I just saw, on the way in to the word-processing part of this laptop just now, a headline purporting to quote Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. It went like this:

Canadians have yet to grasp the amazing work done to save Fort McMurray

Did he say that?

I hope he didn’t phrase it exactly that way.

Because if he did, he’ll regret putting it quite

like that.

We have “yet to grasp”?

Canadians have “yet to grasp”?

Excuse me?

So, I take it, Mr. Prime Minister,

YOU’VE “grasped it” and ALL THE REST OF THE COUNTRY

hasn’t?

Excuse me?

As in,

YOU’VE

understood something

and

ALL THE REST OF THE COUNTRY

doesn’t

and

hasn’t

and

couldn’t

?

In other words,

There’s you.

On the one side.

School-teacher-with-good-hair-and-quite-a-photogenic-face-whose-dad-was-once-Prime-Minister

And then

There’s every single other Canadian

On the other?

I see.

Is that how you put it?

Is that how you see it?

I hope not.

Because if you did, it’s not so good

For you.

If that’s what you said

(Maybe you didn’t.

Perhaps this news service lies.

Can’t always trust these headlines.)

If that’s what you said,

Then

That might be how it goes.

There might be you,

On the one side,

And every other Canadian

On the other.

(I’ll be with the Canadians.)