National Poetry Month : Anita Lahey,

 

A Curse on South Keys

a found poem, circa late 2020, in the words
of CBC Ottawa’s traffic specialist, Doug Hempstead

Briefly busy on Bronson.
A bit weird on the ramps.

As many as three collisions.
No lingering construction.

Things are heavy from Little Italy to…
about… Maitland. Eastbound,

that’s just awful. Oh my
God. Slow, slow,

awful and slow. Right
around, uh, right around…

…what does that
look like to me? Over in

Gatineau today, O
my goodness, really, really

hideous. That seems
like a heck of a

broken down vehicle.
There’ve been a number of

collisions—close to twenty!
In some places it’s a peace

“shuttle” this morning. There Is
No Train. The 417 is wide open

right across the city. Some
sort of curse has befallen

South Keys. You can see
how that kind of rigamarole

can really slow down
traffic. The 50 is a very

grim thing indeed.
Chaudière’s busy, but it’s

not that gross. There’s like
a little Bermuda’s Triangle

there, in Blossom Park. Now
that’s an intersection every-

body loves. Good
news for Hog’s Back

folks. It’s not a civil commuter
route, but if you like taking

a look at things, slow—
Even Colonel By

is moving. There’s no
traffic right now. You can

go there. That’s why
Hallie and I are talking about

chips and pucks. Folks
are being, perhaps, ahem,

a bit careless? All five
bridges are now

wide open. The 417
has been a delightful

nightmare this afternoon.
Watch your step

coming out the front door. And now,
Doug Hempstead is here with the traffic

Doug—
Doug…?
Doug?! 

Well, no Doug.

*

(collected and compiled by Anita Lahey & Henry Good, age 9)

 

 

Anita Lahey’s latest book is The Last Goldfish: a True Tale of Friendship (Biblioasis, 2020). She’s series editor for the Best Canadian Poetry anthology, a (long since) past editor of Arc Poetry Magazine, and author of two Véhicule Press poetry collections, as well as The Mystery Shopping Cart: Essays on Poetry and Culture.  She lives in Ottawa, on unceded Alongonquin, Anishinabek territory, with her family and their little black cat, Milli. anitalahey.com