I'm sure the parking lot will serve a purpose one day.
But last fall, when the great elm trees were being plowed down by bulldozers and black asphalt was poured over the greenery, I was reminded of a song by Joni Mitchell.
Now I admit, the area wasn’t paradise before they put up the parking lot. In fact, my wife and I both agree that it looks quite “organized” now and a little less like a jungle. But maybe that’s just our Western neoliberal views on progress showing through.
From disorder came order... and light! My goodness, the lights! They light up the entire block, not to mention the nursing home that sits just behind it. Residents must have to attach tin foil to their windows so they can sleep through the night.
But I’m sure the lights will also one day serve a purpose. For now, they scare away hoodlums – the have-nots who go around stealing things like tree stakes and light bulbs. There’s nothing like crime deterrence, even if it means keeping lights on all night.
And besides, you never know when someone might actually park there.
Not the workers at the nursing home, mind you. They don’t get to park there. They have a narrow band of parking up against the province’s flagship senior’s home – a deteriorating building that requires replacement before the baby boomers arrive. There’s not even a walkway connecting the two lots. If staff should choose to park illegally (gasp!), they’ll have to walk through a few newly planted shrubs.
The message is simple: Stay on your side and we’ll stay on ours.
Not that I hold it against the authorities. It's their property after all. Property of the Crown, so to speak. Her Royal Highness, if she should ever visit our province again before her death (assuming she’s not immortal), would most certainly welcome a tour of the lot that belongs to her representative of our province, otherwise known as the Lieutenant Governor (that’s pronounced lef-tenant, you commoners).
I suspect the Queen might even forego the gated entrance and park her vehicle there, just to show how she can relate to the common folk.
“I do declare,” she would say, while standing on the highest curb the parking lot has to offer, “this is the finest parking lot in all the Queen City.”
And we would cheer! We would think about all the times the parking lot would be used, like on Canada Day and New Year’s Day and... well, I’m sure they’ll think of more events to hold now that they have the excess parking. No more parking in nearby neighbourhoods, like by our house!
You won’t get any arguments from us. You can’t even imagine how many cars would line our street when a major event (again, once or twice a year) would take place. It was mayhem, with 80- and 90-year-olds crossing the street every which way, all to have some tea with the Queen's representative. One had to assist them endlessly to get safely from their cars to the tearoom and back again. No, I’ll be the first to support a parking lot if it means keeping these royalty groupies off the streets.
And it’s a nice parking lot. Empty, but beautiful.
Indeed, fit for the Queen.
No comments:
Post a Comment