Ren Pike
On the steps of the Girl Guide HQ
we are forever {arms locked, bodies
swinging} punching out the moves to AB
BA’s latest. Ten year old lungs belting
words of surrender. We barely un
derstood. Even now, fifty years on
finger-brushing Lynn’s blackbird hair {slow
drifting feathers over one eye} Pam’s
camp hat brimming {red curl grinning, tooth
gap in the wind} and you, full-on sev
enties realness {shaggy blonde, free wheel
ing, socks slipping, banged up knees dip-dip
ping}. Platform shoes all in our heads. We
were power stanced and incandescent.
Ren Pike grew up in Newfoundland. Through sheer luck, she was born into a family who understood the exceptional value of a library card. Her writing has appeared in NDQ, antilang, Pithead Chapel, and Rabid Oak. When she is not writing, she wrangles data for non-profit organizations in Calgary, Canada.