Uncle Douglas died on a bus
heading to sunny Surrey
crossed over the Pattullo bridge
Turf hotel in view
King George bumper to bumper
that's how he ended
I didn't know what day it was
until I heard from you
I was outside looking in
at the wrecking crew
socks hung on the ceiling fan
no word of a bailout plan
fallout with relations
crossfire of misinformation
took the high road into the gutter
you sit at home and mutter
sounding a false alarm
intent on doing harm
your mom calls from the kitchen
trigger finger is itching
another world inside your room
marching to a different tune
she had Tang in her thermos
a killer in her furnace
her house attracted rats
her neighbor ate the cat
his back was arched in agony
on spiral stairs below
baseless force on the hill
faceless horse
medium is the message
Mr. McLuhan said
tribal fans are here
no reflection in the mirror
aristocrats need peasant’s help
billions and trillions to deal
they need minions
to get through the day
in person
we bicker and argue
the mood is tense
at a distance
we get along like old friends
in a long-term care home
to meet women
dying all around us
with the virus thing
moron on the loose
with true believers
dangling from a thread of lies
depopulation rogue hot world
purge bad memories
relax if you can
think pleasant thoughts
doom and gloom
toxic room
crying yourself to sleep
no gratitude
ice cream with bad attitude
in a land where you can count on everyone
to mind everyone's business
no painkilling redeemer in this house of wax
we'll get along if you pay your tax
what's holy and unholy in the alternate universe
I don't know how you came into my life
like an invasive species from hell
they said be careful who you love
the fallout may be bad
you can build a house by the water
with a million-dollar view
custom made
unique floor plan
wired for every convenience
interior decorator
taste for space
the family settles in
reaps the fruit of the labor
can't escape from the simple rule
you're only as good as your worst neighbor
from the Hollywood Hills to the Rio favelas
from the British properties of Vancouver
from Whistler east to old Banff town
you're only as good as your worst neighbor
lived in some nice neighborhoods
lived in apartment buildings
slummed it in an old basement suite
on the south-west side of Calgary
rented in an old rooming house
off Yonge Street in Toronto
everywhere I've lived
there's one thing in common
you're only as good as your worst neighbor
no sympathy for the mule
out in the fields all day
under blistering sun
toil and turning
back and forth
up and down the hills
when the long day ends
haul a big load home
rocks and sand
over rugged land
a cruel routine
long and cruel
no sympathy for the mule
pretty young lady on minimum wage
sucked into the criminal world
tempted with a life of luxury
wined & dined like a movie star
new set of high-class friends
load you up with precious cargo
high risk for a fool
no sympathy for the mule
in the days of my prime
with Michelle in room 109
in the Dawson Creek hotel
hiding from the oil cartel
no one spoke the truth
we misled each other
it's farewell to Elaine
with paper bags in the rain
spent quality time
betting who would cross the finish line
threw up in a small town
co-founded the software store
today the real estate market is double-plus-good
they won a glorious battle in your neighborhood
move in for the kill
food chain folly
conveyor belt trolley
we move over the hill
dew drops on the lawn
suddenly gone
we meant no ill will
we went out on a limb
tattoo of a sturgeon
a bookcase virgin
sit around yawning
to the new day dawning
hardly seems surprising
airstrikes on the horizon
rabbits for fun and profit
pets and fryers
coffee kettle in a bad mood
report to the computer
loud bang in the night
not too far away
sirens wailing
then silence
then rain
one thing for sure
every now and then
you got to get a bagel in you
our love was on the blocks
before we even started
my bedside manners
gave her no kicks
she was less than impressed
with my pancake mix
decline of another generation
don't write about anything personal
don't write anything at all
things you lost in youth
won't be recovered in the comfort of age
dumb and naïve back then
dumb and self righteous now
holy cow
there's been a mailbox mix up
nice vice
my children aren't angels
bewitched, baffled and bald
there goes the parade in all it's glory
as they proudly march off to war
following orders in a peculiar way
could not get past
the valley of the walls
peer pressure can be a killer
don't believe me
it's true
got a message from myself
from fifty years ago
I wasn't coping well
we had gigs lined up
