IN MY HOME

HAPPY CANADA DAY to friends and family in the “true north strong and free.” While growing up in Moncton we called it Dominion Day, mindful of how our fellow New Brunswicker, Sir Samuel Leonard Tilley, suggested calling Canada a dominion based on Psalm 72:8, "He shall have dominion also from sea to sea, and from the river unto the ends of the earth." Anyway, that’s our story and we’re sticking to it. By the way, if you’re from Moncton and still call it Dominion Day you probably remember The Bunkhouse Boys, The Bore View Restaurant, Moncton Family Outfitters, Bunny’s General Store, the days when we referred to places as Léger's Corner, Georgetown, and Newton Heights, when Cathédrale Notre-Dame de l'Assomption was the city’s tallest building, and when the subway overpass on Main Street was resplendent in glorious pink. Like the song says: “If home is where the heart is I’ve never been away.”

 I wrote this song a few weeks ago.

 

IN MY HOME

 In my home close to the ocean

There’s a river running by
And the memories of a lifetime
Are the ones that will not die
I know I can’t get lost there
No matter where I roam
For when I am in that city
I’ve already found my way back home

Hear the bells of old St. George’s
Calling everyone to prayer
It’s a Feast Day or a funeral
There is incense in the air
I see people taking pictures
As the tide comes roaring in
And if I try to explain it
I don’t know where I would begin

I took a walk down by the river

Saw the ghost of Molly Kool
She was Captain of her vessel
We never learned of her in school
I wandered back to Main Street
Where I watched the setting sun
And as I heard the sound of music
I knew the night had just begun

When I sing a hymn at midnight

That the angels joy to hear
God comfort me with apples
And the knowledge that you’re near
The busy streets grow quiet
I hear nighthawks in the sky
As I fall asleep I’m smiling
And love is the reason why

 © 2015 Dale Petley (Oklahoma City)