Dust is everywhere, gravel and sand
Remnants of the winter, like it they hang on too long.
Potholes and ruts, souvenirs of frost and
Reminders of maintenance put off.
The magpies are here
Grass competing with small remainders of snow
Always the dust
The familiar rattle of a diesel, the whine of a turbocharger
Rattles from truck and trailer as they pass over the ubiquitous rail lines
The trees are still bare
Rail engines call out in the distance
The grey roads are brown with dust
Trucks are everywhere
Pick-ups and ‘hot shots’
The big pickers and oilfield trucks, massive with their cranes and
Heavy front axles
Tractors with every possible type of trailer, especially flatbeds
Yards are still wet, and mud is still the order of the day.
Equipment overflows, as material waits for the ground to firm up enough
To support the weight of the great trucks.
Spring in the gateway to Alberta’s oil country,
A sunny day, as I sit in my truck on the side of 66th Avenue.
And so much dust.
-Edmonton, Alberta
April 23, 2003
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