The Council of all Beings for Mayor and Council
November 8, 2022
The Council of all Beings for Mayor and Council was written by Heather Hendry, Tofino Poet Laureate (2022-2024) and performed at the Inaugural Meeting of Council on November 1, 2022. The video recording of the performance is available below.
imagine
a lopsided horseshoe made from rectangular tables
tennis ball feet protect the linoleum
broken pencils hide beneath
surfaces scratched with boredom
grade 2 students seated in plastic chairs
in-door shoes suspended in air
construction paper masks
glued that morning
wet glue inches from eyes
oozes from imperfect angles
folded into beings
gazing curiously at each other
a black bear stands to open the meeting
prefers berries over garbage
a mushroom shrivels
under the October summer
a juvenile salmon
sea lice feeding on skin
Ancient Red Cedar has escaped logging
closing the meeting till next month
grade 2 students seated in plastic chairs
in-door shoes suspended in air
remove their construction masks
forgotten into desks
as the recess bell rings
Heather Hendry, Tofino Poet Laureate
Posted on: Nov 8, 2022