My father died in a place of medicine
In some misery but without fear, rather
A rushed responding to those
Who have seen death so often
That the coughs they make
Behind closed palms sound clinical
And antiseptic. He left the usual
Treasure chest of war medals and grieving
Women, perplexed children grown tired
Peter Unwin is a Toronto-based author. His collection of poems When We Were Old will be published in spring 2014 by Cormorant Press. He is the author of numerous other books, including The Wolf’s Head: Writing Lake Superior (Cormorant, 2007) and Canadian Folk: Portraits of Remarkable Lives (Dundurn, 2013).
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