We dropped by Katie's house on the way home from Orangeville to pick up Barney. When we arrived, he was ecstatic to see us and his tail was wagging like a helicopter as he bounced from Sean to Jake and then Dana and me. We were showered with dog kisses as we bent down to pet him.
"He certainly is a different little dog," Marty said, as he smiled.
"He kept us on our toes," Katie said, as she reached down to pet him.
We were relieved that they were in a positive frame of mind, as we were afraid that they would have difficulty managing the little whirlwind and not be willing to take him in the future. They told us the first night he tried every trick he knew, but because they were forewarned of his difficult nature, they were able to keep one step ahead of him. By the middle of the second day, Barney had given in and realized that he wasn't going to be the alpha dog. He bonded with both Katie and Marty and they were able to see his positive qualities, which he actually did have.
It didn't take long for the repercussions of our decision to leave the ice in Orangeville to happen. The next day, Dénis phoned and apologetically told me that in his official capacity of league convenor, he had been instructed to inform me that I was suspended and not allowed to coach.
"This is very hard for me to do, Al, as I strongly disagree with the action. We are having an emergency executive meeting tonight and we are going to vigorously appeal the ruling. Rest assured, our executive is not in agreement with the OMHA (Ontario Minor Hockey Association) on this."
He also told me that he was going to tap into his trusted OMHA contacts to see what could be done.
"This issue is a little bigger than one coach taking his team off the ice," he said.
Since it was still the Christmas holidays, the boys had gone to the mall and when they got home I told them about the phone call and that I needed to talk to the team and explain the situation.
"How can they do that when it was in a tournament and had nothing to do with our league?" Sean asked.
"We should all be suspended then, because it wasn't just your decision. We all agreed," Glen said.
"That's not fair. You were standing up for what was right. The referee was wrong to let that guy away with his racist comments and instead of punishing the person that caused all the trouble they punish you. We need to do something," Jake said, as he got wound up. Injustice was his hot button and I knew that he wasn't going to let this go.
I told them that we would have a team meeting and that Charles' father, and Rickie would have to take over while we sorted things out. I also told them that I would definitely be doing something to move the issue forward.
"I'll be calling Mr. Mueller tomorrow to see what can be done."
"What sort of legal recourse is there, Dad?" Sean asked.
I was taken aback at my son's vocabulary and was impressed that we had graduated from the all encompassing word 'stuff' to the term 'legal recourse'.
"When I talk to him tomorrow I'll find out," I said, as I smiled at him. He returned my smile as he understood what I meant.
When I called Ray the next day it was quickly evident that Jake wasn't the only one whose hot button had been pressed.
"You've got to be kidding, Burgs. They didn't throw the kid out, or sanction the coach? And the referee gets off scot free? Did the OMHA comment on the failure to deal with the racism, or were they only concerned that you guys left the ice?"
I didn't know, but when he started his career, he had many human rights cases that he successfully prosecuted, as he worked pro bono for a community legal aid association. I gave him the details including as many names of the people involved as I could.
"My son wants to know what legal recourse I have," I said, as I chuckled.
After I explained why I was amused he said, "You forget; we weren't really all that eloquent at that age either."
He said that he would start by naming everyone he could in the Statement of Claim for the lawsuit that he was going to file. He was basing the lawsuit on the fact that my reputation had been tarnished and that the OMHA was negligent with regard to the oversight of their policies as it applied to racism.
"They can't just blame it on the referee, because he is a representative of the OMHA and they are responsible for the proper scrutiny of their officials. I'll do some digging today, as Collingwood is an hour from here."
The first day back to school after the holidays, Jake, Sean and Glen were very animated when they came in the door from the school bus. It was nice to see Sean and Jake picking up again, as they didn't get much sleep during their visit to Josh's new place in Alberta.
"Fang said he has to quit the team," Sean said.
"His parents told him he couldn't play anymore," Glen added.
Dana and I were puzzled as to why and Jake filled in the details.
"His parents were embarrassed and they're blaming themselves for what happened. Fang said something about their family feels shame."
Dana and I figured out that this was a cultural problem when we heard the word shame. We gave the boys a quick Anthropological explanation as to what we thought was behind the reaction and that we would try to see what we could do to help solve the problem. We didn't get to elaborate too much as Garth arrived and needed to tell all of us about his day in school, after he sat down and devoured his snack. He showed us his science test that he had done very well on. Dana got to see it first and she started to chuckle.
