Winter In Northern Ontario
Winter brings the beauty of sparkling snow on trees,
shovels and aching muscles,
snowbound feelings and S.A.D. expressions
on all but a few returned tourists with souvenir tans,
thrills of adventurous winter rides
always ahead of the plough trucks,
cold winds that critique southern clothing styles,
dreams of debt-enhanced lives,
sexy freedom machines racing down beckoning trails,
continuous mechanical repairs and survival skills,
booze-fishing on ice in little huts,
skis and skates defying death and broken bones
and even the latest fashion trends,
patchwork quilts of reading materials,
the magical world of computers, TVs, DVDs, and
multi-functional sound systems
that take us through time and space
to other realms and seasons
before we come back to another half-year of winter
in our ruggedly beautiful, beloved, chosen domain.
January, 1997
Flowerpoet 