Integers and Dendrites
Your stoned brain was right
until the next feeding
we all sat in anticipation
like a third order neuron
before synapsing in the thalamus.
When you wake
you eat.
Full of words and motor impulses
integers and dendrites
whose innervation stop
short of stimulation.
Credo
For Stuart
Abundant in your hand -
a lightness of being
an amazing bit of grace
the bleating of goats
your coming of age
your middle-aged nephew
a concession to an outrage
your missionary zeal
the origins of life
a plausible suggestion
the cultivation of coherence.
The cheese stands alone.
Thievery
A dream atmosphere is achieved at the apex -
stolen from a secured cargo area,
disarmed by a police officer.
Bitter masterminds who,
guarded from birth,
abscond with curiosities and wonders
worth rupees and jewels,
sapphire and diamonds,
or at least
one Canadian dollar.
Putting Our House in Order
Stow away
your caribou skin boots
a houndstooth jacket
some segments of people
and my upper hand.
Add to the ledger
subtle style shifts
neonates and not-so-new-borns
a wide variety of topics
a bikini emoji
and certainty on a cellular level.
Allison Chisholm is an award-winning pie baker. She lives and writes in Kingston, Ontario. She played glockenspiel in the Hawaiian-Dream-Pop band SCUB. Her poetry has appeared in The Northern Testicle Review (Proper Tales Press) and The Dollhouse (Puddles of Sky Press). Her chapbook, On the Count of One, was published in 2017 (Proper Tales Press). Her forthcoming book of poetry, On the Count of None, will be released this fall through Anvil Press. She is the curator of The Museum of Tiny Objects.