Trying to clear snow off skating-ice on bike lanes for all those riders riding their happy ways into ferocious northern arctic winds. What fools would be out riding bikes today, dodging trucks, ploughs, and graders?
Having a massive stock and store of calcium chloride (which is rusting cars and injuring dogs’ paws) which they haven’t been able to use for several weeks because of the reality of arctic conditions in this “fair” winter city. What part of reality and arctic winter do they not get? This is Ice Station Zebra stuff, not Victoria.
How might the poor living on the streets and pedestrians trying to navigate skating-rink sidewalks have benefited from all this wasted dough?
Edmo -31 C (wind chill -40)
Winter City? Frozen North? (Fact.)
Jack London’s “To Build a Fire”
or Sam McGee incarnate.
Too bloody cold for rats.
Snow blown across Xmas potholes.
A city council’s nightmare
rammed down a senior’s throat
like feckless mayors, windrows
or snow-covered bike-lanes.
City of downtown illusions
like perpetual street-people
awaiting a mercy of conscience.
Awaiting the day when power
conks out for grid-hours
and all will simply freeze and die:
pets, plants, taps, houses, taxpayers.
As hoser-boys shiver frigidly
in their monster trucks,
idling a pipe-dream mirage
till all that gas runs out.