Poem: Marketplace

 

Marketplace

 

never but today,

a crossroads of tomb-shaped stalls

with poppies all over them,

floating in a shiny, colorful sky of

packages shaped like crazed genitals.

 

and the carts and drays which clop and  

bubble with gourds and greens

and cascades of apples and ginger and

onions and bananas and sassafras and

all manner of basted snake-oil sheens of

pricetags shimmery.

 

and the dulcimers blooming.

and the barkers extolling.

and the children as shrill and frantic

as oversized parakeets.

 

and the razzle-dazzle of the

fortunetellers and jesters,

show bears and prancers,

casuists and priests.

 

and the burros horselaughing.

and the long wet dog tongues

whiny near the knees of fishmongers

and butchers.  so many

 

barely hidden, spicy needs

aslither under the saunter of chaps and

straps and juts of dresses and chests and

so much sexualized confidence

riding piggyback on a finagle of finances--

squadrons of flag-tongues aflutter,

battling it out with gusto amid a fray of

happenstance and haggle.

 

and the ripe underworld

of envy and secrets and hate so red in

eyeballs yet often coaxed forth by the alehouses.

and the smear of pig guts on aprons.

and the procession of fops and tramps and

wenches and lasses and urchins and middle classers

bolstered by a pale of police.

 

and the savory and yet also sewer scents.

and the gilt wheels relentless to roll and

crush the stiff rats of yesterday’s poison.

and the loud calling from the streeetcorners

of prophets and giggers and

and cryers and hawkers and officials

who decree and declare.  and

the lack of thought and sanity and

the insatiable greed whipping it all,

the merciless gait.

 

 

 

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