Melanie Dennis Unrau

LIFE HACKS: COURSEWORK

sunflower seeds
pistachios
a burnt tongue still wags

when the work lays flat knit
when it doesn’t
lift a ten-pound weight
one-armed

remove slipcovers
walk the stairs
leave sweat marks
tuck pencil in hair

CBC two
take a break
each hour
for the news

nail polish
one toe
per page

all-nighter
a bubble
blown in the dark
wad of hours

bath trap
until it’s done
warm the water
turn the taps
with your feet

have sex
don’t think of the paper
you’ll take too long

go for a run
invite feedback
from your gut
your knees

swear at Derrida
the bus stop
the syllabus

but be kind to
your partner
your kids
and your supervisor

ENERGY EAST INTERVENOR AS GOOD CITIZEN OF THE PETROSTATE

Please select a question…
What was my first pet’s name?
What was my favourite toy as a child?
What was my favourite game as a child?
What was the last name of my childhood best friend?
What is the first musical instrument I ever played?
Who was my most memorable school teacher?
What was my favourite subject in school?
What was the name of my first love?
Who was the band/star of the first concert, movie or play that I attended?
What was the first job I ever received pay for?
What was the first organization I worked for?
Where did I first meet my significant other?
Where did I go for my honeymoon?
Where was the most memorable place outside of Canada that I visited?
What was the first city outside of North America that I visited?
What make of car did I first drive?

Source: GCKey Registration Step 2 of 2, Government of Canada

Melanie Dennis Unrau’s first solo collection, Happiness Threads: The Unborn Poems (Muses’ Company, 2013), is about the pains and pleasures of mothering. She is a PhD student at the University of Manitoba, poetry editor at Geez magazine, and a member of the Artist Mothers collective at Mentoring Artists for Women’s Art.