there is so much new construction going on in this town

Today’s Blog

Hello Dear readers!  Well, I had a great sleep for the first time in a few days and I woke up feeling creative.  Normally I would wait a few more days to write a blog entry, but I figured since it is Saturday and a lot of people who like to read my stuff don’t have much to do, it would be a good idea to write one anyhow.  Life is interesting here, as many of you know, I recently took a trip to Hawaii and a few people close to me asked me why I came back.  The truth is, I love this city.  Sure, it is minus 20 something out right now, but there is something so renewing, so refreshing about getting out in weather like that, and I also find I sleep a lot better.  It doesn’t hurt that I can bundle up and hide my bulging 43 year-old gut behind a parka either.

There is so much in this city to be proud of though.  We do have a lot of homeless people, which is of course a very serious issue, but in my travels I haven’t known a place that takes better care of their down and out.  There are rehab facilities, housing facilities, all kinds of churches and organizations that give food and clothing and sometimes shelter.  Sadly though, I should note that a woman was found dead yesterday outside an apartment building in my neighbourhood, and that is a sore tragedy.  My prayers go out to her loved ones and family, I wish I could do more, but sometimes that is better than nothing.

To go on with how much I love Edmonton, I should mention that we have some great restaurants here.  There is this one place, Double Greeting (a lot of people call it double greasy but the food is really awesome) and I have to admit I have gone there for the same wonton soup over 100 times, twice in this past week alone.  I live in Little Italy, and I have access to some great pizza places, and it is very near Chinatown which has all kinds of great little places.  We have such a large Asian population here that we have a number of Asian grocery stores, which I just love.  You can buy anything there from powdered Miso soup to fresh buns or hot ready-made Chinese food.  As a book person, there is something that I really like a lot which is that we have, literally, the best library in Canada.  They really go all out to reach out to the community and to provide things that people can’t afford themselves.  I will have to admit that often I can’t find exactly the books I want and so I go on amazon.ca and order them (normally books about poetry or writing) but they have things like video games, tons and tons of audiobooks available online or in the physical location.  They even have this room called the Makerspace where you can access an espresso printer and print up and bind as little as one book, and in this room they also have free access to Macintosh computers and Playstation or Xbox consoles, and the most amazing thing I think, they have two 3-D printers.  I could go on an on, but there are many more things about Edmonton that are amazing.  One of them is that we have some awesome fitness facilities in our city.  There are facilities that accommodate everything from swimming (including water slides, kids pools, climbing walls, lane swimming, hot tubs, saunas and steam rooms) to indoor soccer and football fields and everything in between.  What is so great about all this?  If you are low-income you apply and you can get a free year’s pass to these places, which I did.  I absolutely love swimming and try and go about 3-4 times a week, there is nothing like it.  Well, I don’t want to bore everyone too much.  I do want to say I really appreciate the feedback and ‘likes’ I have been getting from my poems.  As per usual, scroll down past the below photo for today’s poem.  Take care all!!

one of the many examples of urban wildlife we have in Edmonton

 

Back Row, Biology 101, Long Blonde Hair

 

I did not think life could be great as this

My world was opened up with just a kiss

Someone I loved had showed her love to me

Now life was vast and open as the sea

 

With love in you anything can be done

You search your whole life for that precious one

And when you find them you are born anew

You pray your love can make them love you too

 

Years back I loved to go for long, long walks

My heart and nature would have long, long talks

The moonlight on the snow so white and new

At night the world was made for her and you

 

I saw her face in bright star studded sights

I saw her soul in dancing northern lights

We had not met but I knew we would soon

It was inside me like a lovely tune

 

I saw her from afar and knew I would

Go after her because she looked so good

But now she is so much more than that

Loving and independent as a cat

 

Twenty years down the road I love her more

Than any of those girls I knew before

 

Kiss me, hug me, show you love me as much

As I love you and long for your sweet touch

 

 

Leif Gregersen

January 10, 2015