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"like Jonah running"
He left, like Jonah running
from the black hair,
angular faces
and petite frailty
of his people;
from the contrast
of white and black;
from the contrast of coal and wind-swept waves,
of men with black coal dust closing every pore and
of doctors with their white-stained robes
and medical sterility.
He left, like Jonah running
south. In Canada, where else can a man turn
but south to the colours and
shades of gray in American cities.
Each colour enough to blind a man,
enough gray to help him succumb,
yet never enough of anything
to make him stay. Never enough money, never
enough rounds in the ring,
never enough black eyes
and black gloves and the
liquid trails of a red nation's blood
against white teeth, against the white
of an eye enclosing
a broken, coal-black pupil.
[inspired by Hugh MacLennan's novel Each Man's Son]
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An Alchemy of Words
PoetryA collection of my poems, both old and new. Notable Rankings: 1 in #poetsofwattpad (2021-06-01) 1 in #poetryclub (2021-06-01) 1 in #poetrycommunity (2021-06-18) 1 in #slampoetry (2022-04-13) 1 in #wattpadpoets (2022-04-13) 1 in #wattpadpoet (2022-04...
