i could not circle back

to the suburbs we made love 

that ground between three rivers

where the Mauricie drains 

the Mauricie pools, eddies

Mauricie pours hellbent 

into the Saint Laurent now bound 

by loneliness

now absent memories

a veil, a watery shroud

 

i could not return 

and forge my home 

in that brick garden between cities 

that liminal space 

where Montréal a wicked dream  

to the southwest, Québec City 

a prayer to the east

where suburban transit 

would take me nowhere near

on foot would draw me no closer

to what memories 

of love i long to relive

 

but only if the devil came

offered me a bewitched canoe 

bound for that space between rivers 

to go and meet you there

i would stand and i would go

on pain of damnation 

in the deep of winter i would go

to that liminal space

only to meet you there