Shannon Lise

So Many Times I Have Kept Moving When I Wanted to Stay

I have dreamed of a place 
where the little white ships 
and their silver banners

glide up with the gulls to 
the quay, its mossy steps 
tumbling to the sea. 

Where the rain-green road 
cradles the shore and the grass 
grows loudly in the ditches. 

Here the sly hinges of the 
world slide open, letting you in.

On top of each tall 
wooden house is a balcony 
to watch the ships come in, 

to greet each morning 
fresh from the shining 
sheets of the tides. 

There are not many 
people, but they light candles 
in the windows 

and kiss each other 
in the streets.

Shannon Lise grew up in Turkey, spent ten years in Texas, and is now located in Québec City. She holds a B.A. in English literature, philosophy, and psychology and is currently earning a doctorate in clinical psychology at Laval University. She is the author of Such Excess of Light (Kelsay Books, 2021) and recent work has appeared in CERASUS, Viewless Wings Press, Agapanthus Collective, Plainsongs, and The Anti-Languorous Project.