Writer's Excerpts

Personal Treasures

by Dorianne Emmerton

published in TOK: Writing the New Toronto - Book 6

I have to move. I have to move both myself and my treasure chest out of Parkdale.

I knew my time here was limited: I knew it the first time I saw a café where a cup of coffee cost over two dollars; I knew it when the condominiums started going up. My last apartment was going to be renovated when they turned the dive bar below it into a swanky lounge. It must rent now for twice as much as I paid, as it’s right on Queen. So I moved to the tenements on Jameson. It will be at least a couple of years before they convert this stretch of street into a place with class. But I don’t have years to wait.

The construction to eliminate the Dufferin Jog has restarted. It was dormant for so long that I had been simply going about my business. Now that the machines are in motion, my business is to rescue my belongings from the path of excavation and move to a different part of town.

I do not want to go up to Jane and Finch. It’s so far away from everything.

To read the full piece, purchase TOK: Writing the New Toronto - Book 6