A Visit from the Claw

Speaking of the night before Christmas, the following little ditty is the most creative play on the poem “Twas the Night Before Christmas” that we’ve heard in a while. Princeton resident Steve Hiltner read it at a recent borough council meeting.

A Visit from the Claw

Twas the month before Christmas, when all through the town,
The streets were chocked full of great mounds of brown–
Yardwaste and tree limbs, dumped without care,
In hopes that the street crew soon would be there.

The kids, how they wished they could jump in a pile
Of leaves dry and crisp, where they’d linger awhile.
But all dreams were dashed! Their dad called a halt
To such thoughts of venturing near the asphalt.

The streets had become so exceedingly narrow,
That bicyclists mixed with the cars at their peril.
The street drains were clogged, the rains made a river.
I watched this insane spectacle with a shiver.

When just down the way there arose such a clatter.
I sprang to the door to see what was the matter.
From round the next corner at once there appeared
A caravan that was demonstrably weird.
(click to continue reading..)

Leaves and brush, a perennial Princeton topic, was on Princetonians’ minds even more this season in the wake of Hurricane Irene and the October snow storm. Steve and others on the Princeton Environmental Commission have been trying to encourage residents not to put their leaves on the curb for pick up, but instead to see them as an asset and use them in the yard. The environmental commission put out a brochure called Princeton’s Guide To Leaf Management that lists several tips for leaf management.