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High Tea at the Hochelaga Inn

High Tea at the Hochelaga Inn

by Allison Chisholm

One clear afternoon
we met for high tea
in the formal dining room
of the Hochelaga Inn.

Civility stilled the house
as we righted our collars,
unfolded our napkins.

Across from me
you set your spoon to saucer
and when you looked up
I watched the clouds in my cup
stir into the dark wells of your eyes.

The darkness
became my sadness,
my sadness,
the afternoon reprieve.

Chairs scraped floors.

Birds swept windows.

Tea settled into milk.

About this Poem

On the Count of None, Allison Chisholm

Allison Chisholm lives and writes in Kingston, Ontario. Her poetry has appeared in The Northern Testicle Review, the Puddles of Sky chap-poem The Dollhouse, The Week Shall Inherit The Verse, and the Proper Tales Press chapbook On the Count of One. She played glockenspiel in the Hawaiian-dream-pop band SCUB. On the Count of None (Anvil Press, 2018) is her first full-length poetry collection.

 

About the Poetry Blackboard

The Poetry Blackboard showcases poems curated by Kingston's Poet Laureate and written by Kingston poets. There's a new poem every month, written by poets living and dead, historical and contemporary, published and unpublished, adults and children, giving full range to the cultural voice of Kingston. Started in 2015 by Helen Humphreys, the Poetry Blackboard has been continued since 2019 by Jason Heroux.

We wish to thank Helen Humphreys, Kingston's second Poet Laureate, for her generous support of emerging and established poets in Kingston through library programming and our Poetry Blackboard project. Throughout her four years as Poet Laureate, Helen curated a digital collection of poetry to showcase the talents of local creators of all ages, both historic and contemporary. Helen also offered several opportunities for emerging poets to develop their craft, offering group workshops and one-on-one mentorship. Her active engagement with the library and community has been greatly appreciated.

In 2019 we welcomed the incoming Poet Laureate, Jason Heroux, who continues to curate the Poetry Blackboard and to develop new community programming.

Previously Published Poems