Lauren Paré studied English at the University of Toronto and Law at the University of Ottawa. She is currently pursuing her Creative Writing Certificate at the University of Toronto School of Continuing Studies. Her work appears or is forthcoming in Pulp Poets Press, Words &Whispers, Pinhole Poetry, Paddler Press, and Brimstone & Venus. She lives in Peterborough, Ontario, Canada.
Hot
afternoon
sun
unfurls
upon
plants
ice
cream
melts
Inner Child
Our anxieties brew like beer
On this uncharted geography
The shoreline stretches to the horizon
Ready to snap
They tell us it’s necessary
To journey home
Dance in the rain
Attend that event
Remember the good
But it is not easy to forget
The dark ages of middle school
Its empty juice cartons
And lonely hopscotch
Bird Love and Science
Previously published in Heimat Review, Issue 2
I am an ornithologist, which means
I map the path of migratory birds.
At night, I vacuum floors and cook green beans
For my beloved ones with babbled words:
Hello and mama and kitty and play.
In fields, I collect feathers, skulls, and beaks
Then prepare reports until break of day,
While dabbing applesauce from dimpled cheeks.
The Peregrine Falcon can soar through skies
At over 200 miles per hour.
But nothing compares to my daughter’s eyes
As she runs to me with her favourite flower.
The Bee Hummingbird weighs less than a dime.
On walls, I track heights and hold onto time.
The Field Guide Poetry Magazine 