Irving The Layton The Poet Was Gay

Irving the Layton the poet was gay
Some people even considered him queer
A mensch, he said what he wanted to say.

Born circumcised he didn’t need to pray
His pen and his penis caused much fear
Irving the Layton the poet was gay.

From boyhood in the hood he learned to play
His tongue his temperament both would shear
A mensch, he said what he wanted to say.

He loved the grain to roll in the hay
He loved when the right word would appear
Irving the Layton the poet was gay.

He was original not a closet cliché
He knew what loomed beneath a brassiere
A mensch, he said what he wanted to say.

There was only one law which he could obey
The voice of his heart is all he could hear
Irving the Layton the poet was gay
A mensch, he said what he wanted to say.

– — — — — — — — — — –
More about Irving Layton Centenary events can be seen at:
http://poetry-quebec.com/
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Irving-Layton-Centenary-HUB/305476089472566

• 5:11:07 – 5:13:07 [2:00 minutes]
• 5:18:07 – 5:19:22 [1:15 minutes]
• 5:29:30 – 5:30:00 [0:30 minutes]
• 5:36:12 – 5:37:22 [1:10 minutes]
• 5:51:21 – 5:52:25 [1:04 minutes]
• 5:58:29 – 5:58:56 [0:27 minutes]
TRAFFIC REPORT TOTAL 6:26 minutes

POETRY TOTAL 0:00 minutes

* Time coordinated with National Research Council of Canada Atomic Clock
http://time5.nrc.ca/webclock_e.shtml

We shoot the homeless to give them a home
A place they can rest eternal in peace
Before a kill the lips of wolves will foam.

Each new sad story is written by a gnome
A scribe whose job is to fabricate a piece
We shoot the homeless to give them a home.

In Montreal murder ticks like metronome
A bullet, a villain, a cop with caprice
Before a kill the lips of wolves will foam.

Recent incidents alone could fill a tome
I hasten to blame the poor-trained police
We shoot the homeless to give them a home.

The repeating quality resembles palindrome
Increase, decrease, but metro-mortem will not cease
Before a kill the lips of wolves will foam.

Three shots got Farshad bim-bam-bome
He will not get a chance to renew his lease
We shoot the homeless to give them a home
Before a kill the lips of wolves will foam.

The Bluenose will go down on Harper’s watch
Our ship will sink on a submerged sand bar
Captain has his crew tightly by the crotch.

He said he sought to raise the jib a notch
But the mainsail adjoining came ajar
The Bluenose will go down on Harper’s watch.

A tyrannical skipper will debauch
To Hell with Halifax harbour, har, har
Captain has his crew tightly by the crotch.

Anticipating doom I reach for a Scotch
But put it flat down in order to spar
The Bluenose will go down on Harper’s watch.

Westerlies have brought a squalling Sasquatch
Who has escaped from northern sandy tar
Captain has his crew tightly by the crotch.

His mastering of bait is topnotch
Self-aggrandizement is what his plans are
The Bluenose will go down on Harper’s watch
Captain has his crew tightly by the crotch.

In a recent 5-4 ruling
The Supreme Court decided
That a school of fish schooling
Had into a shark suicided.

The presumption of consumption
Was clearly prejudicial,
We must assume that assumption
And that death by intention is official.

While no autopsy was conducted
And no remains found
The coroner incorrectly deducted
That the cause of death was sound.

And though the chewing was likely loud
Costs to the shark, appeal disallowed.

Or you can download it as a .pdf by CLICKING HERE

As Canada’s Senate debates the minutiae of Bill S-4, “An Act to amend the Railway Safety Act…,” it did not take long this morning for the railway industry to deny responsibility for safety.

“Highest level of safety can only be accomplished through one thing – Stop the train.
That’s the way you get the highest level of safety. You simply stop the trains. You can’t stop the trains,” suggested Cliff MacKay, president and CEO of the Railway Association of Canada.

No one was suggesting that the government should stop the trains, but if that’s what the industry believes is the only way to achieve the highest level of safety, maybe the government should? Or maybe the rail industry must take ownership for safety?

Under the current Railway Safety Act, it is the responsibility of railways to ensure safe operations.

“To recognize the responsibility of railway companies in ensuring the safety of their operations,” is currently a stated objective in the Railway Safety Act, but it’s been targeted for deletion.

MacKay’s testimony struck another nasty, sour point when he told the senators what is being done to reduce railway fatalities. He told the committee that Operation Lifesaver was doing significant work on raising awareness about the dangers of his industry. Operation Lifesaver is a “partnership initiative of the Railway Association of Canada and Transport Canada.”

Operation Lifesaver works “around issues of trespass — which is also very dangerous as we saw, unfortunately, not too long ago in Montreal where we had 3 young people killed…” said MacKay.

Once again, the railway industry is attributing blame on the victims, rather than looking in their own mirror.

The VIA Rail train that killed Dylan Ford, Ricardo Conesa, and Mitchell Bracken-Guenet on October 31, 2010 was possibly speeding, did not have an oscillating headlight, was travelling at an unscheduled time, and did not apply its brakes until after striking the youths. And, by legal definition, the three boys were not trespassing.

Yet, once again the railway industry fails to acknowledge its roll in the deaths. Shame, shame, shame.

And VIA Rail has not been forthcoming on this incident either. They refused to disclose documents related to the deaths when I requested access to the documents.

According to MacKay, VIA trains are particularly dangerous because of the speed they sometimes travel.

“VIA travels… sometimes up to 140 (kilometres per hour) plus,” said MacKay.

Without proper safeguards in place to ensure the safety of Canadians, maybe we should Stop the Trains? Or at the very least, ensure that railways take responsibility for safety.

The lesson I’ve learned from Osama
Is not to think lightly of Obama,
Though much blood has been spilled
And bin has been killed
It’s not likely the denouement of the drama.

I know it’s a blow bearing the brunt of trauma
’cause tragedy, tragically, follows with a comma
When loathing militates
And violence elevates
It shows we’re no smarter than a four-legged llama.

When budget cuts and bleeding are all done
Caused by callous, indiscriminate broadaxe
Mother corp victims will limp, limp not run.

Gutted will be radio three, two, one
Left will be no lefty yakety-yaks
When budget cuts and bleeding are all done.

Any critique of Steve won’t see the sun
Unemployment to those who utter wise cracks
Mother corp victims will limp, limp not run.

The news will confuse after its spun
Duck! When Propaganda Canada quacks
When budget cuts and bleeding are all done.

We’d better adapt to Calgary fashion
And insulate our unheated shacks
Mother corp victims will limp, limp not run.

A long-held grudge is an ugly weapon
Prepare for unrivalled covert attacks
When budget cuts and bleeding are all done
Mother corp victims will limp, limp not run.