Tempo

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MAGALI SPERLING

Dawn. Specks of light on treetops reveal shooting leaves like hair on shaved heads – pointy and fresh. Dangling buds are earrings on the once naked bark. I abandon my watch and tell the time by the call of birds, the shadows on the ground, the wrinkles on my face.

Morning. We share the bathroom mirror. In her reflected image, I recognize the blooming breasts, the broader curves of her torso. She ties her hair in a pony tail and hands me the blush case. A tinge of color heightens my smile. Where was I when she emerged?

Dusk. The house is quiet. There is no music but I follow the rhythm of the wind. A solitary linden tree shows me how to dance while rooted and standing tall. My bones unlearn their habitual patterns. With rouged cheeks, I vow to choreograph the rotations of our lives.

Magali Sperling is a Creative Writing student at the University of Toronto School of Continuing Studies. She also holds a PhD in English from the University of Alberta, and is currently teaching at Fleming College in Nogojiwanong/Peterborough, Ontario, where she lives with her family. Her academic work has previously been published in journals such as Canadian Literature, Canadian Review of Comparative Literature, Interfaces Brasil/Canada, and Ilha do Desterro.