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we walk casually in
the brisk Fall air
past market vendors
selling their wares
greeted by….yes!
the smell of lilies
fragrant from the
flower stalls vendors
moving forth like a
well-oiled machine
albeit STICKing
at times in the
flow of the crowd
always unseen
the smell of fish
a Fish Monger is
shouting out
“FRESH SALMON!
FRESH TROUT!”
SOOOO many sights
SOOOO many smells
BOMBard our senses
fresh spices for sell
cinnAmon___HMMMMMMM
honey from the hives
all flavors to delight
we move past ARTisans
jewelry gleaming
watercolor canvas
of hats and scarves
multicolored WeaVing
the music from
street MUSICians
float genTly to our ears
breathy jaZZ clarinet
guitar oldies as
we weave and steer
we move outside to
the OTHER side a
CoBbLeStOnE street
to mingle with
another crowd
never stopping to greet
to offer up some of “OURS”
to the man rummaging
through a garbage can
do WE__do THEY sEE him
disparaging in the cold
do WE__do THEY lOOk
right through him
regardless
of his soul
the fruit vendor YELLS out
“TRY SWEET ASIAN PEARS HERE!”
offers them to passerby
smiling and with cheer
while the man continues
his search for food
aware he is on the FRinge
feeling he isn’t welcome
where the fruit
overflows the bins
we walk on by
taking home our wares
to sleep in a coZZZy bed
i wake in the shower
to vanilla scented soap
his image still in
my HEAD
© October 2012
Renee Espriu
Went to the Seattle Market today and love that there is so much to see, so much to do, but the stark contrast of the world, in which we live,
hit home on this day.
reneejustturtleflight.com 
Renee, I hear you on this one, loud and clear … It is probably one of the things I love about where I live, there are no homeless. I believe it has to do with the extended family unit here in Mexico. However, you can go to DF and see young children living in the street. I understand that is because of the metropolitan nature of the area. It is quite a contrast to here and most areas of Mexico, that I am familiar with. Heart wrenching write.
Pamela
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I think you are right, Pamela. The extended family unit is very close and not all over the place such as we are in the US. I worry about retirement, actually, as my adult children are finding it hard enough to take care of their own so hopefully it will all work out. Sad to see children homeless and I do think it is more noticeable in other countries than in our own. Thanks for your comment.
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very cool…love how you share your time at the market with us…the sounds, scents…street musicians, vendors, homeless…i could really see it all.. thanks for taking us along…smiles
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Thanks Claudia! I was hoping you would like it. I’m trying to write so things flow more smoothly. You have such a knack for it. I quite like to see what you will write next.
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The gap between the have and have-nots is growing wider and becoming so much more apparent by the day. Even in the west it is growing into huge proportions now. Sad that from such a busy day of sights, sounds and smells, you were left with that image but, so good that you acknowledge it.
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we have so much, yet we hesitate to share with those who are visibly in desperate need of them.
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I want so much for them all to have a place, family, food but once they get on the streets for whatever reason it is hard for them to move forward. We have lots of programs in place for them but so many hesitate when it comes to the system. It is hard to give to so many so I have to keep them in my heard instead.
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I hope some day we will live in a world where like birds every human being will have a nest/home to live in.
shubho bijayadashami! May all the blessings of the divine mother shower down on you and your loving, beautiful world.
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Thank you my friend. Blessing to you as well.
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your poem indeed hit me,
So often we do feel this difference and wish there was something to do about it. Its a collective task. but guess we all can do our bits !
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So true. I have given something once in awhile but with so many out there unfortunately I can’t give to all and so give them my prayers instead. Thanks for visiting.
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Friends just returned from the Pacific Northwest … they spent time in Victoria, Vancouver and Seattle. They loved the sights and sounds of all three, but were taken aback by the number of teenagers that were homeless in Vancouver … the dynamics of this transient scene is forever changing.
