-
The River Under the Road
You can watch me read my 2021 New Year’s Day poem for the Mayor’s Levee launched in the Virtual Levee.
The River Under the Road
under the road flows a river
always moving in one direction
even when we forget it’s therethe current, like a heartbeat
presses on just the same
carrying everything
all of us homemaybe a white door
leads to a road lined
with coffees like warm luminaries
inviting friends, new and old
to join in communitymaybe a yellow window
opens to a road lined
with clocks like adored toys
welcoming family, then and now
to join in relationshipmaybe a red wall
hides a road lined
with canaries like lost choirs
carrying news, mine and yours
to join in songmaybe a black floor
covers a road lined
with candles like joyful children
shining hope, peace and love
to join in lightunder the road flows a river—
we make the road
by redefining its lines
always rebuilding our homes
along our road togetherBy Jessica Outram
Written for January 1, 2021
Mayor’s New Year’s Levee
Cobourg, ON -
Poem for the 60th Anniversary of the Art Gallery of Northumberland
The gifts of our regional art gallery include the opportunities for community engagement, the experience of stepping into a transformative space, the immersion of the self into each piece of art, and the escape into the swirling energy of creativity.
The Art Gallery of Northumberland’s collection has grown over time and reminds us that what we see in the art changes as we change. The gallery offers the community a shared experience in our cultural heritage and embraces abundance through its ability to stand still while it continues to grow.
I was thrilled to be invited to write a poem to celebrate the AGN’s 60th Anniversary. What an honour to be included in the exhibit too!
-
Our Canoe: A Poem for Canada Day 2020
So much has changed since our last Canada Day.
Our town has large Canada Day traditions with a parade, festivals, fireworks, live music, delicious food. We invite anyone to join us. Our beach, parks and streets are packed with thousands of people. Last year I read a new poem at Victoria Hall. It is a tradition for the Poet Laureate to share a poem on Canada Day in Cobourg.
This Canada Day 2020 is quiet. Reflective. Today I feel grateful for a town and a country that so far have done everything they could to keep me safe during the COVID-19 outbreak. Thank-you! Watching the virus spread across the planet and witnessing how governments respond, support, or protect their people has helped to shine a light on our own communities. I feel blessed.
Since March I’ve thought about my about my ancestors more, wondering what they would think of our world today. Since we can’t come together as a country or a community in the same way this year, I decided to celebrate with all my grandmothers and grandfathers. This Canada Day I want to acknowledge my Métis and Anishinaabe ancestors alongside other Indigenous, Métis, and Inuit peoples of Canada.
-
Poem Paintings
Over the break I started playing with acrylic paints to create paintings as though they were poems. I had just finished reading Free Play: Improvisation in Life and Art by Stephen Nachmanovitch and was inspired to improvise more often. I wanted to show up to the canvas and paint a poem without words. I gave myself permission to paint things I didn’t know how to draw. And then using the paintings, I’ve started writing poems.
Poem Painting Collection #1: In Transition
In the Fields 
Being Seen 
In Transition 
Beginnings -
What the Bay Saw: Poetry and Photography Video
Even though we knew this project was happening, it caught us by surprise this summer to see the new wind farm at Henvey Inlet First Nation. I’ve spent my summers among these islands my whole life. Our family picnics were in this area. The photo at the top of this post is taken just across the water from the lighthouse where my grandfather lived as a child.
-
Thanksgiving
sun lights red maple
glowing warmth
and memory
summer afternoons gone
crisp breath talks
to fallen leaves
collected as treasures
upon our table
thank-you trees
and sun and time
children like sunflowers
energy spirals
and mindfulness
winter mornings near
bright appetites linger
family’s feasting
savoured as love
captured in our portrait
thank-you home
and food and this.© Jessica Outram
-
Take Back the Night: And Still She Shines
I wrote this poem for Cobourg’s Take Back the Night event on September 19, 2019. I also read it at Port Hope’s Take Back the Night event on October 9, 2019.
