The Time Is Now

The time is now,
The Walrus said,
Not some abstract
In your head,
“Once Upon A Time”,
“Happily Ever After”,
That shit just
Fills me with laughter,
“Just a fairytale”
Well, that’s another,
Because let me tell you something brother,
Fairytales aren’t harmless,
For they lead you away,
From the truth,
That the only real thing is today.

The Sunshine Fisherman

I’ve got a way with words,

They say.

But words,

Are merely platitudes,

They communicate,

But can’t convey,

My feelings,

And my gratitude.

But I will try,

To say goodbye,

With these few words.

This lullaby.

You were the summer time,

To me.

Sand and sea and fun.

You were the sunshine,

Sharing all your love,

And all your warmth,

With everyone.

The one last time I saw,

Your face.

Looked in your eyes so blue.

You looked at me,

And knew my face,

You told me,

I was beautiful.

So goodbye, Grandpa,

Goodbye you sweet,

And lovely man,

Goodbye.

It’s time to rest.

To cast your line,

Into that lake,

Up in the sky.

44 Degrees With The Humidex

Having flown a long way the day before,
I realize I need exercise,
So I head out my sister’s door,
To the wall of heat that’s there to greet,
This Scandinavian, no longer versed in,
The nuances of the humidex,
How the temperature never ever reflects,
The actual heat and its affects,
So off I go onto Bartley Bull Parkway,
And I stick to it because I figure that way,
If the heat starts to melt my brain,
I can still make my way back again,
And walking my reflecting mind sees,
In Stockholm it’s 18 degrees,
But not here, as I start to sweat and totter,
And find myself searching somewhere for some water,
I buy some in a dollar store, to keep me alive,
(though I notice a dollar’s a buck twenty-five)
And as I wander on further in heat and in haze,
I’m amused by the thoughts my mind has in its daze,
For I observe as I go on my Bartley Bull track,
Italian & Chinese grandmas look the same from the back,
Soon I’m growing concerned, for odd as it sounds,
My mirage is a mailman doing his rounds,
Though it seems he is real as we chat about heat,
And the problems he has with the dogs on his beat,
He says when he was in Cuba last year they got snow,
I ask “Are you serious?” he laughs and says no,
Then with just a few steps I’m back at my sis,
Sweat from my brow greeting pavement with hiss,
And what North American wonder greets me?
I open the door to a wall of A/C!

(July 18, 2013 I travelled from my home in Stockholm to Toronto in my homeland of Canada. I took a walk through my sister’s neighbourhood that first morning, Friday July 19th. This is a true and accurate reflection of that walk.)

Modern Absolution

In olden days
the Church sold
sin offset credits
called Indulgences.
Essentially,
after life insurance
in the form of
coupon vouchers
for debaucheries
yet to be committed.
Rates were determined
by severity of sin.
Subject to terms
and conditions
of course.
Now-a-days,
such vouchers
are no longer sold.
Instead,
they are exchanged
for penitent tasks.
Like, for example:
Climbing the Sacred Steps.
That’s good for
seven whole years
off your time
in Purgatory.
And as long as you’re
“truly penitent
and contrite”
you can get
an Indulgence
for following
the Pope’s Twitter feed.
Got to keep up
with the times
after all.

FOCUS!

Sooooo much to do! Sooooo litte time!
But you’ll get through,
That hill you’ll climb!
Just look ahead,
Don’t look behind!
Don’t be misled,
Focus your mind!
Then pretty soon,
You’ll surely find,
You’ve done so much,
In so little time!

(for my niece Jennifer, who is a young teacher, finishing off her school year, and getting married in 26 days. She’s a bit frayed at the moment. 😉    )