"That's a very interesting answer you gave to the question about the arctic animals."
She gave it to me and I passed it on to the boys who burst out laughing when they saw it. The question was 'Name six arctic animals'. Garth's answer was two polar bears and four seals.
"I couldn't remember all of them," he said, with a sheepish look.
After everyone had a good laugh, Glen then looked at Garth and asked, "When are you going to tell everyone about your other news?"
"Oh yeah. I'm maybe going to be in a television commercial," he said, with his usual big smile.
One of Katie's consulting clients was a car company that was going to run a campaign for a minivan and needed a young outgoing boy for one of their TV commercials. Katie passed Garth's name on to the casting director who called Susan and John about arranging an audition for Garth.
"Katie told them that I was a really big character," he said with a giggle.
"Not quite, Garth. She said you had real character," Glen said, as he smiled and corrected him. He then gave him a playful poke in the ribs that elicited a round of giggles.
"I think Garth was right though, about being a really big character," Sean said laughing, as Garth took offence and tried to hit him.
We were all more relaxed after our dose of Garth, then the other boys started to tell us about their day. However, before we were able to get very far, the phone rang and it was Ray. He told me that he had done some digging and that he had the name of the referee and some of the other executives from the Collingwood minor hockey organization. He also told me he had been in contact with the Ontario Human Rights Commission, as he had a few friends there that he wanted to tap into.
"Someone already beat me to the punch though. They already knew about the incident as one of your sons had contacted them today."
Jake had called during his lunch hour and asked what he had to do to go about laying a complaint.
"They told him he was too young and an adult would have to lay a complaint. My friend was also very impressed with Jake. The person who took the call handed him off to her, as he was very insistent and asked to talk to a manager," Ray said, as he chuckled. "I thought Sean was the one called Bulldog."
He told me that Fang's parents could lay a complaint on his behalf, but the fact that Ray and Jake had brought the incident to their attention, Ray's friend told him they were going to start a preliminary investigation.
"Tell Jake he's got the ball rolling and he doesn't need to call them back," he said, with a chuckle.
"Mr. Mueller tells me you phoned the Ontario Human Rights Commission today, Jake," I said, as I came back into the Kitchen.
"That's not the only place he called," Sean said, rolling his eyes.
"He talked to Darren's mom at the newspaper," Glen added, with a big smile.
Darren's mother was a reporter for the city newspaper and Jake called her to persuade her to write a news story about the event. She told him that wasn't her area, but that she had already had a conversation with a colleague in the sports department. Before the boys could finish the story there was a phone call. It was the sports editor wanting to send a reporter over to interview us.
"I need to call my lawyer first, but if it's Ok with him, you're welcome to come to the house to hear our story."
Ray said to go ahead, as the more publicity this got the greater the pressure on the OMHA. He also told me to expect another call soon.
"I had already contacted the Toronto Star and they were very interested. Anything involving racism goes over big in multicultural Toronto, especially when it involves hockey," Ray said.
When I called the local newspaper back, they had already been contacted by the Toronto Star as they were owned by the same company and both papers were going collaborate and run a co-story. We agreed to meet at the rink the next day so they could take pictures at one of the practices to go along with the article.
The next day before practice, I had a team meeting with the boys. They were very unhappy about the turn of events, but I told them that they were in very capable hands with Mark and Rickie. Many of them had already heard the news but we felt that it was important that I tell them in person to dispel some of the misinformation that was flying around.
"If I had those OMHA guys here, I'd make them change their minds," Pieter said, as he banged his fist into his hand.
One of our new boys said that his father 'knew people', but I thanked him and told him I was working on a solution and I decided not to ask him to elaborate. I didn't know anything about his background and given his comment, I thought it wise not to find out any more information. After they vented their anger, which was expected, I gave them some hope that things would work out.
"There's a right way and a wrong way to handle conflict, boys. Stéphane's dad and the executive are taking steps to appeal the ruling and I'm working on a plan, as well. This is a learning opportunity for all of you that things are not always fair and standing up for what you believe and fighting back must be done within the rules."
When we were finished I was happy that they had calmed down and were going to focus on playing hockey and not the political maelstrom. I was concerned that Fang wasn't there, but of all the boys, I was most concerned with Carson and how he was taking the news. Over the course of the season we had established a good relationship that was much like what I was able to establish with many of my students in my teaching career. Even though he liked and respected Mark and Rickie, I was the one he saw as his surrogate father. I called Doreen after the boys left to take the ice for their practice.
