Deb: ODE TO A SPARKLER
In Canada, hooray, it’s
Victoria Day,
And we celebrate this in a most
special way.
We come to pay homage to our
long dead queen
And celebrate her life, for
it’s in our genes.
We emerge from our winter
homes primed for the sun
And run to buy fireworks, the
fun has begun.
We stand on our streets; we
stand neighbour to neighbour
And shout oooh and ahhh at
the fruits of our labour.
But there is one little gem
on this traditional night
That stays in my heart with
its light burning bright,
The simple wee sparkler with
its festive display
Like a tiny bright fairy
lighting my way.
It can take me way back to
my days as a child
When the summer was
starting, and the weather turned mild.
In its light I see my
parents wrapped in their youth
In its buzzing I hear
laughter, memories, truth,
Truth in traditions that
make the world sweet
All over the planet and on
our tiny street.
Barbara: ODE TO AN ODE
Dear Deb, how I love your
beautiful ode
To sparklers and neigbours
and a traditional mode.
I cherish these things very
much as you do,
Memories of warm nights,
cold beer, and fireworks too.
But homage to queens of
British descent
Don’t do much except maybe
make me resent
That I’ve never had blood of
this Anglophile line.
So I may well be a
disrespectful bovine
When I say, “Queen Victoria,
well, fiddle-dee-dee,
I don’t give a fig that
they named a holiday for thee,
But I’ll party, relax, and
savour the break
And light sparklers and hug
neighbours for your glorious sake.”
Thanks for humouring us,
everyone! We have posted NEW FUN STUFF to Side of Slaw and WTF?! Click over to read.
Happy Victoria Day … or
Monday, whichever you prefer!
