Marilyn Letts is a poet and writer who loves to experiment. Her poetry publications include FreeFall Magazine, Feathertale Review, Other Voices, and Queen’s Quarterly. Her chapbook Waiting for Lightning was described by Kevin Spenst in SubTerrain magazine as “an artful divulgence of stages of belief and how one’s faith might both break and grow.” In 2023, she completed a creative writing certificate through The Writer’s Studio at Simon Fraser University. She lives with gratitude on the traditional territories of the peoples of the Treaty 7 region and the Métis Nation within Alberta in Calgary.
“The poem ‘Improvisational Score’ by Sawako Nakayasu plays with absurdity while maintaining a coherent consistency within itself. The duality of the human-musical and insect-life world intrigued me. Can human actions be divided into contributing to chaos or working against chaos? Is time linear? Can the master’s tools destroy the master’s house (Audre Lorde’s 1979 speech)?”
Apply for permits.
Pry up a few shingles
and cut a hole in the underlayment.
Eventually spring rain will dampen
the attic insulation evenly.
When you hear the water sprites
dancing, let the oversight begin.
Discuss any design changes.
If a sledgehammer is not enough
for the drywall
bring in a girls’ swim team.
Borrow a reciprocating saw
from your neighbour, or a circular saw,
if that’s all they own. What goes
around comes around.
Establish a timeline for deliverables.
Mix dirt and water to the desired
consistency, more pudding
than pie. Break or remove
the basement windows for easier
access. Pair the final
tasting with a lite ale. Nothing
too bitter. Reclamation
is thirsty work.
If the building falls
behind schedule,
light a candle
nick the gas line.
