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Homage to Canada . .
Jun 29, 2018 12:19:25 #
A friend of mine has just returned from his trip of a lifetime across Canada and he wrote this poem on Canada which I thought was quite good.
On an all day drive down from the Rockies I wrote this as an appreciation of the trip we were taking and the recent history of this amazing country, but not just that as the final verses explain.
Crossing Canada coast to coast
Truly a feat of which to boast.
First by foot and sturdy mule
Climate and conditions viciously cruel.
Beaten trails next were used to cross
By Waggon drivers with teams of horse.
Prospectors, explorers, the lure of gold
Drovers tough, hardy, fearless and bold.
They crossed the vastness of the prairie
Meeting fellow humans rarely.
Then they faced the Mountains, Rockies so called
Towering over the rolling mighty plains where ant-like figures sprawled.
Snow capped in summers’ lengthening days
Winter, with glacial sheets, thick the snow that lays.
No way to cross and still survive,
Wait patiently spring will arrive.
Then surging forward, onward, westward, the explorers moved.
Hunting, mapping, marking tracks as o're the mountains they roved.
Hardships and beauty always in their sight
As they conquered the formidable, mountainous might.
Year on year migrants came
Men and women the wilds to tame.
Then came their dream, the iron horse
Endless hazards marked it’s course.
Years of toil and lives were lost
The price of the crossing an awesome cost.
With steam came trade to share the riches
As tarmac trails covered the fields an ditches
The combustion engine then proved its’ might
Bringing more migrants by day and by night.
Townships that grew from hamlets scattered
By storms and ice and snow were battered.
But persevered many did and colonised the land
Boosted by the final railway spike, hammered in by hand.
The birth of flight, yet another wonder
Taking more out west to wander.
Then, the Trans Canada highway came
80 years after the first crossing by train.
This, Canada's Main Street, a Highway from east to west
Brought cars, trucks, RV’s, tourist buses and all the rest.
So, thanks to those pioneers for all they have done
In creating the routes for others to roam.
And by plane and by bus I’ve followed them travelling this great nation
With ‘Travelsphere’ the agent for my trip, my wonderful vacation.
On an all day drive down from the Rockies I wrote this as an appreciation of the trip we were taking and the recent history of this amazing country, but not just that as the final verses explain.
Crossing Canada coast to coast
Truly a feat of which to boast.
First by foot and sturdy mule
Climate and conditions viciously cruel.
Beaten trails next were used to cross
By Waggon drivers with teams of horse.
Prospectors, explorers, the lure of gold
Drovers tough, hardy, fearless and bold.
They crossed the vastness of the prairie
Meeting fellow humans rarely.
Then they faced the Mountains, Rockies so called
Towering over the rolling mighty plains where ant-like figures sprawled.
Snow capped in summers’ lengthening days
Winter, with glacial sheets, thick the snow that lays.
No way to cross and still survive,
Wait patiently spring will arrive.
Then surging forward, onward, westward, the explorers moved.
Hunting, mapping, marking tracks as o're the mountains they roved.
Hardships and beauty always in their sight
As they conquered the formidable, mountainous might.
Year on year migrants came
Men and women the wilds to tame.
Then came their dream, the iron horse
Endless hazards marked it’s course.
Years of toil and lives were lost
The price of the crossing an awesome cost.
With steam came trade to share the riches
As tarmac trails covered the fields an ditches
The combustion engine then proved its’ might
Bringing more migrants by day and by night.
Townships that grew from hamlets scattered
By storms and ice and snow were battered.
But persevered many did and colonised the land
Boosted by the final railway spike, hammered in by hand.
The birth of flight, yet another wonder
Taking more out west to wander.
Then, the Trans Canada highway came
80 years after the first crossing by train.
This, Canada's Main Street, a Highway from east to west
Brought cars, trucks, RV’s, tourist buses and all the rest.
So, thanks to those pioneers for all they have done
In creating the routes for others to roam.
And by plane and by bus I’ve followed them travelling this great nation
With ‘Travelsphere’ the agent for my trip, my wonderful vacation.
Jun 29, 2018 12:49:14 #
Beautiful Poem, so true. Many years ago I took the train from Halifax to Vancouver 7 days and 6 nights, a trip I'll never forget. What a beautiful country.
Jun 30, 2018 04:55:01 #
blacks2 wrote:
Beautiful Poem, so true. Many years ago I took the train from Halifax to Vancouver 7 days and 6 nights, a trip I'll never forget. What a beautiful country.
I wish I could do the Rockies trip sometime. Had a brief trip to Ottawa some years ago for a conference but no sightseeing.
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Jul 2, 2018 16:16:08 #
willowstick
Loc: Northern Alberta,Canada
As a Canadian I thank you for your poem. I took the liberty of forwarding it to several of my friends.
Jul 2, 2018 17:07:52 #
willowstick wrote:
As a Canadian I thank you for your poem. I took the liberty of forwarding it to several of my friends.
Thanks willowstick - I definitely thought it worthy of sharing - the sentiments will no doubt resonate with Canadian folks.
Jul 3, 2018 11:28:43 #
very nice. Nice companion piece to Gordon Lightfoot's "Canadian Railroad Trilogy"
Jul 3, 2018 12:30:52 #
daddybear wrote:
very nice. Nice companion piece to Gordon Lightfoot's "Canadian Railroad Trilogy"
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Jul 4, 2018 10:52:20 #
O, Canada is to some extent now becoming Oh!! Canada!!! 
I think it was in mid-October, 1996 that my daughter, my Dad, and myself went on a visit of two colleges, the University of Michigan and Rochester Institute of Technology. After visiting Michigan we decided that the shortest way to Rochester was through Canada. Our route was mainly wooded and the trees had fully changed colors. I can't tell you how beautiful it was. We even managed to go by Niagara Falls, so it was a great trip all around.
I think it was in mid-October, 1996 that my daughter, my Dad, and myself went on a visit of two colleges, the University of Michigan and Rochester Institute of Technology. After visiting Michigan we decided that the shortest way to Rochester was through Canada. Our route was mainly wooded and the trees had fully changed colors. I can't tell you how beautiful it was. We even managed to go by Niagara Falls, so it was a great trip all around.
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