Devour: Art & Lit Canada- 'The Day I Lost to Death'

Check out the latest published poem in this winter's issue of Devour: Art & Lit Canada

Find Ana Johnson's poem, entitled "The Day I Lost to Death" on page 44.

Read here

"The Day I Lost to Death"

I get up at 8:20 in Kingston a Wednesday

three days after a weekend together with him, yes

it is 2021 almost two years of COVID restrictions

and I have a meeting at 9:45

because he and I will play squash at the

university courts at 11:15

I am hoping he will come to see me first at the

house and have a little lunch time action like

last week before our second squash game date

as it is too cold for tennis now on this third day

of November

                               I played too much

last month three hours a day now I have tennis

elbow and I should have told him I could not play

this week so was his he told me that is why he is

going to buy a brace before coming to pick me up.

He is still not here at 10:40 then he arrives a few

minutes later with two braces whose brands and

stores I had not recommended maybe this week I

will beat him even though he won last week 4 – 1

but he is beating me already and it is only

the first game 10-9 I say yes when he asks go to

15 and after he wins 15-13 he pops a pill into his

mouth smiling while he is stretching his calf and

quads and after I follow suit I beat him on the

next game and just as he is winning the third I

hear loud deep breaths as my racquet is poised

to receive his serve

his head six foot five high bouncing on the court

then the ball the strewn racquet and collapsed

half open bloodshot eyes while I am sweating a

lot by now thinking I don't know the first thing

about first aid and just as he and I stop

breathing, a passer by calls 911