skonen_blades

There's an event called A Day at the Races where poets go to the horse races and they each pick a horse name at random from each of the seven races and then use that name as a prompt for a poem. At the end of the day, we read out the 'winning' poem from each race and then whatever other poems we think turned out pretty good. It's a fun day.

This is poem 03 from race 03 and my horse's name was Tam Tricky. He came in first! My father's name was Tam and he grew up in the violent streets of Glasgow (gang member, bouncer, military policeman) before emigrating to Canada with his first wife and three daughters and the moving to Toronto and meeting my mom. I always found my dad pretty fascinating and his ability to break the cycle of violence with my brother and I is something I'll always admire.

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Tam tricky

Found his way through the maze

Tam clever
Tam strong

The gutter’s hand slipped off his greased spine
His father’s fists only molding his clay
until he could fight back
and become his own potter

Tam long

Bird bones stork long but steel strong

Tam traveler
Tam gardener

Five children
Two wives
Citizenship in two countries

Tam resting
Tam never gone
Tam bus driver
Tam glazer
Tam human church
Tam holy memory

Tam throw me
(light javelin son)

Into the deep
unknowable
future

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