we couldn't get along
adolescence and drugs
then parents got involved
next thing you know
we're chasing careers
some got married
some got free
some drank and worked and got stressed
some found the golden years
early to bed early to rise
declining in the rocking chair
it's still rock n' roll
just different
raised the wrong way
but ended up okay
birding and fishing
'till the cows came home
the true value of a comment
nothing more than a vent
no one left to apologize
nothing left of the old salvage crew
hide in your head
while the world spins out of control
sunny days
mean chainsaws, hammers and drills
so many places you have been around
the years have slowed you down
in Happy Town the rhythm's found
try to do what you think is best
include the rest
an earnest quest
when I was young
the girls I dated
wanted to leave home
lover of the overcast
the wayward whisper beckons
lover of the darkness
under the crave of dreams
lover of the rain
winter fingers blue ice vein
grease on earth
free will oil spill
when I was handsome
way back in 53
there was a scandal
that did not involve me
the mailbox exploded
letters flew across the sky
it was us or them
sometimes do or die
every rest stop conversation gets political
nobody cares about the video store any more
people let their video card memberships lapse
expired with no renewal date
we were on a quest in the mystic west
rumors of consumers
endless opportunity
we turned the page
on minimum wage
to pay the rent
you must relent
steel toe shoes
monthly union dues
things got mean
in the nightclub scene
could not measure all that pent up rage
never sure what you're looking for
fall in line with the changing times
the drug store is beside the liquor store
and the liquor store is beside the drug store
that's the way the landscape lays
in all the cities, towns and villages
my bill, my username, my password
Saratoga Simba, Sonora savior
Aunt Violet talked about traveling abroad
olives and hot dogs everywhere
hugging the curb along Jingle Pot Road
come Christmas time we're going to discount your cable
if we're able
a long ladder needed
access through a pack of pit bulls in the neighbor's yard
"What ails you," Dr. Uschi asked
"We can't choose the time of our ailments," the patient replied
when we were kids
Aunt Violet was the butt of our jokes
along with her dog
Scamp
not so bright
incandescent light
what's the gauge
when they say "Act your age"
seemed like the best approach
a shot gun wedding for the hockey coach
Laura said, "once you're dead,
demons won't linger in your head"
we cooked meat on the manifold
spam & jam in the centerfold
we would meet on the telephone
she preferred to be left alone
she dined in the food court
fall between the seams in the cradle of the sun
our diamond brains
high-rise cranes
meant very little in the end
regret the fall
the bouncing ball will guide you through the verse
cloud burst
follow the hearse
whiskey breath behind the wheel
break it up
everything has been said
fragmented ideas
information has been raked over
filling our time with renovations and rodents
you drag the cross through the June heat dome
wonder inside what became of outside
you lose money faster than you gain money
you gain weight faster than you lose weight
no matter how trivial
every service call was categorized as critical
every holiday Aunt Violet went on
was described as epical
they were all biblical holidays
I could have offered you more
you could not wait
on a quest to escape emptiness
when your world starts to slide
from the high side of town
update that novella for closure
forty to fifty years
singing a different song
in the dementia cottage
walking round in circles
no place to go
good morning, good afternoon, good evening to all
they called her the enchantress of the picket fence compound
on a quest to dominate the lands of the golden gate trailer park
learning the ropes
falling on your head
your pony wall defense is out of place
lines of misinformation scar your face
thanks for the encouragement, Mr. Potts
thanks for lighting the way to Pancake River
officer Moody and me at the Crossroads Inn
looney times on the rocks
crazy people in the British properties
waving their wands
his and her washrooms in the face-lift market
lunch on the wharf with the ravens
walk a lunar landscape around the mall at sunrise
who can create the most garbage contest
baby boomers in the classroom please go away
that sinking feeling
on a course of no return
rats have long abandoned ship
quicksand manure from the left and the right
tour through the sewer under the palace at night
warnings at the border
play by the rules
BC salmon
Alberta beef
