25 July 2014

Recreation Guilt

It's that season where we can get to feeling we should be out enjoying Canada's brief summertime by bagging peaks, paddling rapids, and otherwise engaging in copious outdoor activity! Here's my antidote. It's one of my older poems, posted here upon popular request.
 
A Contrite Banffite Seeks Pardon

Forgive me, Rockies, for I have sinned.
It has been months since my last hike.
I could have walked through autumn leaves, yet was content
to lie on the couch,
watching through the window while aspen surrendered their leaves.
Mountain-bike trails deserved to be ridden,
not spurned in favour of Star Trek re-runs.
And how could I have danced and drunk until too sick for next day’s hike?
Twice, I failed to walk to work.
I purchased fossil fuels.
I neglected to carpool
and squandered the long-weekend
with a double-feature at the Lux.

I confess:
I long to cause wanton erosion and savour succulent berries.
I crave a blaze during fire ban.
Oh, and one more thing:,
I covet my neighbour’s
hi-tech gear. 

Be gracious to me now, O Rockies.
May your awesome views blot out  my transgressions,
may your waterfalls cleanse me of my iniquity and purge me of my sloth.

In penance, I offer a prayer:
Hail Hiker, tight of lace,
blisters are with thee.
Blessed art thou amongst locals
and blessed is the brand of thy boot Merrell.
Holy Hiker, like unto god,
pray for us lazy sonsabitches
now and at the summit of Everest,
oh yeah.
 Creative Commons License
Contrite Banffite by Monica Meneghetti is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
Permissions beyond the scope of this license may be available at www.monicameneghetti.com.

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Creative Commons License
Monmen by Monica Meneghetti is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.
Permissions beyond the scope of this license may be available at www.monicameneghetti.com.