after sleeping for six or seven months
a Vancouver Island marmot 
invited me out

thank you for thinking of me
i’m checking my calendar; let’s see
on that day, I’m definitely free

let’s meet by the stack of boulders 
looking down on alpine lake
yes, at noon would be great

on that day
before three
I’d met the whole family

they taught me about lupine 
and spreading phlox
how to choose 
practical lookout rocks
and that…

it’s impolite 
to forage in the meadow 
without socks

Happy Canada Day! 🥳

Photos from Canva

© 2026 Ociola Samantha Williams. All Rights Reserved.