Quebec maple syrup and Newfie Screech
justice moves slow for those of little means
ruined my liver drinking on the banks of the Red River
ceremony on the roof of the Cascade hotel
Peachland wine wouldn't go down well
abandoned house raid on the highway
squatters okay
hot wired hydro and TV
jam sessions triggered neighbor complaints
she was laying in bed
a cigarette holder in hand
beacon lights flashed through the curtains of gold
sudden rush of ecstasy as the drugs took hold
in the waiting room
you don't get first class seats
they say you die alone
no matter who's around
a final lead solo act
the spotlight shines
embrace the setting sun
on the wildfire smoke horizon
recite a poem to bring it home
hunker down
weekend warriors lined up past the pier
long shot horse track bets bend the ear
mole people make the scene near closing time
hide away with a box of red French wine
she rolled her mattress across the morning pavement
fell between the cracks of consumer enslavement
fact or fiction grows a fine line
hide away with a box of red French wine
lost world yesterday fades like a dream
remote places become tourist scenes
locals watch holiday high-rate crime
hide away with a box of red French wine
monkey man
long John slim
so deep in debt
walls were closing in
dignify a reply to social media slim
hide away with a box of red French wine
a polio shot when I was very young
lined us up in class
jabbed us one by one
now they hold signs
with freedom in mind
hide away with a box of red French wine
surely you jest
filling in time until the end of the line
happier alone far away from home
father would roll
along the Don River to Lakeshore Boulevard
someday we all go away
there goes dill pickle people
good day dill pickle people
caught the last train from Danforth and Main
ninety years with a number
go tick tock tick tock
blouse allows wheelchair repair
as the old man drives
they flickered in and out
go windbag hag rag
stop short along Highland creek
as the old man drives
slide show candle fin bin rim tin
honey blonde says go away
I say good day
crime time cinders on the roof
as the old man drives
eyeball short wave oh Dave behave
furniture nomad got had too bad
high rise sinking in the sea
as the old man drives
got no passion ping pong sing song
now we ration uptight tonight
red flag blue moon rise
as the old man drives
end of the journey
end of the railway line
we'll all have some tea
and talk about old times
the wind blows easy
the rain falls like mist
satisfied comfort
check off to-do list
love is a juicy steak
we'll decorate under the hood
cook supper on the manifold
midnight bounty Arabian nights
Xmas on the Fairbanks jewels
illusion confusion
out of our hands
bliss of the land
developers plan
supply and demand
profit margin
golden goose
caught behind
no excuse
set the divine manifesto loose
hug the nurse
sip some brandy
with fingers crossed
it's all Jimdandy
they think it's us
we think it's them
we don't like over there
they don't like here
us against them
them against us
they're wrong
we're right
sleep tight
wedge in tonight
there is a German flavor you know
and Herman wants to go
to the Albion hotel
I do wish him well
if you find him on the street
with a blanket under his feet
the monkey on his back
is a reliable contact
in case of emergency
and you're running out of time
nothing like time
haunts us more
time will slander thee
time will close the door
wake up to a new morning
stiff and sore
Oliver Twist took the risk
windjammer days
smoke room haze
Sunday downtown blues
cold avenue empty
virtually chatting
Gord is on your side
flag flies low
rest your soul
full moon tide
case is closed
time to ante up
she'll stick with the plan
stand by her man
no matter how corrupt
look so fair
ribbon in hair
blue angel eyes
not sure what to believe
what's hidden up that sleeve
ask Uschi, the fortune teller
if you're not sure about climate change
you hear strange theories
certifiably deranged
ask Uschi, the gypsy caravan queen
if you wear a mask like a forbidden task
if your hidden face gets displaced
don't facebook your dilemma
ask Uschi, the broadband lady
in coming months we'll ride the bumps
another viral wave
in Gord we trust
Atlantic thrust
dream haven on the shoreline
got no time to wait in line
when help is on the way
frustrated nation
won't leave the station
they holler Bally who
stop being funny
it's about money
ethics out the window
lots of strokes
promises for votes
time catches up
make or break
Patty cake
earthquake knocks you off the couch
renew account
count me out
the frenzy you created
if you're not sure why
the gap is wide
ask Uschi, the year end gypsy
