When I say yellow,
fold yourself.
Lose count of geese.
Measure seeds
by placing them between your lips
and humming.
A walnut lets out an opera.
Observe the cypress in full sunlight.
Do so again in old age.
If it grows bright,
pay homage.
If it grows dark,
bargain at will.
The fern is another word
for memory.
Watch the clouds
as they knit their way
across the night.
What I want to tell you
is imperative –
that we are flawed
and exalted,
that there are those
who still look to the raven for rain.
When the wind
pines through your window,
let it.
The wind misses you.
It misses
everything
about
you.
Gillian Sze is the author of multiple poetry collections. She studied Creative Writing and English Literature at Concordia University and received a Ph.D. in Études anglaises from Université de Montréal. Originally from Winnipeg, she now resides in Montreal where she teaches creative writing and literature. Her first picture book, The Night is Deep and Wide, will be published by Orca Book in 2021. @gilliansze on Twitter. @gilliansze on Instagram.