
The danger is to the body —
something man-made is
here
The form of the danger —
only if you substantially
disturb this place physically
The danger is in a particular location —
the danger is still
present
The danger is unleashed —
of a particular size and
shape, and below us
Shelagh Rowan-Legg (she/they) is a writer and filmmaker. Originally from Toronto, her poetry and short stories have been published in The Windsor Review, Taddle Creek, Carousel, and numerous other magazines. Her short films have screened at festivals around the world, and she is a Contributing Editor at ScreenAnarchy. She lives in Montreal. Find her at shelaghrowanlegg.com and on Bluesky, @bonnequin.bsky.social.
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