Maxianne Berger

Fencers on a Tightrope

Topics within bounds — parry, parry, parry — beware the corps-à-corps — touché. There is danger in this flirtation, the thread of a long-ago puppy love stretched to giddy heights. Balance falters as unexpected frissons rise from the shadows of what’s left unsaid. Feints, all. Say “sports,” “weather,” hear (endearments); “politics,” “philosophy,” (passion). Dare not even think (intimacy). Sentences teeter on the edge of frazzle as we struggle to untangle and rewind our words. Oh, those shifty non sequiturs that jostle underfoot! Risk the fall, there is no safety net.

fiftieth reunion
eyeing each other’s
inscrutability
through wine-filled glasses
our silent dialogue

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About the Author

Montrealer Maxianne Berger co-edited Cirrus: tankas de nos jours for six years with Mike Montreuil. She writes book reviews for Tanka Canada’s Gusts, and coordinates them for Haiku Canada Review.