Wednesday, June 19, 2019

Araber

Here comes the araber across the cobblestones,
slow as a rolled coin.
Here comes his horse, his cart, his bellowing cry:
Blueberries!
Strawberries!
Sweet persimmons!
His wagon is laden with fruits round and ripe.
His call is laden with sung notes stretched:
Bluuuue BERries!
Strawwww BERries! 
Plumsandblack BERRIES! 
The sky is pale blue, the few clouds puffy white.
Delicious ORRRanges!
The day is hot. His horse is stoic. 
I wonder if I have a nickel
or a dime?

There is no araber, nor cobblestones either.
His horse and his wagon 
gone to dust and kindling.
I hold a plastic tub wrapped with cellophane in my palm.
Ed Sheeran leaks from a speaker somewhere in the ceiling,
bleating about being in love with some girl's body.

"Hey...what's wrong?"
My shopping companion gives me a friendly little bump.
I tell her:
"Strawberries...
blueberries.... 
plums and black...berries."
She is used to me, and kind.
When we leave, the sky is pale blue, 
the few clouds puffy white,
the back wheel of our basket spinning and clattering 
all the way to the car.
______

for this.

 

6 comments:

  1. Straawwwwberries. This brings back memories of a horse drawn wagon that made the rounds selling produce in our neighborhood. I loved the cries ofvthe man and the sadness of the wagon and horse all gone to dust.

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  2. A poet's heart finds poems everywhere. This is lovely and sad. I love the way you take us from the araber, to the long-gone wagon, to the present with your shopping companion giving you a friendly bump. Love the clattering cart wheel.

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  3. Different wheels, different delivery... Yes, I love the transition from araber to Ed Sheeran singing anything but fruit. Love this piece.

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  4. I could hear him calling. And the Ed Sheeran bleating made me laugh. I just got back from Wal-mart, of course.

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  5. From cart wheels to shopping cart wheels. Oh how times have changed. Love this!

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  6. Getting our fruit definitely has changed! This is absolutely womderful Shay!!

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don't be stupid.