That funny sound across the land
Is not the geese in flying band
That sound across this country mine
Is just a fine Canadian whine
*
We whine and whine about our weather
Spring and Summer, Fall and Winter,
We whine at snow, heat, fog and rain
We whine, we carp and we complain
*
“Winter is hell”, we cried and said
(Forgetting hell is hot and red)
“Come Spring, come soon, or we shall rot”
So Spring herself is what we got
*
We’d dreamed of Spring’s so-pretty flowers
Forgetting Spring’s cold wind and showers
Spring came with those accompaniments
Arousing such crude sentiments
*
“Can you believe this awful cold?”
“Come on now Spring, break Winter’s hold!”
“Can you believe this awful wet?”
“Good God, this Spring is the worse yet!”
*
And on and on Canadians go
As if our lives were full of woe
Day in, day out we moan and groan
As if bad weather were ours alone
*
But grateful gardeners aren’t such grumps
We take the good and take the bumps
We welcome all the days of Spring
And give our thanks for what they bring
*
And so we wait the Winter out
And though at times we feel some doubt
We know that flowers need the rain
Without it, we would toil in vain
*
Without it, what would be the point
Without it, we’d be rolling joints
Oh, wait – out by our West-Coast way
Some people do that night and day
*
Okay, alright that was a slur
‘Gainst folks whose Springs are oft a blur
Of rain. Offense, they do deserve it not
(Their “B.C. Bud” is known as hot)
*
My West Coast friends, I will refrain
From mention of your weed and rain
I will not write about your pot
At least I will not write a lot
*
Back to my garden I will go
Back to a subject that I know
And walk between the growing plants
And tend to what the garden wants
*
At evening, sounds rise o’er the land
(It’s not the geese in flying band)
That pleasant sigh is me and mine
Sipping a fine Canadian wine.
****
All Photos by Hamlin Grange ©
I’m dedicating this poem to my friends on Canada’s west coast, hoping their sense of humour is working well today.
And especially to Louise, in Niagara-On-The-Lake, who has a lovely garden, and her husband Neil, who loved his work at a winery in Niagara-on-the-Lake. Despite the uncertain weather of some growing seasons, the story of Canadian wineries (in both the east and the west) is remarkable, with many award-winning wines. Way to go, Canadian wines!
Cynthia Reyes 