"I'd like to have Carson over for dinner after the practice, Doreen. I don't want to have any setbacks and I think between the boys, Dana and me, we can help him feel more comfortable with the situation. I want him to know I'll still be around, but I just won't be in charge."
"I think that's a great idea, Al and thank you. I don't need to tell you that he looks up to you and you have a great deal of influence over him."
He was glad to be invited for dinner and so were the boys. Sean and Jake were getting pretty good at figuring out what I was up to most of the time and they made many reassuring comments to Carson that things would work out on the way home in the car.
"Mr. Burger isn't disappearing, Carson. He'll be watching with me in the stands. We need to make sure these two budding superstars behave," Dana said, as she gave Sean and Jake a big smile at the dinner table.
"I know... it's just that it won't be the same," he said.
By the time we had finished dinner he was feeling better about the situation and he was taking a more positive view of our assurances that things would work out. I also needed to make contact with Fang's parents to get things straightened out with them.
"Fang didn't do anything wrong and I understand somewhat your cultural issue, but in no way should this bring shame on your family," I said to his father on the phone, when the boys had gone downstairs to watch TV.
It took some convincing but finally Fang's parents agreed to let him continue to play. Apparently Dénis had already talked to them and my pleading with them was the tipping point.
"We still don't understand Canadian culture, but we trust you and Mr. Bateaux. We certainly don't want to deprive our son and he really loves the game and the team."
The reaction to the article in the two newspapers was swift. George MacDougall, the president of the OMHA called me at 8:30 in the morning that the article ran in the two papers and he was very abrupt and rude.
"That wasn't a very smart thing to do Mr. Burger. We're meeting today and we'll be adding another sanction to the restrictions on you. I'm going to make sure you aren't allowed into any arena in Ontario this season, when there's an OMHA game or practice taking place."
He thought since I was photographed in the rink with the boys in the background, that I was coaching them in defiance of the order. I told him that appearances were not reality, but it was clear that it really didn't matter to him. He was a nasty piece of work that was used to pushing people around.
"I have little tolerance for bullies, sir. This isn't the end; it's just the beginning. You're a perfect example of what's wrong with minor hockey these days and you've given me lots of motivation to make sure you and your kind don't have any influence over the game in the future."
He was careful enough not to threaten me, but he made it clear that he would do all he could to make sure I was punished for standing up to him. He didn't know about the lawsuit or the impending investigation by the Human Rights Commission yet, which I was sure wouldn't endear me to him.
We didn't have time to stew about the situation as there was too much going on in our family's lives over the next few weeks. Susan and John had taken Garth to the audition in Toronto and he had passed with flying colours. The director had auditioned 20 young boys for the part and according to Katie, Garth made the biggest impression on the creative team making the decision. They had called the next day to arrange things for the shoot.
"The director said he was 'a very animated young man, with an infectious giggle'," Katie said, as she laughed.
"Well, I can see it was the Garth we all know that showed up for the audition," I said.
They were shooting Garth's part of the commercial in Toronto over two days. John and Susan couldn't take that much time off from the business, so Katie agreed to look after him the first day, as she was going to be on the set most of the time, overseeing the production. John and Susan would come down the second day and take him home, as he was going to stay overnight with Katie and Marty, who were looking forward to having him.
"This should be an interesting evening," Katie said.
"First it was Barney and now Garth," Marty said, with a big smile. "If we pass this test it must mean we really want kids."
"Garth will get you caught up on his latest repertoire of jokes," I said, as I chuckled.
Garth had to bring us up-to-date on his show business experience, when he came off the school bus the day after they were finished shooting the commercial. He was very excited and started telling us his news before he had his snack.
"I had to wear these thick black Glasses because they wanted me to have a studio look," he said.
We couldn't figure out what a 'studio look' was until Glen clarified it for us.
"It was a studious look, Garth," he said, as he gave him a big smile. "And it was an 'Argyle' not an 'R guy' sweater."
Garth was supposed to be a precocious boy who was a young executive of the company explaining all the features of the new minivan. They had to do many takes as Garth decided to add certain pieces of dialogue into his lines that he thought were improvements.
"I'm sure you had some great ideas, Garth, but they weren't paying you to ad lib," Dana said, as we all laughed.
