http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aS9-WseEXfM
Walnut Tree by Keane
On this date Twenty years ago, Wayne Gretzky was traded (sold) to the Los Angeles Kings. This move paved the way for further expansion to the southern United States. Though the Kings never won a Stanley Cup and only reached the finals once, hockey began to thrive in non-traditional markets. 5 teams that didn't exist in 1988 have won the Stanley Cup between now and then. They are Colorado, Dallas, Tampa Bay, Carolina and Anaheim. Of course, this isn't all because Gretzky went to Los Angeles, but the creation of those teams was very much influenced by his presence in Los Angeles. Gretzky proved that hockey couple be big in warm climates, and though it has never passed the NFL, NBA or MLB, it is viable, in most of these markets. Though in my opinion the expansion has gone too far and there are too many teams in markets that can't support hockey and not enough teams in Canada. It would have been nice to see how many Stanley Cups the Oilers could have won had they kept Gretzky but such vision is impossible.
It has rained on and off here for most of the day. Around 5 the downtown skies got as black as I have seen them in some time. The storm exploded shortly after and it has been wet since. I didn't do a whole lot today, went out for tea, wrote the piece below and got my haircut.
Breeding Gloominess
This Saturday afternoon has nearly passed
A summer rain fell and gathered in puddles
Occasionally pale sunlight broke free of cloud
Bringing light to the uninspired proceedings
I am struggling to create anything of value
Dullness looks like it might rule the evening
Even beautiful women and their summer skin
Do not seem to be able to arouse interest
The gloominess breeds under plastic lights
Where I sit waiting for a pair of elusive eyes
Surely a colour more intense than my own
They have faded over the past couple of years
Vaguely worth remembering for anything good
More often negatives outweigh positives
Just a trip around life’s merry carrousel ride
There are not enough smiles but fewer tears
I have trapped everything under scarred skin
Plenty of my poems say more than enough
The skies have darkened like wet black hair
A storm is planning on exploding over dinner
Lightning flashes but its thunder is silent
Music plays in my ears and people scramble
Hurrying to make it where they are going
I am not one of them and hurrying is not me
My slowness is intentional and with purpose
One day a destination will clearly emerge
The house along the coast of windy Scotland
With a view of endless water and its waves
A dream arriving like clockwork each night
I no longer suppress it or my sleepy happiness
Her dress is a hand threaded green colour
Darker than her light orange and curled hair
Carefully covering her pale and healthy skin
White like the winter snow here in Canada
The eyes and face are constantly evolving
A complex puzzle of DNA, skin and bone
Something I know very little about like love
Beauty trumps even the darkest of storms
Her smile crept across the room to my mouth
Where it lingered, formed and disappeared
At least its presence was noticed for a moment
Making the breeding gloominess less productive.
08/09/08
john.
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