County Fair

County Fair





Bright colors waving in the air
delight the waiting children's eyes,
incite imagination's flair,
invite the sound of joyful cries.

Files of gawkers fill the park;
trials of skill and strength abound.
Miles of walking until dark;
aisles of mirrors to confound.

Corn freshly popped, apples of red,
adorn the midway's gaudy stands;
warn of stomach aches ahead
borne on sticky little hands.

Replete with every game of chance,
deceit shines in the hawker's eyes.
"Beat me," he says with just a glance -
defeat comes as no surprise.

Sheep and cows and pies and bread
reap the glory, ribbons bright.
Asleep, the toddlers nod their head,
deep in dreamland for the night.

Blue to black, the day is past,
debut the stars that now appear.
Hue and cry fades at long last.
Adieu until the fair next year!



Notes
An entry in "TRADITIONAL POETRY CONTEST"  [13+]

Originally written as:
Day 2 entry in "Rhythm & Rhyme Poetry Challenge"  [E]
Prompt: Image
Form: Lento (Triple with double rhyme )
A Lento consists of two quatrains with a fixed rhyme scheme of abcb, defe as the second and forth lines of each stanza must rhyme. To take it a step further, but not required, try rhyming the first and third lines as well as the second and forth lines of each stanza in this rhyming pattern: abab, cdcd. The fun part of this poem is thrown in here as all the FIRST words of each verse should rhyme. There is no fixed syllable structure to the Lento, but keeping a good, flowing rhythm is recommended. For an added challenge, one may write a four-verse Lento and call it a Double Lento, or a six-versed Lento to become a Triple Lento.

Thank you for taking time to read my words. I would appreciate it if you took a moment and left a comment. Your reaction, impressions, criticisms, - yes, even praise - are all equally welcome.

Ken