Shakespeare in Toronto

Was Shakespeare’s sonnet 18 written for a man? A woman? We think the subject would be obvious if he were writing in modern-day Toronto.

Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day?
Thou art less lovely and less temperate;
Rough winds do swirl ‘fore each passing subway,
And rush hour trains are far too often late;
Sometime too chill the breeze in tunnel howls
And often do the brakes make awful sounds;
And every route from route sometime detours
By chance or accident we have to go around;
But thy four subway lines still trundle on,
Thy streetcars run, thy buses speed o’er bumps;
Through turnstiles stream the Metropass’d in throngs
And press close ’round the open doors in clumps:
For though we bitch about thee every day,
Thou art the TTC, The Better Way.

Is there another historical figure you want to see visit Toronto? Do you have some thoughts on Will’s rhyme scheme? Tell us in the comments.

Photo by user bberburb on flickr.