LINGERS TEAR GAS
Lingers tear gas
the heart.
Tear the gas heart.
Gas the heart.
Tears linger.
The gas lingers.
Tear.
spring flowers wither
salty spray
fogs
a coast line
of dissent
as the wars lingers
eyes stares, empty
as the birds vanish
—from Rattle #35, Summer 2011
Tribute to Canadian Poets
__________
Gregory Betts: “I wrote this poem in response to the G20 summit in Toronto in July 2010. I was not able to participate in the protests because I was attending a baby shower for my soon-to-be-born son, Jasper John Betts. As I left the party, I had to drive past the protest zone, within scent of Spadina and Queen where the police were ‘kettling’ the protesters in the rain. Kettling involves an enormous number of troops boxing in a small group of protesters (a few hundred in this case). The Toronto kettled, many of whom were tourists, residents, and not protestors, were held in the rain for over four hours.”
