Years of evolution, the trees, the mountains, blow my mind;

Banff was a place that Dad really enjoyed,

So much so that he eventually worked there.

In the abyss of the endless mountains, mountains that showed signs of life,

Nature’s structures reflect the paradigm of a mountaineer

Life starts with several elements: water for peace and serenity, coal for warmth and sanity;

Mine was one of simplicity: we didn’t really fit into the city life.

I would always stay here; I was not going anywhere,

Until there came a time where I would be told to move.

I was told we were going to Canmore.

I eventually left the place where I was born,

Leaving the house I spent my early years in,

Leaving Banff.

And the wind blew in no particular direction.

I grew with neutrality; I was an in-between character who didn’t believe in one way or another;

I didn’t believe in opening up.

In my world, there was no need to seek insight into each other’s pages;

This new chapter in the story sets in Canmore – 

I didn’t think much of it.

My life was full of chapters that no one would read.

She, my sister, was one of the few recurring themes,

established in my story, and she visited

A lonesome main character not knowing which page to turn to;

Times that I was sure of something were few,

Days that I found myself inspired were just blurs on paper that

I may have been able to read and understand, some time ago,

a language that draws conclusions from an initial meeting,

I am lonesome, hence the plain walls.

The pages are almost impossible to comprehend,

Pages are ripped from the book, lost, floating like streamers,

In time and space, relying on the matter in the air space to move it with the rest of

the world.

My world is a bunch of plain walls.

 

Final Thoughts:

All the bolded words and punctuation marks in each line form to create a blurb of sentences that are directly linked to our time with Brian:

“My dad worked in a coal mine; I was born in Banff and I grew up in Canmore. My sister visited a few days ago, hence the streamers on the wall.”

 

This piece was inspired by Brian S, an individual who was willing to share his life with us. When being interviewed, he told me of his life in the mountains. He taught me what it means to communicate with a stranger, for the better, and for that I am grateful. A humble, reserved man, he was able to converse with charm in the limited time we had.

Though few, I’d like to thank you again for sharing your memories with Kshef and I (Sadia)