We forage for beef jerky,
transform water into Red Bull,
barter for maps with broken
prayers of safety.
Last Stop
Moose Watch
—the only signs
of civilization for 140 km.
The last lights burn out
in the rearview mirror.
Your brother tells me this is how
he’d do it. An accident.
Swerve off the shoulder,
blame the forest.
Forehead to forehead,
flesh to antlers,
crystalline windshield
blankets gravel,
thicker than first frost.
Moss grows heavy on the engine,
erasing all proof of your existence.
If no one is around to take a picture,
did you ever even live?
We pull into the next town
under careful watch of moose eyes,
glowing green between the trees.
Abigail Rabishaw is a 4th-year English major. Abigail is originally from Pembroke but has been in Ottawa since 2015. Abigail typically writes poetry and flash fiction, and her work expires the themes of grief, complicated relations, and the definition of home. Abigail was the runner-up in the 2019 Carleton Fiction Competition, and won the 2023 Lilian I. Found award. Abigail’s work has appeared in bywords.ca, and talking about strawberries all of the time. She also runs a small press called Prime Press with her partner.
