his childhood

did he dream

of his childhood in Halifax.

the farm.

his dog.

the one room

school house with a wood

stove.

the blonde fields,

the harsh

blue of the sound.

did he hear

the whistle of trains,

the cry

of gulls,

the ships with their freight

crawling by.

did he taste

the salt of the sea

in his mouth,

the succulence

of shellfish.

did he grieve, did he

dream of any of it,

or all?