Word Picture

Word Picture by Kathie Houchens 8-18-12

Peaked tentlets huddle
     along a busy thoroughfare.
Traffic police help the flow of cars
     to side streets and parking lots.
I walk faster as I approach
     the already busy market scene.
          I am not late, am I? 
          8:59 and it opens at 9:00.
A long line snakes out of sight from the peach truck.
     The best available, I am told.
A dollar bin offers over-sized squash
     and over-abundant cucumbers.
Red beets catch my eye and I can't resist.
     Two dollars ninety-one cents, please.
          Wait, I have a penny.
Too early for apple butter.  Come back in the Fall.
Ah, the pervading fragrance of basil.
     I imagine the ratatouille later when it blends
          its savory gift
               with onions, zucchini and tomatoes.
Friendly faces, a familiar voice,
     joining a friend to peruse the abundance,
          a passing chat with a former student,
               a social as well as sensual experience.
Fruits, vegetables, breads, jams and jellies, cheeses
     flowers, and more!
A Farmers' Market Day excites my soul with its
     sights, sounds, tastes, fragrances and tactile pleasures.