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It is bad and has gotten worse since the economy took a dive and so many are out of work. I ride a light rail downtown every day to work and there are always the homeless riding too, to go to the mission or other places that hand out food. I would like to be able to give something to them all but then you realize how many there are and just pray it works out for them somehow.
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Just getting back in the groove of blogging again, Renee. It was slow getting me back online but I didn’t mind that much…my granddaughter is my new love for now. I love this one, Renee. I could see all the sights and sounds of the market and then was surprised to read of the man digging through the garbage bin. That sight would have stuck in my head too. You bring home so well the disparity between so many. I always think to myself how it just shouldn’t be that we have people foraging for food in this way…we are a nation who wastes so much…
Beautifully done, Renee..as always my friend.
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Thank you for visiting and I so understand about the grandbaby. It must be somewhat of an adjustment for you to live in Florida..or have you lived there sometime before? Anyway, I love the market and cannot ever get enough of it during the good weather. I have no more little tiny ones now as the youngest is four, my little man named Kade, and how smart he is. Glad you are loving her so much.
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You’re so welcome. I was born and raised in Orlando and had been living there for many years. I’ve just moved about 90 minutes away to the east coast of Florida to Sebastian. The Indian River and Atlantic ocean are both very close by. Pretty much the same old Florida I’ve always known.
Mira is my new best friend! 🙂
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I had the feeling you were moving from another
State but it appears not. So glad Mira has you for her friend…and grandmother. How wonderful is that! 🙂
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P.S. It looks different over here…doesn’t it…nice.
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Thanks Gayle. Changed it up on the background color and the color of the font and the font itself. By the way, my oldest daughter had her surgery today to remove three surgical clips left by a surgeon 14yrs ago and is doing well. She is the one with Lupus and it turns out that these little bugger are made out of stainless steel and a mix of other aloids, among them nickel, which she is allergic to. We are hoping her health will improve now and she will be in less pain. They were in her groin and touching nerves and whatnot. She never knew they were there until an xray revealed them recently.
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My goodness, Renee…what if those things were causing her body this trouble for all this time. I have a reaction to nickel too…makes my skin itch. I so hope that she will have improved health and wellbeing after her recovery. My best to her…and you.
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Removing will not entirely get rid of her pain issues as she does have Lupus and now on top of that the nerve damage that was done will remain but the inflamation is gone and that is huge so hopefully she will have an improved quality of life. She says she can live with a certain amount of pain but the inflammation the clips caused caused the pain to be so much worse and she has been so sick for a long time now. We are very hopeful of improvement and only time will tell.
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I’m just wondering if the clips and the subsequent irritation somehow brought about her autoimmune problems. I always look for the connection with these kinds of things…
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I wish but no, she began being ill at the age of 13. The year her skin all turned purple and fell off in stages we knew something awful was wrong but Lupus is difficult to detect and wasn’t diagnosed until 10 years later. She’s a strong young woman. We all have auto immune quirks in my family so it just hit her worse than the rest of us. I have Fibromyalgia as does my brother and now my granddaughter. We all are allergic to something or the other….foods, pollen, dust, mold, mildew, drugs. You name it and we are probably allergic to it. I never have flu shots and am wheat and gluten and lactose intollerant. All this, a legacy from my mom, bless her soul. Thanks so much for your kind thoughts.
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I absolutely love going to farmers’ markets and such and you have caught it here beautiful … all the sights, sounds, scents. Wonderfully done.
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I’ve never been to the famous one in Seattle though.
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Renee, you painted a Lively image with your words and created the aroma’s that went with your visit to the market, from the flowers to the fish monger, .. I just wonder who else could see so much including the homeless person rummaging in the bins,
Yes we are so lucky in our own world of cosy beds and full stomachs… Our lives always rich compared to some we may find…
As always Renee, your thoughts reach out to ALL as you SEE so much more than most..
Thank you
Sue
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My interest in people have been life long. Not that it means much these days to have but I have a BA in Sociology, the study of people, and I never am ceased to be amazed at the complexity of human nature and how they adapt to the world around them. Thanks as always, my friend.
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