The Poem Collector

Abby Ciona, Canada

I used to gather sun-bleached shells
and river-tumbled rocks and leaves
windblown from their trees.
I used to toss twigs into the bottom of my backpack
and press petals between the pages of my books; now
I skim scraps of poetry off the surface of the sea
and fling a net into the air to catch the wisps of lyric
floating,
dancing,
drifting on the breeze.

I used to collect the concrete; now
I grope for the fleeting vapours of experience:
sound,
touch,
smell,
taste,
sight,
the feeling of being alive.
I grasp onto the intangible shards of abstraction,
invisible things no one can describe, and
I piece
them together
into verse.

Abby is a Canadian writer with more than 40 stories, essays, articles, and poems published nationally and internationally. Her writing has appeared in numerous publications for children and young adults, including Unlocked Daily Readings for Teens, Keys for Kids, Clubhouse Magazine, and Love Is Moving. When she's not writing, you can often find her birdwatching, baking, or playing with her cameras.