Pause For Poetry:
Michael Hawkes /90

Open Sesame

March 24, 2025

A poem by Michael Hawkes

Open me carefully
As you would a precious book,
Lest the treasure that you find in me
Requires a second look.

If I am opened tenderly
I’ll be the open book
That shares the many bounties
From the byways I forsook.

Open me carefully,
Regard the dog-eared leaves
That mark the times of ecstasy
To which a poet cleaves.

Open me respectfully,
Inspect the title page,
Within this short biography
Is an annal of the age.

Open me sufficiently,
I’ll be an open mine
For you to plunder seamlessly
And smelt the ore you find.

Open me tenderly,
Enjoy the gifts I share,
In the shrapnel of this comedy
The gems displayed are rare.

Open me with dignity
And follow every line
Until the very end of me
In the fibres of my spine.

Don’t be deterred by poetry,
It’s a niche within a nook,
A revision of the Odyssey
On the crooked path I took.

Should you see into the core of me
You may find me looking back
Grateful for the company
Along this thorny track.

24/09/22 – Hawkes

Feature image: cottonbro studio – Pexels

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Michael Hawkes - WestmountMag.ca

Michael Hawkes was a cherished poet and contributor whose work enriched the pages of WestmountMag.ca with its sensitivity and depth. Over the years, he entrusted us with a rich body of poems, of which only a portion has yet been published. His passing leaves a profound void, but the poems still to come will continue inspire all who were moved by his voice.