Garth wasn't the only one whose interests were blossoming. Both Jake and Sean's interests were evolving and music was a big influence in their lives. It was interesting to watch Sean as he discovered the world of classical music and how much he enjoyed it. He had joined the after school strings program run by the Board of Education and was learning how to play the violin. Part of the motivation was because of Melissa, who played the Cello and was in a youth orchestra in Toronto.
"Mel's been playing the cello for four years and she's really good. She thinks that Jake, Rachel and I should put together a string quartet with her," Sean said, as Jake and he chuckled.
Rachel had been playing the violin for a few years and was fairly proficient. She had been trying to get Jake to try a stand-up string bass, but he was more interested in singing. As well as belonging to the the Youth choir with the boys, he had joined the school choral group and he frequently practiced in the studio by himself, working on his technique.
Sean, Jake, Charles and Stéphane were also going to do choral numbers as guest performers at Melissa's youth orchestra performance in Toronto. The conductor knew Erin Brady, the boys' choral director and when Melissa mentioned one day in her presence her participation in the youth orchestra, they found out that Erin knew the conductor very well. One thing led to another and Erin suggested to her colleague that the boys would be a great addition to the program, since they already had one of the Toronto youth choirs performing with the orchestra.
I was impressed that the boys undertook to practice the two songs they were going to perform on their own. Erin gave them some guidance, but they were the ones who picked the songs and set their rehearsal schedule. The rock and roll practices gave way to the classical choral rehearsals for the moment as they prepped for the concert.
They were practicing in a strange way for one of the songs that Stéphane had suggested, which I had never heard. We weren't given too many details, including the title, but Jake and Sean spoke the words individually one night a couple of times while we were eating and the next night they just clapped, which didn't please Dana.
"Boys, were trying to eat in peace," She said, with that menacing motherly look.
"It's practicing, Mom," Sean said, with a twinkle in his eye, as the two of them chuckled.
The next night they were back to saying the words to the second song, but they were clapping along as they spoke.
"Is there no music to this?" I asked.
"You'll have to wait until the performance, Dad," Jake said, as they two of them smiled.
We weren't allowed to hear the rehearsals, as the four boys had the Studio door closed while they practiced. Things seemed to be going well, as they were in a good mood each time they finished.
A week before the performance, they wanted feedback as to how they were doing and also an audience to get them 'concert tough' as Sean put it. They had chosen 'Manitoba'1, the parody of 'Oklahoma' that they had done in the winter concert for their first number. We weren't allowed to hear the second one, but we were told that the boys had given it a 'Canadian flavour' as well. Except for a few minor errors, they did a great job on the song. Stéphane had programmed the music into the Clavinova so they didn't need accompaniment.
"Why the secrecy about the other number?" Dana asked.
"It's.... unique. We want you to get the full impact the first time you hear it," Sean said, with that familiar coy smile.
"Besides, it's not ready for prime time," Charles added, as the boys chuckled.
While Garth, Sean and Jake were expanding their artistic pursuits, Glen's were evolving as well. The entire family had gone to the McMichael gallery in Kleinburg one weekend in February, to see the work of the famous Canadian artists known as The Group of Seven. Glen was fascinated by what he saw. He had done some research on the internet before the trip and Dana had also given him some perspective on what they were to see.
"This was perhaps the most important group of artists to ever come out of Canada. They have a very unique style that was strongly influenced by the European Impressionists and they gained world-wide fame," Dana said, as we made our way passed the first group of paintings by A. Y. Jackson. "Remember the Montmartre district in Paris and van Gogh, Picasso and Matisse?"
Glen shook his head yes with a big smile. He then started asking Dana about painting in oil and acrylics, as his expertise was in watercolours. He also was fascinated with the abstract nature of the art, as he was very detail oriented and painted in a style of realism.
"Painting in oil and acrylics takes a very different technique," Dana said.
They had a long discussion about watercolour versus oil and how different the technique was. Dana told him that oil painting wasn't as restrictive as watercolours, as you weren't bound to paint from light to dark and it was easier to change your mind and fix a mistake on an oil painting before it dried. That and the fact that the painting was done on a canvas versus paper were the key differences.
"You'll do just fine with your technique and keen eye. Starting with watercolours has been great training," Dana said, as she gave him a big smile. "You don't get a second chance with a watercolour painting, but you do in oil or acrylics."
