Tuesday poem #625 : Dominic Dulin : Coin Flip

 

can I date myself
online

this paradise
                      containing
                      only
                      one

          type of every bird
          just time
                     said to bird wig

is everyone someone else

paradise paradise paradise paradise
paradise paradise paradise paradise
pair of dice paradice paradise paradise paradise
para se dice paradice paradise

regurgitating names

is everyone someone
else

 

 

Dominic Dulin is a poet and musician out of Cleveland, Ohio. They have had poetry published by Iterant, Yum! Lit, Surreal Poetics, among others.

the Tuesday poem is curated by rob mclennan

Tuesday poem #624 : Cara Goodwin : First Haircut

 

2020

It’s long now, my hairdresser says, it grew out nicely.
We talk and it’s just like yesterday I was here.
I fall back into her hands. She guides my head
towards the sink and scrubs my scalp. I rise,
towel wrapped around me, sitting up like a child.
Is this how my first haircut felt? How lucky am I
to have made it this far. I don’t know the future,
but when I walk out, I am lighter. The cool air
brushes against my neck and for a sliver in time
I am no longer personally responsible
for the survival of everyone I know and love.
My hair feels clean. The weight is all gone now.

 

 

 

Cara Goodwin’s [photo credit: Curtis Perry] poetry has been published in Bywords, flo., and Room. In 2021, she received an Honourable Mention for the John Newlove Award and was shortlisted for Room's Annual Poetry Prize. In 2023, she earned a second Honourable Mention for the John Newlove Award, this time for her poem "Little Fish". Cara holds a BA (Hons) in Social Communications and a Professional Writing Diploma. She daylights as a speechwriter for the federal government.

the Tuesday poem is curated by rob mclennan

 

Tuesday poem #623 : Words by David Martin/Image by Innes Cheng : Nothing to Do

 

 

I’m bored, I’m bored, I’m bored.
There’s nothing for me to do.

          “Then read a book or draw,
          or make a craft with glue.”

I’m bored, I’m bored, I’m bored.
And none of those will do.

          “Then ride your bike or skip.
          I’ll play a game with you.”

I’m bored, I’m bored, I’m bored.
And still those will not do.

          “Then call a friend, or paint.
          I’ll build a fort with you.”

I’m bored, I’m bored, I’m bored.
It’s a nightmare that’s come true.

          “Then vacuum the house, or mop,
          or clean a toilet or two.

          Then dust the shelves, and sweep,
          and polish every shoe.

          Then fold the sheets, and cook,
          and pick up doggy doo.”

You know I’d love to help—
I’m just too busy to.

But maybe when I’m bored,
then I can help with you.

 

 

Words by David Martin. Image by Innes Cheng.

 

 

 

Innes Cheng is a visual artist who makes greeting cards, prints, and murals. She was a drummer for the indie-pop band The Fragments, and she divides her time between creating visual art and raising her four-year-old son in Vancouver, British Columbia.

David Martin has published three collections of poems: Tar  Swan (NeWest Press, 2018), Kink Bands (NeWest Press, 2023), and Limited Verse, (University of Calgary Press, 2024). His work was recently selected for Best Canadian Poetry 2025 (Biblioasis).

the Tuesday poem is curated by rob mclennan