Page Banner

Turkey Tails

Turkey Tails

by Adam Malus

Barn swallows hurry
to grab a quick snack
before stumbling
through the audience
to catch the last empty seat.
String section of crickets
and grasshoppers sneak in
one final tune-up
as everyone quiets down
for the mid-morning show.
A balcony crew of lethargic crows
slowly dim edges of ambient light.
A stormy wind barges in
like an uninvited guest
blowing the screen open,
only to shut it with a thunderous slam.
A curtain of light struggles to free herself
hanging from the sky's
quickly disappearing crack.
Violently swaying, pine trees
in back rows, cadmium paintbrushes
colour the murky sky increasingly black.
No time for overture.
Heavy downpour smashes keyboard
Rachmaninoff style.
A torn-hearted artist stirs watery clouds
in his old pickle jar, anxious to start
painting colourful rainbows again.
Quietly covering around the pillars
frozen in time huddle turkey tails.

About this Poem

Adam Malus is an aspiring poet living in Kingston.

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 There's a new poem every month, written by poets living and dead, historical and contemporary, published and unpublished, adults and children, giving full range to the cultural voice of Kingston.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