Saturday 26 June 2021

Oh...Canada


 

O Canada, our home on native land  

Truly we have sinned against our fellow man   

With mourning hearts, we see them rise  

The numbers to increase    

Of children killed and more abused   

We stand with them and weep  

  

God, make our land glorious and free  

For every child, First Nation and Metis  

O Canada, we stand with them and weep  

 

O Canada, beneath thy shining skies  

Help us to find ways to be reconciled  

Bring hope to those who have been wronged  

From East to Western sea  

Bring healing, seeking better days   

And live in harmony   

 

O Canada, our home, and native land 

May we grow in love, with all our fellow man 

With growing hearts, we’ll see thee rise 

The True North, strong and free 

And stand on guard, O Canada 

Against our shameful history 

Monday 21 June 2021

The Willow Tree

More than a dozen years have passed  

Since I wrote about a certain willow 

I was the sole audience when a velvet breeze 

Through her languid leaves did billow 

 

I sat upon a blanket on the lawn   

Mesmerized by her sashaying moves 

Imagining dancers of all styles  

Through her theatrical grooves  

 

Today I passed her way again 

My heart jolted by the effect  

Of her contorted body on the ground 

Like a museum piece to inspect 

 

Uprooted from her repertoire,  

She’s adapted to circumstance    

Branching in different directions 

With the ability, still, to dance