Watershed
If you come from the land of the Athabasca Glacier—
where the whole valley’s cut out
and you see green glacial water then pines
then grey rock, snow, light tan shore
with 1 ft. scrub and fireweed—
you’re born with a fire inside.
You’ll see Snowdome Mountain
to the glacier’s right.
I live in the Arctic Watershed along
the border of Alberta and British Columbia.
This is the water that made me.
The 3 way Canadian Continental Divide—
1 side | Atlantic (mother)
1 side | Arctic (father)
1 side | Pacific (me)
This is the beginning of my father/mother/
the shedding of me.
You’ll come to Peyto Lake, the bluest lake
in the Canadian Rockies.
My father took me there, took me
to the high stages, taught me:
Don’t be afraid to say hello
to the dream when it comes.
Jan Beatty’s eighth book, Dragstripping, was published by the University of Pittsburgh Press, 2024. Her work was recently featured in POETRY, and her poem, “Stripshot”, was named by LitHub one of the best poems read in 2024. Beatty’s memoir, American Bastard, won the Red Hen Nonfiction Award. Work has appeared in the Atlantic, the New York Times Sunday Magazine, and Best American Poetry. She worked as a waitress, abortion counselor, and in maximum security prisons. She is Professor Emerita at Carlow University, where she directed the Madwomen in the Attic and the international low-residency MFA program.
