28 “On the 32C(ulture) of Eglinton” *** Savitri Persaud is currently a master’s student at the Women and Gender Studies Institute at the University of Toronto. Her research analyzes the intersections between gender, violence, disability, and modernity in Guyana. *** Bathurst Forest Hill Village Posh boutiques litter clean streets Bottega Bertalucci, Segal, Tilli Rose Chartreuse, saffron, carmine silks Of haute couture made for blue eyes alone Throngs of spas fester with the privileged Bissa, Chakra, Franco’s Nip, tuck, pluck sun-scorched skin Coloured hands knead white and wrinkled crocodile patches Sun ripened apricot mist veils The stench of burnt flesh Trophy wives in downward dog At the Village Yoga Not a love handle in sight Thank you Forest Hill Institute of Aesthetic Plastic Surgery Luxury sedans choke narrow streets Mercedes, Porsche, Audi Gleam as daylight kisses candy cherry paint Foiegras tickles and tingles the tongue Hoodwinked by prices Bistro Grande, Fusian, Il Mulino A pinnacle of conspicuous consumption Eglinton West Station The divider of worlds On the same stretch of road CARIBBEAN QUILT | 2011 29 Oakwood Little Jamaica West Indian stores marked by vivid tricolours Rasta Flex, Trea-Jah Records, Zion’s Rasta Green, yellow, red flags billow Through the breeze of ground spices and fresh hassar Barber and beauty shops crowd corners Discount Barber, Just Incredible, Wisdom’s Loud gaffin’ and cackles Resonate throughout dimly lit streets Mary-Jane floats from mouth to mouth Nose to nose A voyage of bliss to heightened highs Mouse-like squeaks of russet fenders Clinging to lemons pierce ears Kia, Toyota, Hyundai Struggle buggies outfitted “in dem rims and tings” Crisp aroma of Randy’s Fills the air of Tuesday Dripping brown grease saturates whiteness I meant white napkins An artery clogs, a pancreas gives out Just a toonie away Scrutinize Toronto’s multicultural mosaic, nay, its bento box On the “Better Way” City of opportunity ceteris paribus