Frances Boyle

Day Break

…the acoustic nature of sheets
―Brian Turner “Alexa, Awake”

What whispers in the corners, whiskers
feline in the dawn light? Sounds I assemble

from the silent slip of feet on sheets, ears
tuned for the softest shuffling, the lake-flat

plain of my longing. A way to fathom
open spaces, the echolocation of everyday

wanderings when what presses in on every side
is a tangible absence, a soft cheek brushing

against mine, a waft of plum: that perfume
I used to love. The shawl I wear, smoke-

light yet warm. Today, it’s too warm,
but I bunch the soft fabric at my throat

loosely with one fist. A puddle of blanket
spreads at the foot of my bed, pools there.

And ocean in my eyes, deep with forgetfulness,
with hope spilling like seed from an open seam

at the bottom of a sack. The glancing blows
of soft-sided yearnings, the weight of the morning.

Damp paw prints on tile, distinct at first,
then no more than blots, then dried to nothing.

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Frances Boyle is a Canadian writer, living in Ottawa, Ontario. Her books include the poetry collections Openwork and Limestone (2022) and Light-carved Passages (2024), along with Seeking Shade, a short story collection, and Tower, a novella. Her debut novel, Skin Hunger, is forthcoming in 2026. Recent/upcoming publications include Glass Poetry, PRISM international, Vallum, Wild Roof, The Ex-Puritan and South Dakota Review. Visit www.francesboyle.com/home for more.