Northern Language Primer

Learn language the Northern way,

Master the nouns you need every day.

     Snow, sleet, squall,

            Wind, warning, watch.

You’ll soon be ready for the compound kind,

These appear daily you’ll quickly find.

     Lake-enhanced, snow-squall, wintry-mix,

            White-out, wind-chill, area-wide.

Should you desire to form a complete thought?

Simply add a verb to what you’ve got.

     Burst, barge, charge,

            Impact, hammer, slam.

An array of messages can be hewn,

Like those one hears on TV at noon.

     Every road will be impacted.

            Travel bans due to blizzard enacted.

Negative and positive advice you’ll hear,

Either way your schedule will be clear.

     No school, no meetings, no driving.

            Stay in, stay home, stay put.

Adjectives give the message some flair,

Place them with nouns so they work as a pair.

     Menacing mix, blustery gusts, ominous outages,

            Hazardous highways, treacherous travel, accumulation amounts.

Meteorologists have mastered the vernacular,

Of the present participle which is quite spectacular.

     Incoming, kicking-up, picking-up, 

            Charging, crippling, firing-up.

Usage and word choice might confuse,

But those from the North are simply bemused.

     Musicians have no part in an organizing band.

             Pockets conceal Arctic air not frigid hands.

Commuters, forecasters, especially highway crews,

Must have understanding of technical terms used.

     Storm prep, road salt, electronic alert,

             Cancelled or canceled, either spelling works.

Omit needless words for effective communication,

The same examples suffice for safe transportation.

     Steer clear of Adams, Lowville, Mexico.

              In winter avoid the Tug Hill Plateau.

Learn language the Northern way,

Master the dialect you need every day.