Morning in the Market
Children race across the square
hair flowing, skirts blowing.
Shopkeepers lower their awnings
and bring out their wares.
An apple falls from a cart,
bumping along the cobblestones,
evading the children as it tumbles
between a vendor’s legs.
Old women file into the square,
some with aprons, some without.
Kitchens await their return
with breads and meats for the day.
The air buzzes with conversation,
prices questioned, gossip shared.
Mid-morning finds the carts half-empty,
breads arrayed to fill the spaces.
An apple rolls from beneath a cart,
cool from lying in the shade.
Sunlight glints on red,
and the children spy their quarry.
The bustle lessens, somewhat,
the shoppers finding fewer choices.
A reminder of the mid-day meal,
the sun shines high overhead.
The day’s fare nearly gone, now,
the last remaining vendors close up.
Plans already set in motion
hint at tomorrow’s activity.
An apple lies, half-eaten,
the game long over.
The taste of nearby orchards plays
on the tongue of a laughing child.
This is my response to the prompt To market, to market!, from Sarah at dVerse.
Image source: Wikimedia Commons – Market Scene, by Pieter Aertsen
Ken G.
