Saskatoon, 1981. By John Doyle

If there are woodlands in Saskatoon

I’ll hide there, pretend I'm five years old in 1981

with nameless neighbours taking me on day trips

to towns with names I've forgotten, 

me hiding in the boot

when they stop to buy lemonade and chocolate brands that disappear

like leaves in the woods in Saskatoon that may, or may not exist.

Saskatoon was a place I saw in a geographical reference book in 1981

with photos of Aboriginal elders dancing in traditional costume

that looked like chocolate wrappers and leaves the colour of Mid-morning.

I’ll hide in the woodlands in Saskatoon, 

pretend I'm five years old in 1981

where mice run on roulette wheels and win me prizes in county fairs.

The first cheeseburger I ever bought, thanks to a snow-haired mouse;

it will join me in the woodlands of Saskatoon, 

we'll pray, give praise

like elders do in geographical reference books in 1981.

When they stop suddenly, European settlers looking puzzled

take their cameras out, and make us eternal -

mice, and the all too soon to be men

John Doyle became a Mod again in the summer of 2017 to fight off his impending mid-life crisis; whether this has been a success remains to be seen. He has has two collections published to date, A Stirring at Dusk in 2017, and Songs for Boys Called Wendell Gomez in 2018, both on PSKI's Porch.

He is based in Maynooth, County Kildare, Ireland. All he asks is that you leave your guns at the door and tie up your horses before your enter.