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      • ALFRED R. POYNT AWARD IN POETRY >
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        • Poynt Award: Robyn Obermeyer
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      • Ficton: Sam Boer
      • Ficton: Sydney Brooman
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      • Experimental Writing: Brittany Renaud
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      • Short Film: Matthew Carr
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      • Poetry: Michelle Baleka
      • Poetry: Jenny Berkel
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      • Poetry: Nathan Little
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      • Poetry: Kaela Morin
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      • Poetry: Kate Zahnow
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      • Screenplays: Nathan Wright-Edwards
    • Issue 8 >
      • Judges: Issue 8
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      • Poetry 8: Danielle Bryl-Dam
      • Poetry 8: Leah Kuiack
      • Poetry 8: Jameson Lawson
      • Poetry 8: Maxwell Lucas
      • Poetry 8: Kaela Morin
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      • Fiction 8: Amy Wang
      • Fiction 8: Blake Zigrossi
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      • Screenplays 8: Amanda Inglese
      • Screenplays 8: Jeff Simpson
      • Creative Nonfiction 8: Tiffany Austin
      • Creative Nonfiction 8: Jenny Berkel
      • Creative Nonfiction 8: Carolina Jung
      • Creative Nonfiction 8: Leah Kuiack
      • Creative Nonfiction 8: Li-elle Rapaport
      • Creative Nonfiction 8: Amy Wang
      • Experimental 8: Lauren Lee
      • Experimental 8: Kirah Ougniwi
      • Experimental 8: Carlie Thompson-Bockus
      • Plays 8: Camille Inston
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      • Contributors: Issue 9
      • Fiction 9: Chris Chang
      • Fiction 9: Tegan Wilder
      • Fiction 9: Hyacinth Zia
      • Creastive Nonfiction 9: Aidan Gugula
      • Poetry 9: Rachel Fawcett
      • Poetry 9: Matthew Simic
      • Experimental Writing 9: Shauna Ruby Valchuk
      • Screenplays 9: Naomi Barghiel
      • Screenplays 9: Alicia Johnson
      • Screenplays 9: Keaton Olsen
      • Screenplays 9: Rachel Yan
    • Issue 10 >
      • Contributors: Issue 10
      • Experimental Writing 10: Akshi Chadha
      • Experimental Writing 10: Adelphi Eden
      • Experimental Writing 10: Nicole Feutl
      • Experimental Writing 10: Isabella Kennedy
      • Experimental Writing 10: Christopher Paul
      • Poetry 10: Meaghan Furlano
      • Poetry 10: Li-elle Rapaport
      • Fiction 10: Meaghan Furlano
      • Fiction 10: Carly Pews
      • Creative Noniction 10: Nicole Feutl
      • Creative Noniction 10: Courtney WZ
      • Screenplay 10: Margaret Huntley
  • Issue 11.1
    • Contributors: Issue 11.1
    • Fiction 11.1: Tega Aror
    • Fiction 11.1: Chloe Bachert
    • Fiction 11.1: Kelly Ge
    • Fiction 11.1: Asia Porcu
    • Fiction 11.1: Taryn Rollins
    • Fiction 11.1: Pauline Shen
    • Poetry 11.1: Jennifer Adamou
    • Poetry 11.1: Katherine Barbour
    • Poetry 11.1: Akshi Chadha
    • Poetry 11.1: Emma Graham
    • Poetry 11.1: Li-elle Rapaport
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Fall 2020 | Occasus | Issue 10

My Left Pinky

Good for hand-clasping
table-resting
drawing cold smiles on car windows
eye-liner smudging
when right pinkies are occupied.
Wiping the second tear.
My left pinky's polish chips last.
Little digit clenches at a sharp gust.
Unchipped-polish finger folds into itself
under the careful guard of left thumb.
Fits tightly into a borrowed left glove,
fills out the corner of left jacket pocket,
sidles up to ring finger.
Never married.
 
Collects denim lint under uncut pinky nail.
 
Always picked last.
Sometimes found up my nose.
Fills out the corner of left nostril
scrapes gunk from left nostril hairs.
Sometimes right.
"One day our pinkies 're gonna be
useless" you quip.
I stare at my left pinky hidden in my lap.
Yours does skateboard tricks
on greasy café tables.
Hers points up at
finger food during high tea.
His conducts jazz orchestra
wipes chocolate from lip corners
smudges tiny trees on tiny torn pages.
My left pinky goes numb
after pressing too tightly into my left palm.
My left pinky counts
 
how many pins will be followed by needles.
So far, nine.
Mine traces keyboards at eight PM
waiting for a sign to shift.
Mine taps weakly on a Q key
easily on a W or Z.
But it never reaches A.
Li-elle Rapaport is a third year student completing an Honours Specialization in Psychology. She manifests her passion for story-telling through writing and painting.

Western University
Department of English and Writing Studies
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