Sylvie Hill

These Regal Men These regal men dressed in suit pants Like my Dad. And sharp shoes. The Italian I dated like Vincent Cassel. This one’s umbrella – like London. And you in your grey suit. “Every man needs a good suit.” These regal men dressed in black coats Like my Dad. And the umbrella. And […]

The Resonance “I’ve gotta dead guy’s knee in me” he said about his fixed injury. Why did they tear down the mansions? I asked him on Sherbrooke Street. “To make room this this” as he pointed to the tall building. “Isn’t it interesting that law and right are pretty much the same word in French. […]

Supernaturals We were laughing about translations. I meant bring it on! I said. “If you want to use Bring it in on a guy, that quote would be acceptable to me. Like docking a starship,” he said. And I laughed at the random Humour not unlike it was in London Supernatural resonance A candid candor, […]

Ripe “Fuck your morals I was devastated.” Rejected was his word as I tried to explain it. It was that, and circumstance. My fear. & You had a girlfriend. Best sex he ever had. “But we didn’t even fuck!” Ever try it on in mind Better than talking or touch. At 17, maybe less or […]

Heartrush “I have no idea what you are talking about and my social filter is set low.” I laughed out loud, took a deep breath, Smiled miles wide, and got up slow. Sylvie Hill, Montreal, April 2019 Photo: David Fernandez Saez

The Arbitrary Intentional Summation And if it makes you vile Then it makes me a witch That I didn’t give a toss who you were with! And you didn’t care much that night in London And we both didn’t give a shit. And if it makes you impulsive Then it makes me spontaneous That I […]

What You Prefer BAD FEMINIST, they’d shout at me, they’d say if I told them I can justify my abuser this way: You muse a person, and you use their image And you make these self-centred projections You write their story one-way in fictions And you wonder how you fed their hatred?! Everything they say […]

Blaze ‘er, Lady. By comparison, Now that I’m living it I can say clearly And without hesitation: I preferred the cinq à sept To the five o’clock to two a.m. Piss ups, anglo-style On Elgin. I used to close the pub with her Our last-call pint chased down with liquor I’d stand there off patio […]

A Simple Win Don’t think I don’t know. I’ve got two letters in my mind and I’ve just re-read them. Just now. Both were positive From intelligent men Trying positively to challenge The way I am. They were not wrong. They were not wrong. With attention, and caution, they chose words carefully. They expressed gratitude […]

Disheartened When you gifted me this: The split chest The burning and the darkness Well, dear, I knew you were my kind. When he gave me pearls… Some book by some author… And a re-cast dinner plan with flowers? Well, dear, I knew he was not of my time. When he gave me plastic lobsters, […]