We need rain, even the idea of rain.
Bulkheads flex, bear our weight—
light catches the river north of town.
+
Bearing. What current can’t know—
roosters rusted to weathervanes,
swallows confined, tattooed to a hand.
+
Are you still here? Come to inspect
the riverbed, the birds
singing sleep from the fields?
+
We need rain, even the idea of rain.
Soon current will flex, arrange itself, a lifeline reaching out—
+
Jim Johnstone is a Toronto-based poet, editor, and critic. His most recent book is Bait & Switch: Essays, Reviews, Conversations, and Views on Canadian Poetry (Porcupine’s Quill, 2024).
This poem “The Next Day” originally appeared in Canadian Literature 260 (2025): 122.
Please note that works on the Canadian Literature website may not be the final versions as they appear in the journal, as additional editing may take place between the web and print versions. If you are quoting reviews, articles, and/or poems from the Canadian Literature website, please indicate the date of access.