Now as I said, I'm very much currently,
as they say quote "hung up" on the Rocky Mountains
and on the History of the people around the Rocky Mountains.
Calgary was originally a railroad town.
It's now an oil town.
It's not an hour and a half from the Rockies
and it was a place first discovered by the church
and by the police and then later by people
who decided to settle there in coal country, oil and so on.
The most important thing probably though
was that it was one of the points through which
the Canadian Pacific Railway went on its trip across country
and eventually through the Rockies.
In order to make the Canadian Pacific Railroad pay,
it had to be built with almost slave
labor for which many Chinese people had their importation
status problems waived for the time
so that they could be paid practically nothing for pushing
the railroad to the Rockies.
This poem then is called "East to West"
and it deals something with this problem.
One of the descendants of these Chinese
is now an Alderman in Calgary and has just been re-elected.
I wrote this poem two days before the city elections
because I knew he was going to get in,
but I dated it a day after the elections.
It's called "East to West".
"Hold them again Alderman in Calgary.
Smiling celestial of ward action,
a good deal fatter than holing 1883 then legged pioneer.
Young say muscles bent in slave labor to the master steel.
CPR grinding East to West slab after slab
laid down through Rocky Mountains.
Steel bent by will and bending till Vancouver.
And steel pushers left along the track holding in Calgary
houseboy, kitchen help instant adaptability of Cooley brain.
Saving Canadian nickels, buying pioneer
shack later dusty Calgary's first laundry.
Beside Chang, Canadian restaurant, specialty bacon
and eggs served by 15 Chinese waiters.
One of which died old Chang leaving savings
$100 to Presbyterian Hospital with no beds for old Chinaman.
Ho chin, 1931 removed long queue entered Presbyterian Church.
Wheeled Christian punctual vegetable wagon
behind aged Indian horse.
Exploded venerable imported fireworks
along Bow River on his father's new year entered.
Chinese Masonic lodge Chinese nationalist league weekend
ski club.
Ho Lim 1963 pronounces Calgary with no trouble where
as white 10 gallon hat and $100 suit of political advantage
votes for relocation of city railroad tracks."
[LAUGHTER] And that's true.