"Can you teach me if I get Dad and Mom to buy me the proper supplies?" He asked, as he turned to John and Susan.
"I'm very rusty, Glen. I think it would be better if we both sign up for a class at the art school. I'd love to get back into that type of painting too," she said, as she gave him a squeeze. Glen's big smile indicated he relished the closeness that he shunned for so long when he first came to live with us.
The boys decided to stay overnight in Toronto after the concert and Katie volunteered her place for the five of them to stay. Glen had been asked to come as well, as Mara hadn't seen him for a while. Glen didn't have too much trouble getting dates with the opposite sex and although he liked Mara, he wasn't smitten with her as she was with him. Even though his talents weren't in the musical realm, he did appreciate music of most genres and enjoyed hearing the boys and his brother sing.
Sean and Jake usually brushed and bathed Barney on Saturday, but since they were going to be away they took care of those chores on Friday night.
"Well, I guess the grooming is finished," Dana said, as Barney raced into the Living room and flew around the coffee table.
This was his routine when he was released after the boys were finished with him. He usually circled the coffee table at top speed, with his ears flapping in the breeze touching the ground. We called this 'rabbit runs' and when he was exhausted he would then stop and sit down looking at us with his tongue hanging out. He didn't appear to be as well groomed this time and when Jake came into the room we found out why.
"He bolted on us when I reached over for the hair dryer. The door to the bathroom was open a crack and he got out."
The boys always took him to the main bathroom, after they caught him (which often was quite a feat) and put him in the bathtub. They washed him with the handheld shower and then wrapped him up in towels to dry him before they finished the job with the hair dryer. One of the boys had to hold him for the last part of the operation, because he was always on the lookout for the opportunity to bolt from the room.
"I guess we're done," Sean said, as glared at Barney.
We tried but we couldn't get Barney back in tow, despite the offer of his favourite dog treats, because he was too smart.
The weekend was going to be very busy for Melissa, as she had an important playoff game on Saturday morning, and then the concert in the evening.
The performance at night was very entertaining. It was in a school auditorium in the west end of Toronto and like the boys' concerts, the Toronto youth choir collaborated with the youth orchestra.
The choir was excellent, but not any better than Erin's group. Melissa was one of three cellists in the orchestra and she really shone on a piece called 'Tout une journée' that was composed by Maxime Goulet, an up-and-coming Canadian composer. The conductor explained some of the background of the piece and that in the last movement, the first violin and Melissa would take lead parts. They were to be like tennis players volleying against each other. The lights dimmed and Melissa and the other girl played their parts. She was an accomplished performer for her age and very proficient on the instrument, as she was in most of the things she tried.
Near the end of the program the boys were introduced for their two numbers. They looked very handsome in their white shirts and black bowties, which is what Sean had suggested they wear for the occasion.
"We have a guest ensemble with us this evening and they're going to entertain us with a couple of unique numbers," the choral conductor said, as he introduced them.
'Manitoba' was the first selection they sang and the backing by the orchestra made the number very enjoyable. The boys were very animated as they each took solo parts and were together on the chorus. The audience loved the reworking of the words and were quite appreciative with their applause, which the boys acknowledged with big smiles.
"When I heard that the lads were going to do 'The Geographical Fugue' by Ernst Toch2, I was intrigued. I haven't heard that performed for years and certainly not by folks as young as these boys," the choral director said, to introduce the next number.
It was clear that he had talked to the boys beforehand, as he knew the piece and he told us some things about the composer and that the boys had altered the words to Canadianize it. They had replaced Trinidad with Winnipeg.
Sean cued the boys and they started into a fast-paced intricate spoken 'song'. The boys hadn't been kidding us that what they were reciting at the dinner table for the last week was the actual 'song'. It was one of the most unique performances I had seen for quite some time and the audience loved it, partly because the boys were hamming it up and also because of how well it was done.
"You boys never cease to amaze us at what you come up with," Dana said, as she put her arms around the two of them, much to their chagrin.
Charles and Stéphane were also getting lots of praise from their parents.
"And you Miss Morgan are quite the young lady. Not only are you a star hockey player, but you play a mean cello," I said, as Melissa was beaming as her mother and father were giving her big hugs.
The concert had us in a great frame of mind and the news we heard the next week continued in that positive vane. On Monday, Dénis called to tell me that Mr. MacDougall's attempt to keep me out of the rink, or any other in the province, was not successful. There were enough reasonable people on the OMHA executive that were not in agreement with Mr. MacDougall and they vetoed his motion. They still weren't willing to revisit the arbitrary ruling about me taking the team from the ice, so I wasn't able to coach the boys.
