Raise the Hammer
A poem by Thomas Wilson.
By Thomas Wilson
Jan. 18, 2008
1.The downtown stinks, heard that before?
Through broken windows and open doors
We called the core Victorian rot
But hey that's the best stuff for the flower pot
You gotta see hope when you see decay,
and don't throw that compost away.
What'll happen to that brick, that escarpment clay?
Dust to dust and we waste away.
Now, I ain't saying that rot don't stink?
Got fumes that make your aching stomach sink,
But there's a holy steam, there in decay
A deep musty smell, that breathes in the clay
So open up your nostril open up your eyes.
2. There's rich loamy soil in them brownfields
So mix your paints and spin your wheels
For those who think there's no hope in art
Walk down James Street North, yes that's a start.
Read on James of the trials of love
How the rich flower falls to the sun above
John's revelation got rivers of rust
But there's new earth below for this city street dust.
Now I ain't saying that dust ain't dry.
Blows off the streets bringing tears to your eye.
But there's a holy wind, blowing the debris
A deep musty smell, of rain on the breeze
So open up your nostril, open up your eyes.
3. Broken windows are for open eyes
They give you a chance to look inside
And spray paint reveals that primitive lust
To turn rock into art by spitting out dust.
Old King William's dead and gone,
Queen Victoria watches on.
Who was the artist that cast that clay?
It's a piece of shit, but it's here to stay.
Now, I ain't saying that shit don't stink
But there's good things that manure can bring
There's a holy spirit, there in decay
A deep musty smell, that breathes in the clay,
So open up your nostril open up your eyes.
Conservation doesn't break, it doesn't need service and you never need to take it to a shop for repairs." -- Dave Braden
NewsfeedsISSN: 1715-1554
Aerotropolis: Will It Fly? - Wednesday, December 3, 2008, at Mount Hope Community Hall, 3027 Homestead Dr., Mount Hope.
City Backs Down on Airport Development Size (Dec. 1, 2008) - Citizens at City Hall (CATCH) reports that the city has backed down on at least one aspect of its dispute with the province on the size of the Airport Economic Growth District (AEGD), a planned in
Same Old 'Traffic Trumps Everything' Thinking (Dec. 1, 2008) -
Apparently, the City Traffic department still doesn't get it.
After turning James and John into two-way streets that slowed traffic down, the city is now looking for ways to speed thing
Toronto Council to Vote on Corporate, Union Donations (Dec. 1, 2008) -
Toronto City Council has another opportunity today to decide whether to allow corporate and union donations to be proffered during municipal campaigns.
City Council has voted against such don
Poor and Dirty (Dec. 1, 2008) -
Your humble editor presents a modest tribute to the Hamilton Spectator report, "Poor and dirty", published November 27, 2008.
Poor and Dirty
They see us rollin'
On the highway
The
Double Downtown Density? We Should be Aiming to Quadruple It (Nov. 28, 2008) - Today's Spectator carries a head-scratching article on a proposal by Councillor Brian McHattie to double the downtown's urban density of 200 people and jobs per hectare to 400 people and j
Councillors Propose Salary Freeze (Nov. 28, 2008) - Councillors Chad Collins, Scott Duvall, Sam Merulla, Bernie Morelli and Terry Whitehead just issued a press release proposing a salary freeze for Councillors and non-union employees across the mun