David Boski

Coyote

Back at the cancer care centre
with my mom.

I’m reading a book by Scott McClanahan
“Hill William”
trying to distract myself
but every time a new patient walks in
I look at them and wonder what kind of cancer
they have.
And I keep thinking about how 
the world is filled 
with sadness
and how my mom didn’t deserve this
and how the other people in here didn’t
deserve whatever they have either.

A young man walks in
and I can’t tell how old he is
but he can’t be much older than me.

I hope everything will be okay.

Mom looks at her phone and tells me
they found a coyote with its head
stuck in a jar 
somewhere out in Oakville.

She hands me her phone
and I read the article.

The coyote is recovering.
He’s doing better than the people in here.
He’s doing better than me.

 

David Boski lives in the Parkdale neighborhood of Toronto. His most recent chapbook South of King Street was released by Subway Suicide Press.