Casey Shelley, Canada's National Honour
August 2026
Quickening
Two little lines
make you mine:
already, running
out of time.
Pink or blue
who are you?
A million second-hand
shoes try to make it true.
Not a mother
then, a flutter.
No sign of red:
full speed ahead.
It’s one last chance or
cancelled plans. It’s
dark, quiet rooms:
all eyes on you.
Balloons, ribbons, and bows:
a model posing for the show.
Showered by a sea of should,
just like her I wish I could.
Minutes fly, it’s
time to go:
together, trekked
the rugged road.
Fluorescent lights and
one last push:
a love straight from
a storybook.
Score: 70 out of 100.
A nimble, emotionally honest pregnancy sequence with inventive shorthand imagery, slightly let down by a conventional ending and uneven rhythm.
Read the August 2026 National Honours