John Cotton
Selles Market
All life, deception and art are there
Amidst the cheery scents and sweats of bustling crowds:
The Fauve palette of the fruit stalls,
A garish splash in the tide of movement;
The carnivorous oozing reds of meat
Sacrificial on the butcher’s altar;
The fresh minted silver and black
Chiaroscuro of the fish
As they listen to the soft whisperings
Of the oysters in their terraced shells;
A small resonant cloud of bees
Celebrate their release from the miel van
As the driver unloads the golden combs;
The rich fermentations of fromage
And the heady incense of herbs;
The knickers racked on plastic hoops
To display their heroic crotches
To taunt the tight white testicles of garlic;
Huge capacious brassieres eager to brazenly embrace
The warmth of prodigious bosoms;
The flirtatious winking of the imitation jewellery;
The acidly coloured plastic geegaws;
Purse lipped leather bags
Redolent of the hides they once were,
And the flash of sharp slicing knives.
A man could return replete.
Page(s) 16
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