Poem by Brenda Gunn

Still Life

              She showed up late
              for picture day
              eyebrows shaved
              ratty toque pulled low
Do you want to take it off? I asked.
For the photo?
No
               she pulled it lower with both fists
My sister tortures me
               hiss-whispered
               between savage gulps
               of milkless instant oatmeal
from a tiny pack stashed in a locked drawer
              in the school office
That’s four times this week the secretary sniffed
              as if there’s a moratorium
              on food instability
      I don’t ask if this one knows where auntie is or if
      uncle still finds her and her little sister fake-sleeping
      under T-shirt blankets on the couch
              She tried to hide
              the circle seared into her palm
              the scratches on her knees
              from the cat,
              or so she said
              last time
Is there any more?

A note from the poet -- As an elementary school teacher of 33 years, I was often confronted with kids/families living with food insecurity. Ask any elementary teacher, and they will show you a snack drawer/closet/cupboard stocked with granola bars, oatmeal, beef jerky, crackers, etc. usually purchased with their own money, for hungry students. This poem is a reflection of that all-too-common situation. ​

Click on the file below to watch the video of Brenda reading her poem:

video_clip_brenda_gunn_still_life_img_2168.mov
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Since retiring in 2017, Brenda's immersion in family research inspired a collection of poetry based on her paternal ancestry. A proud member of the Edmonton Stroll of Poets and the Parkland Poet's Society, her work has been published in Canadian journals and anthologies. Brenda is completing a certificate in creative writing and is at work on a second collection of poems. ​

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