So This Is Mississauga

 

This city is a lyrebird

echoing voices

from every corner of the world

Arriving through Pearson Airport

the road unfurls - smooth, bright

lights shimmering beyond rows of maple trees

You may be lost at first,

but the stories of travelers & immigrants,

remind you the world gathers here -

Asian bowls, Italian plates,

South American sweets, vegan bowls

farm fields and stones giving way

to tall silver towers & landscaped streets

Beneath it all,

Credit River threads through conservation parks,

past pines & fallen maple leaves, pouring itself

into Lake Ontario

This too is the city

At Riverwood, we listen for the 

quick tapping of a woodpecker

Down at Lakeshore, we follow

the long blue stretch of the lake 

towards the Toronto's skyline

We breathe the crisp winter air

jackets and tuques pulled tight

watching geese and swans glide

white on white

our mittened hands warm as our socks

Note:  “Mississauga” translates “River of the North of Many Mouths”. This is a major suburb of Toronto, Ontario.

Posted for dVerse Poets Pub - So This is Ted Kooser or Local Wonders, with guest host, Jennifer Wagner. Tell us about your city. Thanks for your comments and visits.