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| Mid-Winter Afternoon by Oryst Sawchuk |
HEATHER MCGILLIVRAY
Heather is a person in your neighbourhood. Besides being a mom, she loves writing, reading, blogging and photography, and hopes she might finish that novel that's going to change the world. Until then, she's happy to live every day in God's grace and see her poetry in Sudbury's new eZine.
SING A SONG OF SUDBURY
(meandering metre intentional)
Sing a song of Sudbury
and as you do, come back with me
to shadows cast across this land;
the paths of our First Nations Bands
who lived and loved
and laughed and knew these
rivers, lakes and forests, too.
To settlers from a distant shore
and trading posts and guns
and war – the lives of all
gone on before the smoke of
brisket, bacon fat and CPR
construction camps;
log-cabins and camaraderie
round campfires rife with reverie,
and men who made a living
from the toil that turned their bodies numb,
through sweat and moil and grueling grind
to fashion rails of ties that bind
us, one another, to this vast
entanglement, the maze of now and ages past.
Come back to 1883,
let’s journey through the centuries.
Reach out and pluck a parchment from
the shelves of 1912, succumb
to pledges and petitions signed,
monies vowed and folks resigned,
to plant the roots that grew to be
the Greater Sudbury Library.
Ride up the rail where nickel mining,
demand for iron ore refining,
sends the population soaring,
and World War Two brings miners pouring
into the neighbourhood, exploring
benefits past weaponry.
The Great Depression breathes its tragedy
but we are carried through unscathed;
in wealth and steady growth we’re bathed.
Copper Cliff and Coniston,
Creighton, Walden, Worthington,
Falconbridge and Minnow Lake,
Gatchell, Naughton, Frood Mine take,
with other towns, their special part
of our design; of who we are,
as Unions bring us steadily
toward a sound economy.
Though battles fought and soaring taxes
bog us down, faith ever waxes
in the hearts of those who look beyond,
dig ever deeper; forge true bonds,
a two-fold cord of French and English.
Let unity remain our one wish
as threads of many cultures dear
are woven in throughout the years.
Re-greening and the Superstack
reclaim the soil and rein us back
from ravages of acid rain.
Verdant woods replace the stain.
Barren rock and lunar legacies:
two more vanquished adversaries
who taught us how to change the landscape
with trees and grass and slag to reshape.
Now add the likes of Rayside-Balfour,
Onaping and Nickel Centre.
Capreol and Valley East
are gathered in; and not the least
of these are we,
a people of diversity.
Conservation realms and hiking trails,
Science North, tourism sales,
restaurants, the finest artists,
schools, hospitals and markets.
From roots that won’t give up, we’re sprung;
a fertile city we’ve become.
Yes, raise our voices high and sing!
Remember back from where we’ve been,
join hands across this sundry township,
a hundred years and more of friendship.
We’ll stand behind our working men
and women, honour and respect, defend
our heritage, our youth, our old;
to those in need we won’t withhold.
Sudbury, to you we’ll raise our chorus
ever keeping your acclaim before us.
* * * *
CLIFFORD PARKES
MY SUDBURY SERENADE
Northern lakes
And northern scenery,
Look at all the new exciting greenery!
The Big Nickel's waking up
And shining in the morning sun.
A brand new northern day has just begun!
Moonlight Beach
Where children love to play,
Science North,
The place to spend a day.
Stroll the boardwalk
In the early morning sun,
This town has something for everyone!
Sudbury serenade,
A lighted Santa Claus parade.
Dragonboats race on summer water.
Sudbury serenade,
Northern festivals, music's played.
This northern town
Is really like no other!
Snowmobiling
On the edge of town,
Dynamic Earth
For secrets underground.
A skating path to glide for miles
'Til day is done.
Hey, this town
Has something for everyone!
Sudbury serenade,
Bell Park picnics,
Summer shade,
Laurentian
Standing tall on the horizon.
