Author | Educator
Poet Laureate Emeritus
Community Poetry
A selection of poems written for community during my time as Poet Laureate of Cobourg.
Hometown Hockey
Lifelong connections
rushing with calm strength
to build community
we respect the ice.
Our town Cobourg wraps
goals for all ages
winning on bended knee
for our neighbours to rise.
Synchronizing sticks
we pound encouragement
with the percussion of proud
families chanting
between sips of hot chocolate
in finger-numbing arenas.
Circling back to cover
the coaches and the lessons
cheering a life-game series
our girls in fully dressed perseverance
before sunrise and after sunset.
Our brother plays team spirit
behind him jackets fill pews
at our mother’s funeral
the accuracy of passing
friendship.
Billet sons and daughters
an international family
determining our win
in love radiating from the potluck.
Flushed faces and wet hair
swerving to target
local heroes
in stinking wet equipment
we know anything can happen in the third period
because we are defenders
in ice storms on Chapel Street
rough and beautiful
pre-schoolers on bobskates along
the frozen sidewalk
students in schoolyards with mini-sticks
as the goalie blocks the puck
like reaching for the peanut butter on the top shelf.
It’s more than a game
snapshot swish
lightning crack
all go glissade
sharp glide to joy
red light glow
penalty slam and rebound
hard adrenaline hits
we pass, we score, we shout:
we live in a hockey town.
By Jessica Outram
Crowdsourced on social media
Written for January 1, 2020
Cobourg, Ontario
Mayor’s Levee
Every Plant Has a Spirit
Look into any seed
beyond its size or shape or texture
hold this beginning in your hand
a whole seed and a whole body
enter into relationship.
Notice soil at your feet
layers of life, each particle a new story
sand and clay, sun and rain
our Mother Earth and her medicines
show a way to build belonging.
Give your full attention to the stem
the personality of each leaf and bloom
remember its name, listen to its lessons
appreciate this time and acknowledge this place
it’s up to you to learn.
Know every plant, enn fleur, has a spirit
ancestral roots, a history and a future
outside what you can see
connected to everything
growing together.
By Jessica Outram
Read on September 30, 2021: National Day for Truth and Reconciliation
Event for the inauguration of the Seven Feathers crosswalk
Cobourg, Ontario
