Middle-aged May Day

middle-aged May Day
I stain my backyard fence
RED!


 


I wrote this haiku after I bought my starter house in 1985
in Toronto's termite-infested east end. After years of
living the lifestyle of a committed leftist, I had done the
unthinkable and bought into the capitalist dream.

All my lefty friends friends had roundly criticized me for
doing such a thing, and almost to a person over the years,
each of them has quietly come up to me and thanked me
for showing them the way to the good life.

The haiku seems very obvious, requiring no explanation.
But this is Canada, & most Canucks are blissfully unaware
of International May Day & its world-wide significance.
After all, every Canuck IS middle-class, right? Celebrate
May Day?  Huh?

The funniest interpretation was published in a well-meaning
review. The reviewer assumed I was a typical self-absorbed
Canuck - that the haiku refers to a middle-age crisis (!) -
& that my realistic & ironic comment about spending May
Day staining my backyard fence, rather than
attending a May Day rally as in previous years, never
remotely occurred to them.

So 28 years further down the pipe, how am I spending
this May Day? Filling in government GAINS forms with
hopes of getting my meagre Old Age Security payments
upgraded to the Canadian poverty level    :  (

If I had a fence, I'd stain it bright red yet again!

peace & poetry power!
Chris Faiers
May Day 2013 
 

old fart
turning pink
in May Day sun

old age May Day
I beg bureaucrats
for survival

                    !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Conrad DiDiodato has left a new comment on your post "Middle-aged May Day":

May Day--
Faiers turning RED
in the sun



Posted by Conrad DiDiodato to Riffs & Ripples from ZenRiver Gardens at 1 May 2013 09:32 

                  !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Ed Baker has left a new comment on your post "Middle-aged May Day":

red fence
red pole
same dance

and
on May 5th
we can ALL
be Mexican

and get drunk
with cute girls



Posted by Ed Baker to Riffs & Ripples from ZenRiver Gardens at 3 May 2013 04:26

                    !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 

May Day Dragon Magick

magick is everywhere
but most can't see it


tiny stars swirl in the green realm
* *   *   *   * ****  ** *   *   * **** * *
dance across river bottom gray
diaphanous twinkle spirits
cause pause to wonder

water pails brimming
set aside to ponder Tinkerbell dervishes
... now vanished - where/why?

slow human, I ponder,
analyze ... again bucket scoop
and star dancers reappear

Bubbles! the solution!
"just" sunlight refracting thru clear current
and magick ones resume their dance
- but now at my scooped command

     * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Modern physicists can prove
an object observed is changed
by act alone of observation
sounds like magick to a crazed old shaman
with old ways returning - a new age of magick
dawning - now verified by eons old enemies

    * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

After the transplanted pines are watered
there is more work to do.
Chinese friends in Toronto have a court date
for a daisy chain traffic wreck they had no fault in.

Incense is offered to dragon allies
fire - sweet smoke - wafted through windhorse flags
floats skybound on pure valley air.
Red the defender
will bite the butts of court liars
and Blue, diaphanous as the dancing stars
protector spirit -
both are softly Summoned

Email the next morning - "all three witnesses didn't show"
"case dismissed!"


magick is everywhere
as some now believe ...
today incense wafts downstream
         nostrilward rewards
above celebrating star dancers
** * * * **** * * ***   *  **   *


Chris Faiers/cricket
May Day 2012
ZenRiver Gardens




the emails: (in reverse chronology)



Begin forwarded message:

From: Chris Faiers <zenriver@sympatico.ca>
Date: April 30, 2012 11:48:55 AM EDT
To: anna
Subject: Re: good luck tomorrow! Excellent - case dismissed!!!

Excellent!
Congrats to you & George, Anna  : )
peace & poetry power!
Chris & Chase ... wrooooooooooooooof!

p.s. the dragons will enjoy incense rewards at ZenRiver Gardens later today  ;  )
p.p.s. my friend Sylvia also expressed her concerns & regards for your case when we chatted last nite





On 2012-04-30, at 10:32 AM, anna  wrote:

Hi Chris,

we came back for Court. All three witnesses didn't show up, policeman showed up. So my case is dismissed. Now, we need to talk with insurance with that.

Thanks for support.

Anna

On Sun, Apr 29, 2012 at 5:50 PM, Chris Faiers <zenriver@sympatico.ca> wrote:
Hi Anna & George,
Terry and I had a brief chat early this aft - just to confirm a few things about the IFPOR gig this Thursday. Terry told me you & George have your court date tomorrow, so I did a little invocation ceremony on your behalf out at ZenRiver this aft.

 Paid some tribute* to a red dragon spirit protector (if anyone lies on the stand, he'll bite their butt so they'll flinch - causing the judge to notice their lying). Also to a green/blue dragon who'll watch over both of you - she's less aggressive than Red, who's done some good work for me with past requests  :  )

That's great that you & Terry will jointly present Milt's poetry at IFPOR - and your Chinese translations of Milt will help make the event truly international.

peace & poetry power!
Chris ... and Chase ... wroooooooooooooof!   (*so that's why the incense today - dragons love fire- sweet smoke-air ... incense presented via cool breeze thru the prayer flags flapping on the Jimi Hendrix tree stand)