Sudbury serenade,
Living up here
We've got it made.
So come on up,
You'll find this town surprising!
Come, let's stroll Lake Ramsay's promenade.
This is my Sudbury serenade!
* * * *
JOHN TRACHUK
John Trachuk was born in the Ukraine. He is a retired teacher and administrator who has taught at every level, including graduate school. He is the author of Whistling, a collection of poems published with assistance from the Ontario Arts Council after endorsements from John Robert Colombo and Irving Layton. He has a new book forthcoming, Vignettes and Other Lies.
HELTER SMELTER
O Sudberry, O Sudberry,
United proud and strong,
And often on strike;
Yet again, Inco
And its new brother, to many
Now, a Vale of tears.
O Sudberry,
Home of English and French,
Finns and Ukes
And pensioned miners
With muscular arms;
Dostoyevsky's creatures
Crawling the indoor malls
In their retirement,
Verbally exchanging
"Notes from the Underground",
Talking and arguing,
Their banter
A helter smelter
Of tunnel vision,
Of having been shafted
Too many times.
O Sudberry, O Sudberry,
Hardrock city,
Proud home of the
Grandiose aluminum flake,
The jewel on the edge
Of Ramsay Lake.
O Sudberry, home
Of the struggling Wolves
And miner hockey; ages
Ago having missed out
On Bobby Ore
O city of Sudberry, still
Struggling to extract itself
Fom Mother Inco;
Through divergence of industry,
To wean itself
From the Big Nipple
* * * *
ALEXANDRIA SMULAND
SUDBURY SMILES
The sun is brightly beaming,
Watching the clouds below,
As they watch the wind sing,
Sing from head to toe.
The animals stop to listen,
The fish jump so high,
The tree branches happily dance,
And the leaves float into the sky.
The grass plays hide-and-go-seek,
As the water does the wave,
The dirt jumps little by little,
This song brightens up the cave.
The baby next door cries loudly,
For this hurts his little ears,
The house-cat cuddles the child,
Trying to catch her tears.
The teenager looks up from her book,
And skips around her yard,
Everyone quickly learns this beat,
For this song isn't very hard.
The adult slows down his boat,
Looking back and forth
At this beautiful piece of land,
And our very own Science North.
The couple at the movies
Holds hands and starts to sing,
For Sudbury Ontario,
Is the most beautiful thing.
So get out of your house,
And come sing with us,
Either walk, bike, ride in a car,
Or even take the bus.
Because Sudbury is inviting you
To come and join in our fun,
There is so much to do here,
Before this day is done.
Night comes very swiftly,
The owls come out to play,
And everyone goes to bed,
Waiting for the next day.
The sun closes its eyes,
Sudbury is one happy place,
I promise you if you come here too,
It'll put a smile on your face.
* * * *
LINDA ARSENEAU
Linda Arseneau was born and raised in Sudbury. She is a wife, mother and bookkeeper, but her evenings are spent coaching softball and ringette. In January 2008, she discovered the joy of writing poetry, and now carries a notebook in her purse just in case creative thoughts start flowing.
MY SUDBURY
The sun wakes up over Moonlight Beach,
Stretching and yawning, extending her reach.
Spreading her joy in meeting the sky,
She warms the heart of each passer-by.
The crows caw loudly in nearby trees,
While softly chime little chickadees.
In answer a loon calls from CPR bay,
Then in chorus they greet a glorious day.
The light now dances on Ramsey Lake blue,
While sails unfurled swiftly glide right through,
Cutting each wave with a splash of delight
As the gentle wind teases and puts up a fight.
Motor boats speed with skiers in tow,
Past Turtle Island – look at them go!
A red canoe bobs in the wake of a boat
But the paddler is able to keep it afloat.
The lake is now quiet and gone to bed,
But the City is bursting with life instead.
My Sudbury is not merely Nickel ore,
It’s a sunny day and so much more.
