9/14/2019 POETRY: MARGARET CHRISTAKOSWHETHER THE HEAVENS BREAK WHETHER THE HEAVENS BREAK WHETHER THE BROKEN CLOUDS ACCUMULATE ENOUGH AUDIENCE TO DEBUT AT TIFF WHETHER CURIOUS CUMULI INCUBATE OUR ATTENTION WHETHER THE WEATHER BURSTS FORTH LIKE HEAVEN'S GATES LOCKING DOWN ALL THE LATCHES WHETHER WATER AND ETHER COMBINED MAKE A BEAUTIFUL SUNSET WHETHER DUSK IS UPON US SOONER RATHER THAN LATER WHETHER YOU PREFER HURRICANES OVER HEAT WAVES MONSOONS OVER ICE MELTS WHETHER YOU HARVEST FRUIT FROM THE FOREST FLOOR OR WITHERED ON WIZENED VINES WHETHER YOU PINE FOR YOUR MUSKOKA CHILDHOOD WHETHER PILEATED WOODPECKERS DELIGHT YOU EITHER THE CONTINUOUS PRESENT OR THE LOOMING FUTURE EITHER SOME OF THEM OR ALL OF US WHETHER EMPATHY WHETHER MORALITY WHETHER TRUTH WAVERS BEFORE SIX-DOLLAR LATTES AND MAUVE MACARONS WHETHER IT WAS A TOTAL BLOCKBUSTER WHETHER YOU'VE NEVER SEEN ANYTHING LIKE IT WHETHER THE SKY GETS DARKER THAN "BREAKING BAD" WHETHER REALITY IS A MALEVOLENT COLOSSUS COMING ON LIKE AN ADORABLE BABY LION WHETHER SUPERWINDSTORMS MAKE THE RATINGS RISE WHETHER THE DEADLINE PREMIERE IS A NO-HOLDS-BARRED DOCUMENTARY ON SUBLIME SUB-SAHARAN DROUGHT DO WE HAVE OUR TICKET IN ADVANCE DO WE HAVE OUR SEAT RESERVED DO WE HAVE A COVETED SPOT BESIDE THE RED CARPET WHETHER WE LIKE COMEDIES OR THRENODIES WHETHER THE FILMMAKER WAS FUNDED BY A FRACKING CONGLOMERATE OR A BRAZILIAN MINING CONSORTIUM WHETHER THE CLIMAX IS A MASS SHOOTING EVENT THAT SOUNDED LIKE A RUNAWAY TRAIN THAT BARRELLED INTO CANADIAN TIRE LIKE A BLOOD AVALANCHE AT NIAGARA WE'VE NEVER SEEN ANYTHING LIKE IT EVER BEFORE STEP RIGHT THIS WAY STEP INTO THE HARSH GLARE OF THE BIGGEST SHOW ON EARTH WHETHER WHATEVER WE DREAM IS JUST LIKE A MOVIE WHETHER IT IS ALL JUST LIKE CUTTING-EDGE CINEMA WHETHER WE'RE ON 24/7 CANDID CAMERA ALONG WITH FACIAL RECOGNITION HOW ABOUT GLACIAL RECOGNITION OR WILL THAT SPOIL THE PLOTLINE FOR US WHETHER IT IS ALL SO ORIGINAL WHETHER IT IS CRAZY GENIUS AT HAND WHEN THE HEAVENS HEAVE AND THREATEN YES THE SKY MIGHT BREAK OPEN YES THE SKY IS MADE OF GOSSAMER ETHER YES THE ETHER IS MADE OF TRANSHUMAN MEMORY YES THE MEMORY DRINKS IN RAIN YES THE AUDIENCE IS AN OCEAN WE WANT THE C.G.A. WEATHER TO LOOK MORE WILD THAN WILDERNESS ALONE WE WANT THE ENDING TO SHOCK US WE WANT TO BE AWAKE SO WAKE UP CAN WE WAKE UP LET'S WAKE UP Margaret Christakos creates poetry, teaches, and thinks about forms of direct and indirect social address as part of her thirty-year artistic practice. She hails from Sudbury, Ontario, and lives in Toronto. Recent books include Multitudes and Her Paraphernalia: On Motherlines, Sex/Blood/Loss & Selfies. In Spring 2020 her new book charger is forthcoming.
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