Street Fair By Diane Lee Moomey

Street Fair
     – the trader speaks

We’ll pitch our tents by light of sun or moon—
in every land on earth we show our wares,
white canopies above, at dusk and noon. 

We’ll drive our SUV’s all afternoon,
arrange our coolers, tables, benches, chairs—
we’ll pitch our tents by light of sun or moon

to bring you terra cotta, cast the runes,
sell wooden toys, crocheted and knitted squares—
white canopies above—at dusk and noon.

Across the aisle, a woman sells balloons
and puzzles, wooly sheep and teddy bears—
she’d gladly pitch her tents upon the moon!

Another draws the people as cartoons,
a chocolatièr has samples that he shares—
white canopies above—at dusk, at noon.

In times of plague and war we ask this boon,
O Queen Bazaar, and hope you hear our prayers:
preserve our canopies at dusk and noon,
please bless the tents we pitch beneath the moon.

Diane Lee Moomey is a painter and poet living in Half Moon Bay, California, where she is co-host of the monthly reading series, Coastside Poetry; her work has appeared in Light, Think, The MacGuffin, PoetryMagazine.com, Mezzo Cammin,and others. She has won prizes for her sonnets in the Ina Coolbrith Circle and in the Soul Making Keats Literary Contests. Her newest collection, the chapbook Make For Higher Ground, is available at Amazon and at www.barefootmuse.com.