Stinging Nettle,
Göteborg, January 29th, 2002

with the sweet fragrance of new life
a pretaste of spring:
pale fresh nettles in the hedge
- to be handled with care
because of their sting

Strong winds through the night
had dried up most of the snow in the morning.
And then as I interrupt my code-kneading
to look out the window,
there is more snow coming: just the right place between cold and wet
to make fairytales out of the trees.
Out in the woods
this means interrupted phone lines.

I have also placed a Small Nettle
in the past where it belongs.

I see in my morning paper that Göteborg City Transports are going to stop selling whole-car ad space on the trams - following public opinion as expressed in a survey. And also because of the illogic of pursuing tags and throwups while those who can pay for it can fill the space with visual noise. I'm amazed that the Powers that Be actually care about logic...