Time Lapse

It’s the first day I don’t need
my jacket

Street cleaners suction up
winter’s detritus
the petrichor of spring

On days like this
the world smells like every place
I’ve ever travelled

Is water only blue because
it reflects the sky?

The rock remembers the grain of sand
just as mud flats remember
mountain peaks

Water joins us all together

I remember and forget myself
simultaneously 

I am jostled

I keep forgetting then
remembering I live in a world
with tyrants 

The Princess sees
an old woman
a sick woman
a dying woman
a holy woman 

The snow recedes 

See?
The ditch puddles are remembering sky

Don’t forget.

By Heather Frayne

**The Princess sees… stanza inspired by Miriam Toews’ 2021 novel “Fight Night” wherein the grandmother tells the grandchild the story of the Buddha in the feminine.  

Heather Frayne (BSW, RSW, RTC, MA)
Edmonton, AB

Heather Frayne (she/her) is an Edmonton-based artist, poet, knitter and zinestress. She is a social worker and an expressive arts therapist. She has a special interest in how life transitions deconstruct, shape and hold our sense of identity. More on her work can be found at www.autumnleafexpressivearts.com and her artwork can be viewed at www.heathersartshenanigans.com.

Pink Daisies

pink daisies
a feeling so warm

i tried not to turn this into a metaphor
but just fucking lean into it

can i kiss you?
i swear i only used to do this one at a time

always aiming to root
then the change in seasons show me the world,
and i resume being a wild one

your soil is a bit different...
who is your emotional home? 

i know i need to take care of you
but my body is the only house i've ever owned
and i'm just wondering if she'll ever be born

this is entertainment for my friends

i almost learned the lesson;
there is freedom in love

while everyone tries to live in the moment,
i'll just try to be a good woman.

Tiffany Chinapen (BA, MSc, RP, RCAT)
Toronto, ON

Tiffany received her Master of Science in Art Psychotherapy at Queen Margaret University in Scotland. She approaches her understanding of clients from an individual perspective informed by their social and cultural contexts. Tiffany works from a psychodynamic and reflexive point of view and incorporates a strength-based approach into her practice. She has worked as an art therapist in various professional environments, including schools, hospitals, non-profit organizations, and long-term care settings. Tiffany has recently started her own business Rosewater Art Psychotherapy Inc. As an artist herself, she works with collage, drawing, painting, and mixed media; she also writes poetry. You can learn more at www.tiffanychinapen.com.