Ephemeral Fair & Plastic
Posted: Sun Jul 22, 2018 3:06 pm
Ephemeral Fair & Plastic... Maureen Clifford© The #ScribblyBark Poet
Did you know the Annual Fair is on this Saturday?
Can we go Mum? Can we go? Oh please say yes we may.
Can I wear my Orange dress? It’s bright a bright can be
Will we take Toms purple pram? I wonder what we’ll see?
The ground is littered with paper wrappers
and tumbling plastic cups,
straws and polystyrene bowls,
discarded bread crusts –
pecked by fluttering drab brown sparrows
and pigeons...
all amidst the feet of the milling crowd.
Inside the pavilion on white paper wrapped tables
floral tributes are arranged,
and fresh picked plastic wrapped fruit.
Rosy red pippins, downy peaches, Peckham's pears
triumphantly displayed
in all their splendour.
Walk down sideshow alley where garish fibre optic signs
flash and sparkle.
Fortunes told by a Turkish delight,
fluorescent green ghosts gasp and groan entrapped
forever in pinball machines
that rattle and roll.
Wide mouthed clowns grimace as unfeeling people
force white balls
down the red valley between their teeth.
Behind them shelves full of plastic buckets and spades,
lemon yellow teddy bears,
plastic dinosaurs and disney characters...
trifles and trinkets to win.
As starlight slowly breaks through the purpling sky
and daylight departs
in a flash of orange splendour,
tired grizzling children and frazzled adults depart
from the glitz and razzle dazzle
which has entranced them.
Their pockets emptied of gold and silver. Their heads ringing with noise.
Let me tell you it all becomes a little boring after a while
but the kiddies like it – they say.
Plastic windmills whir in the breeze.
Every pram has one – bright orange and purple.
And helium balloons,
also planning their escape.
Did you know the Annual Fair is on this Saturday?
Can we go Mum? Can we go? Oh please say yes we may.
Can I wear my Orange dress? It’s bright a bright can be
Will we take Toms purple pram? I wonder what we’ll see?
The ground is littered with paper wrappers
and tumbling plastic cups,
straws and polystyrene bowls,
discarded bread crusts –
pecked by fluttering drab brown sparrows
and pigeons...
all amidst the feet of the milling crowd.
Inside the pavilion on white paper wrapped tables
floral tributes are arranged,
and fresh picked plastic wrapped fruit.
Rosy red pippins, downy peaches, Peckham's pears
triumphantly displayed
in all their splendour.
Walk down sideshow alley where garish fibre optic signs
flash and sparkle.
Fortunes told by a Turkish delight,
fluorescent green ghosts gasp and groan entrapped
forever in pinball machines
that rattle and roll.
Wide mouthed clowns grimace as unfeeling people
force white balls
down the red valley between their teeth.
Behind them shelves full of plastic buckets and spades,
lemon yellow teddy bears,
plastic dinosaurs and disney characters...
trifles and trinkets to win.
As starlight slowly breaks through the purpling sky
and daylight departs
in a flash of orange splendour,
tired grizzling children and frazzled adults depart
from the glitz and razzle dazzle
which has entranced them.
Their pockets emptied of gold and silver. Their heads ringing with noise.
Let me tell you it all becomes a little boring after a while
but the kiddies like it – they say.
Plastic windmills whir in the breeze.
Every pram has one – bright orange and purple.
And helium balloons,
also planning their escape.
