Colleen’s weekly challenge poet’s choice.
Merchants on the street
Vivacious and inviting
Draped in eloquence
Buoyant smiles flash behind stalls
Eager hands frisk within stock
,
To touch the velvet skin of fresh apples
So much choice, so many to pick from
To savour the pop and plop of a sample berry
Its bliss, exploding in your mouth
To smell the fragrance of different greens
Chlorophyll delights of every kind
To hold the solid texture of tubers-
bred within the earth
Shapes and shades of every regard
Carrots and yams
Ca-ssava, potatoes
Oh! To sigh from the wistful memories of your dormant senses!
How I miss the market day!
As my order comes,
from who knows where
Disinfected, of its earthen flavour
Nature’s Je-ne sais-quoi
Sanitized away!
Alas, these changing times!
This is remarkable sight. So many good things.
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I’m glad you like this Sadje ππ
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πππ
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So relatable Jude. I also mis my visits to the market to pick up fresh buys. Your words brought out the fruity fragrances alive ππ»
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Thank you Rhadika, I’ve been feeling quite wistful this week
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Ah! This is such a lovely fruity tribute, Jude. Very true of the times. π
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Thank you Kitty, I’m so glad you like itπ
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You are welcome, Jude. π
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π€
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I miss going to the local market. Though they have opened up again, the experience of just not the same these days. Your words took me on a trip down the memory lane π
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I’m so glad they did, I’ve been indoors for almost a week and so I’m becoming quite wistful.
I’ve just passed by your blog, so many things I like. I’ll be reading through tonight
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Oh, I am in love with this piece and the photo. Beautiful, Jude.
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I’m glad you like this Gabriella. I really wanted to share this.πΌπ·
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It’s gorgeous Jude. It really is.
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π€πΈ
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Jude, I feel so much if this myself. I miss the colors and the touch and smells of my market too. I will welcome it back with a smile (k)
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Indeed. I miss it also because I used to enjoy the friendly haggling and random skits of conversation and opinions
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So beautiful poem and yes the changing times and markets too have changed over time. Lovely pictures of fresh fruits and vegetables too.
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Thank you so much ππΎ
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You are welcome dear.
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I enjoy the imagery your words purvey.
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Thank you Lutfi, I’m glad you appreciate this
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I miss going to the market too. Fruits and fragrances… I can feel them through your words.
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Thank you Anisha. And the vibrance tooπΌπ·πΈ
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You make me want to be at an open market seeing all the fresh produce, hearing people, just wandering.
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Thank you so much, I wanted to share my subtle cravings
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I love farmer’s markets and even the street markets in New York City. It is just fun and it is nice to find fresh things.
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It really is, thank you for sharing this πΈπ
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I am also missing the normal and joyful things in life, Jude. A lovely poem, I can smell the fruit.
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Thank you Roberta. I’m happy to see that an open market day is a global activity anyone anywhere can relate to.
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Oh yes.
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Jude, what fabulous tanka prose. I love the subject and your images! I miss the outdoor markets, as well. You know you aren’t required to follow the 5/7/5/7/7 word count on your tanka. You can do a short/long/short/long/long count instead. I can haibun and tanka prose are going to become some of your favorites! β€
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Oh that’s liberating. But I think I prefer the syllabic tanka, it’s just fun to try and make it work
Thank you so much Colleen
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I like the challenge of making it all work as well. π
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Miss the easier times, this is nicely done!
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Thank you Khwahish. It’s always the little things π
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I long for one of those market days when fruit smelled like fruit. Nicely done Jude π
Pat
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Thank you kindly ππΎ
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I miss market days too!! I miss hearing people advertising their products. i miss the life in the market!!
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Glad to see you feel the same about this
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Everything’s so vivid I can imagine it
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I’m glad it has this effect on you, it’s exactly what I wanted to create when I wrote it
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Good Job! B-)
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Ah! sigh. I miss all of it, now, small things matter a lot. Beautiful piece, Jude.
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Bubble? Interesting username you got there.
Thank you so much πΈπ
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Thanks! It is my nickname actually, I started with this, Bulbul- means nightingale, now I decided to use it as my pen name. ππ
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Very nice ππΎ
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thank you, Jude! You are very kind! π
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I miss the market days too! But I’d be disgusted seeing everybody touching the fruits and vegetables these days.
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Haha, some fruits are hard not to touch, especially while checking if they are overripe. Gloves perhaps? And yet it is not the same. Hopefully this storm will pass
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Ahhh Jude this is beautiful…how i wish we could go back to how it used to be..
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Thanks alot Michelle π€. Yes indeed, there are things that shouldn’t change and some that should
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