Re-Homing in the Maple Land, XVIII
I deliver
four rapid jabs, then a right
at my rival ...
the blood dripping off
my shadow on the wall
another
defeat by greedflation
and rent hike ...
I yell out, I want to feel
alive in this broken world
FYI: The last two lines allude to the following poem, “Invitation” by Mary Oliver
it is a serious thing
just to be alive
on this fresh morning
in the broken world.
Added: Re-Homing in the Maple Land, XIX
brick bungalows
with sea-green roofs and skylights
now gut-renovated ...
three blocks away, migrants move
in and out of rooming houses
Added: Re-Homing in the Maple Land, XX
this riot
of colorful blooms ...
at the corner
of my neighbor's garden
a sign: backyard suite for rent
(Note: XIX and XX are integrated into the following tanka sequence:
O Canada! Our home and native land!
this riot
of colorful blooms ...
at the corner
of my neighbor's garden
a sign: backyard suite for rent
brick bungalows
with sea-green roofs and skylights
now gut-renovated ...
three blocks away, migrants move
in and out of rooming houses
clothes flap on the line
and whales breach through blue waves ...
four new temps
in the second-story window
of a saltbox house
wave upon wave
of prairie grass cascading
over the hillside
a rented cabin, my new home
in this promised land
FYI: In Feb., 2022, a new ruling made it officially legal for Toronto residents to build "backyard or garden suites" (a little bigger and more furnished than the outdoor/yard sheds one can buy in The Home Depot) as a "form of housing" (because of the crisis of affordable rental housing)
And usually built between 1800 and 1850 in Newfoundland and Labrador, a saltbox house has two stories in the front but one in the back, giving it an uneven roof that is steeper one side).
Added: Game Show, 2024, XLI
chants of USA!
listen, repeat after me
ge-ron-to-cra-cy
FYI: Pew Research Center, 118th Congress (with only 10% -- 20% approval ratings) of the Oldest democratic country: The Senate’s median age is 65.3 years and the House's median age is 57.9 years. And in total, 98% of all incumbents were re-elected; most Big Shot Politicians are close to or over 80-year-old.
