28.11.18

Vancouver Writing: Al Purdy

MOUNTAIN LIONS IN STANLEY PARK

Canadian as the Winnipeg Gold-Eye or
the Calgary Eye-Opener and
regional in this province as Strontium 90 and
international as a boundary they
live here before night's fuses were blown -

Remember the child?
                  He thought darkness had a nucleus
                                    something plotting
outside his range of vision something
                  that moved and shambled
                  laughed without logic
                  and drooled -
It's rather a comfort now
to see the caged cougar's
fierce eyes focused
                              serious
                                          (non-idiotic) and
to be involved in the cougar's simple problems
(the snap of a bone in the head exchanging
                                         light for darkness)
and walking to the edge of this floodlit concrete
not stopping at all
on the edge of the great trees -

Running
where the wild tribes go
beyond boundaries
and desolate cities
naked hairless lost one
and sin-bright cougar
into the forest
toward our dark beginnings

                                                                                              Vancouver

- Beyond Remembering: The collected poems of Al Purdy