this whole day I didn’t think
of her, had work to do
fed the cats, ate an apple
played with the seeds
on my tongue I crunched
the bitterness and it echoed
through the hall as if I had punched
a hole through the middle
or thrown the flesh against the wall.
you seemed afraid of me then.
like I might spit a seed at you
or peel your skin
and bite you to the core.
Robin Durnford was born in St. John's Newfoundland and grew up on the west coast of the island. She is the author of five books of poetry, including A Lovely Gutting (2012), Fog of the Outport (2013), Half Rock (2016), Gaptoothed (2020), and most recently, At Beckett's Grave (2025). She currently lives in Montreal (Tiohtià:ke) where she teaches poetry and memoir at John Abbott College. “Peel” is from a poetry collection she is currently working on called Aspirations for my Enemy.
the Tuesday poem is curated by rob mclennan
