Wow! Amazing how you envisioned the fair.

Lovely

Steph

... Now why can't everyone just be happy hippos?! :)) Stealthy use of metaphor here which conjures the seamy side of happy-go-lucky. And sometimes it can be a very fine line. Deceptively smooth writing which cleverly combines the chemistry of adrenalin: fight and flight are two sides of the same coin. Still and stirred waters are definitely running deep in this one, but I love how you counterbalance the tensions and deftly shift between scenes of chaos and calm. I like your choice of words, too: "everglades" can't be anything but green and tranquil to my mind (don't exactly know what they are, actually!), whereas "lagoons" can be either delicious or dangerous. Those "plucky teeth" are, in truth, choking on their mouthfuls of feathers! :)) xx Karousel Kate xx

This kind of hunger can be very ugly ... extraordinary use of metaphor in this piece and visually sharp and accurate. ~ Elizabeth

Love these images of gluttony and the never-satisfied bloat of the greedy, whether for amusement, vanity, gain or lust(my take, anyway). An alligator's hunger is honest and necessary for survival. He takes only what he needs and digests it for days(maybe weeks). What drives us homo-sapiens? Delightful read!!

Lin

great title-great poem- i thought Coney Island, too.

I've never been a big fan of Coney Island either. Yeah, I prefer the Everglades too.

reminds me of Florida, must be those aligators and everglades...

for some reason, i'm more amused
traversing the everglades

How beautiful. How I can relate, Jude. As ever respectfully I offer you love and peace,

Regis

The unnatural setting of a fair can be more frightening than an alligator infested swamp. My youth can attest to that. Beware of the gum under your shoe.

Ron

Like the day in the life feel in this Jude. Alligators is an apt way of describing the sordid character of hawkers, packmen, peddlers, and pitchmen. Concise and clear insight.

lots more peaceful in the everglades, i am sure!

You know, this made me think back to when I was a kid and my grandfather always brought my sister and I to The Danbury and The Harwinton fairs in Connecticut....and as much as I loved being with my grandfather, I always had this feeling of dread about going...there was just something I didn't like about it.This is excellent, Jude.

WOW. Undone by the power in these lines - well done, Jude.

(((HUGS))) and love, Karla.

Jude,
Grasp and grime, the tawdry unnatural pursuits we indulge in.
John

It is difficult to pretend that the glitter and lights can ever cover up the realities of life for more than a few hours. There are few who are more lonely than a Carnie or a Barker. Days spent scanning the crowd attempting to place those rose colored glasses over our eyes that we not see the greed and deception that surrounds us. That said, I love a carnival and oh how I love all that carnival food...fresh, hot caramel corn in a paper cone, Juicy snow cones and a hot dog on a stick...a temporary lapse into childhood that delivers a reality check a bit later when I must resort to the Pepto Pink for relief. Truly, some time spent observing the marvels of nature will do more for my soul than so many hours spent at the fair. Well stated, Jude, I love this poem. The real entertainment committee resides within.
Take care,
Sherry

Jude, good poem, deep thoughts, great writing.

Cheers,
Dan

hey Robert, I don't care much for fairs either, so for me your verse was very fair, loved it

...masterfully written..I too think nature is much more appealing by far

So ... it was a bad day at the fair? Interesting work, Jude!

Yes I can see where this one origianated in my mind I always had a bit of fear about the crowds and carnies...so many parental warnings about bad men that to see the dark side of a fair was often impossible to ignore.

Fee

OMG! not amusement park or country fair will be that amusing or fair anymore, you have describe a nightmarish day on the Everglades when the fly boat went on gasoline empty, the cell phone telling the battery is dead and around you is a gang of hungry and happy gators ready to jump on board the moment anybody shouts "lunch! ! ! ".

Georg

Animal Planet on T.V. is what of my Favorite pastimes to see!
Jude, such an exemplary poem!
I hope you and yours are "very well" I know, it's been awhile....
Time takes it's time as it spins quickly...
I like the anology of the alligator and people at the fair/etc...
GREAT truth poem!

