You’ve Embarrassed The City

You’ve Embarrassed The City
( For The 2012 Literary Committee And Jury )

You’ve embarrassed the city
you’ve done what:
thieves
murderers and other low life’s
couldn’t do
you embarrassed us all with your grandiose
attitude..
you thought this to be an:
Emmy
Academy Award
the Gilder or the Governor General’s Award too
maybe you thought this to be
New York City or Los Angeles Hollywood..
You’ve said
we’ve no stars that shine bright
that our writers here in the city
and outskirts
just don’t know how to write..
you’ve embarrassed the city
suffer long sleepless nights..
for the slight you’ve inflicted on a city in need
of all things colorful and light..
but fear not
you’re the talk of the town
those that can’t write are trying to jot some of it down
for prosperity sake
to remind others of the award you so shamefully
took away
of how you left a city embarrassed in your wake..
some writers will apologize for you
maybe even attempt to find an excuse for you..
mostly they’ll write words that city of Saint John
is still beautiful
with its old and new face
how it will rise up make and run to be
the city in New Brunswick that people will want
to see first..
how it soon will be rid of its troubles
rid of its blues..
writers will write tourist pamphlets that will
shout out all the good news
writers will write stories of its most recent history
that will keep the reader in its grip
and writers will write poetically that our city
is still artistic and hip
even with the few stuff shirts that live in it..

Clyde A. Wray
May 30, 2012
All Rights Reserved