[Joe Crocker]

Hi Jim,

Yes the map is key. It opens up the future and spreads out the places you might go and what could happen on the way..

Marriage isn’t explicitly mentioned but there is a wedding cake, a bed and confetti. And kids do turn up and disappear again.

The piste-makers might be thought of as the heavy lifters, those pioneers that went before us, and those who keep it (ski resorts, society, life) all working and to whom we should be grateful.

But the poem is mainly about skiing!

I realise I haven’t done much with it in response to comments. I had hoped to shorten it and maybe clarify. I think I am least satisfied with S9, the one with the “Lean out, look straight, and make your fate your own” which sounds uncomfortably close to Jordan Peterson’s “12 Rules for life”. Hmm. I did try deleting some bits, but I don’t think I have made it any better yet. So, I may stop torturing it and just let it rest for now.

Cheers

Joe