WRITE ON!
Purple Lady Passion, SHEExooo
Love! Light! and PEACE!

I feel the same way after watching animal planet. Good images and picture words. Keep an eye out for them alligators!
Cheers
Alain

For many years I sold my handcrafted baby items and costumes at big festivals in the Connecticut, Massachusetts area. It was like watching zoo animals all the time. It never ceases to amaze me, how crude, and selfish people can be. I had two women fighting over a baby quilt that I had for sale. In order to appease them, I offered to make another one in a week. That was unbelievable! I liked your poem, and I did get the line skin of sun... I am one of those people that is a sun worshiper, it fuels my energy and makes me feel vibrant.

Take care of yourself, I missed you these past few days.
Peace, love, and light,

Amber "V"

It's hard to believe i've never been to a county fair, Jude, so
I appreciate and enjoy your fair/everglades exchange. Out this way, the fun is watching the shorebirds stalk whatever it is that moves
in the tall reeds--definitely not alligators. -gene.

Fairs can be such dirty, grimy, gluttonous places - nothing like the idyllic childhood images I once carried of the perfect carnival replete with lighted carousel, cotton candy, giant stuffed animals, hand-holding, laughter...what is it within us that we create so far beneath our capacity, mired in the base?

Ahh... glorious Nature wins preference of course!!
~~~ love this line at the unfair: 'filling bellies with the prey of fun and the skin of sun'..
Write On glorious Jude!
xox :-D

Such a truly fantastic analogy,I doubt it could be more perfect.
Sad how we never see ourselves as others do, if we did we'd probably behave much better.Or perhaps many wouldn't;-)Superb poem ,Jude!...ET

Street fairs, block parties, Church feasts all pretty much the same. At least, even with the many gathering a time of relaxing the spirit and freeing the mind to a day of fun in the sun...

Be always safe,
Karen

Hello Jude: I am uncomfortable at fairs too, for some reason. I think I keep thinking of all the manufactured fun (kind of like manufactured disaster of reality shows, quote quote), while there are too many people suffering out there. My God, why can't we be happy with our mansions? Well, because. One gets used to what one has, and always, there is the hunger for more. more this, more that, more sun, more fun, more toys, more action, and of course, more sugar. It's just how humans are. More, more more life! Can you blame us? Well, on the one hand, no. On the other hand ---- well, all I can say is that it used to make me cringe when my parents would put me on a roller coaster and demand big smiles. i hated roller coasters, but more than that, I hated acting happy when i wasn't. But the thing I hate most about fairs is seeing the animals raised as projects, shown off, and then they are slaughtered, or so I understand. Hm. Give me a natural environment any time. The shore birds escaping the alligators, or whatever might be represented by the birds, something that can elude the greedy grasp. Floating uon lagoons of feathered blood is a nice slant/assonance. There is a terror here at the end. And organic is, of course, is quite the contrast to the man made matrix of fairs. Now, there are times I like going to the fair, because it makes kids happy. They have fun. But I'm not sure that there aren't better alternatives out there in nature, not a concrete playground. i'm also afraid of clowns. Good going. And if you don't mind a little comment, I'd call your poem "at the Fair," and then start with Everyone is an alligator or the people are all alligators. I also don't think you need to explain processed meat. But that's just my opinion. Oh also, 3rd from end stanza, why not just say, I'd be more amused.... but again. It's your poem. I like it. I'm not sure what the "skin of sun" means. Well, what do I know? I'm often an alligator myself, to my dismay. I sink my teeth in where they shouldn't belong so always take me with a grain of salt.

I bought you a blue ribbon rosetta, but the alligator ate it! Hoping you'll settle for the tattoo at Hooters next door I put on layaway for you - let's just say what I picked out is filled out and has a mermaid's tail "filling bellies with the prey of fun and the skin of sun" corndog on a stick...is that unfair?

Sage

great imagery here

You capture the scene with perfection. Though I will admit to loving the charm of a county fair, the alligators are a nuisance.

"filling bellies with the prey of fun and the skin of sun." What an excellent line!