The Garden City Refugee

One Last Tour of Winnipeg

July 26, 2014

Touring Winnipeg for one last time today
Only made me wish I had already flown away

The variety of debris on the streets I did not miss
Including broken glass, a condom wrapper and a bottle of piss

Profanity fills the air, it’s all around
Some even take the time to write it on the ground

A bum stands in the middle of traffic using a ski pole like a cane
Another spreads across the trail getting in his push-ups before it does rain

A car with Minnesota plates parks outside a hotel called Mere
For the love of Pete™, what are they doing here?

A cyclist approaching a stop sign neither signals nor stops
If only the city had some real cops

They flaunt their authority to me and you
Their motto is “Do as we say not as we do”

Another hole poorly marked and not well lit
You’ll likely only see the sign after you hit it

Someone digs through a garbage bin hunting for buried treasure
Or a cigarette butt that might give him a few seconds of pleasure

What will I do without seeing any of this ever again?
Rest assured I won’t miss much of this city on the plain