Vancouver was never prepared for snow
and I was never prepared for you.

to be sure, I salted the roads
fitted my thoughts with winter tires
and memorized the emergency codes
and sat myself by the fires

but here I am, stranded in my head
shivering from my imagination
into which you tread
god I need a vacation

but if I see tropical waters in their perfect blue
I’ll remember what we said
as jade-tinged waves crested and seagulls flew
and from paradise I’ll have fled

back to traffic jams and black ice
my face red from the cold
(or is it something else?  but I’d think twice
about having that thought told).