The team was able to function though, despite my absence and the boys were responding well to Mark and Rickie. Carson, after the initial two games of my suspension, started to play to his full potential and he was becoming more self-assured once again. We had lost both games by a close score and I didn't want to criticize Mark or Rickie, but they had made a couple of tactical coaching errors that likely would've made the difference.
I was in the stands watching the next game with Dana, John, Susan and Garth, when Dénis came and sat down next to me.
"This is very hard for me not being with the boys," I said.
"You may be back before you know it," he said, with a smile.
I quizzed him as to what he meant, but he was being very coy. I knew something was up, but he wasn't going to tell me.
"I think you can start putting together your plan for the next practice."
The next morning I got a call shortly after 9 am. It was Dénis and he wanted to know if I had read the paper, particularly the sports section. There was an article about the OMHA reconsidering their decision and in a special meeting that took place the day before, they voted unanimously to rescind their original ruling about banning me from coaching.
"So how did you manage this, Dénis?" I asked.
He told me that he had made a call to one of his CEO friends, who happened to head a corporation who was one of the major corporate sponsors of the OMHA. His friend wasn't aware of the controversy and when Dénis gave him the background as to the reason for the sanction, he was very concerned.
"I didn't have to point out how the optics of racism would reflect on their corporate image," he said.
He told me that his friend was very unhappy with the OMHA's inability to deal with the original problem and how sanctioning me for standing up for what was right was not the image they wanted to portray. Apparently he was so unhappy he contacted the other companies that were sponsors and as a group they relayed their concerns to the OMHA executive that they would pull their financial support if they refused to correct the problem.
"Apparently it was a very 'spirited' discussion that lasted almost an hour, yesterday. You'll probably be getting a call from your 'friend', Mr. MacDougall, sometime this morning."
Shortly before noon the call came in. Mr. MacDougall informed me of the change in my status and that I was going to be allowed to coach the team. I could tell that he was restraining himself and that he was very angry at having to eat crow.
"Thank you for the information, Mr. MacDougall. However, this isn't the end, as I said before. I'm still going ahead with the lawsuit and I won't rest until you're gone, that referee is sanctioned, the other coach and offending player are suspended and the executive agrees to address their woefully inadequate racism policy."
The boys were very happy when I showed up for the next practice and told them the news. Since it was February, we were getting into the playoffs soon and everyone was happy that I was back.
"This coaching teenage boys isn't so easy," Mark Depew said, as he chuckled. "Both Rickie and I are glad to hand things over."
Over the next week, things got back to normal as we won our next game with me behind the bench. Fang and his family were happy that the controversy had resolved itself so positively in our favour and that Fang was still part of the team.
"Burgs, I settled the lawsuit today. They met your conditions and between our threat of litigation and the impending investigation by the Human Rights Commission, Mr. MacDougall resigned and the referee has been suspended for the rest of the season and forced to take sensitivity training before he will be reinstated," Ray said, as he called me at the end of the next week.
He also told me that the Human Rights Commission would be putting pressure on the OMHA to come with a blanket policy that would apply to all minor hockey organizations under their banner, once their fact-finding was complete.
"You and your boys are forcing me out of retirement, Al. I wasn't this busy when I was practicing," Ray said, with a hearty laugh.
1Manitoba (sung to the tune of Oklahoma)
Thanks to Gordon Klopfenstein
Manitoba, where the spring don't come until July
And in Churchill beware, because of bear
And the black flies swarming in the sky.
Manitoba, where warm summer air smells so sweet
But one must breathe fast 'cause it won't last
It will soon be gone up in Flin Flon
We know we are stuck with this land.
And this land's is more than we can stand.
So when we say, "Eh, it's cold in Manitoba."
Manitoba, oy vey!
2The Geographical Fugue
Ernst Toch
Winnipeg!
And the big Mississippi
and the town Honolulu
and the lake Titicaca,
the Popocatepetl is not in Canada,
rather in Mexico, Mexico, Mexico!
Canada, Malaga, Rimini, Brindisi
Canada, Malaga, Rimini, Brindisi
Yes, Tibet, Tibet, Tibet, Tibet,
Nagasaki! Yokohama!
The McMichael Gallery in Kleinburg