And at county active fairs
Young girls buy ribbons
For their hair.
And old men boast of
Half-made truths
Of daring younger years.
It’s the end of summer here
Amber, yellow, brown and green.
The plowman moves through
Rows of corn.
Shadows lengthen and recede.
Auburn hair of dashing ace
Flirtatious swing and
Great Grecian face.
Of the never-changing
Playful pair
At perennial county fairs.
Through the passages
Of aging space
Through the corridors of rhyme
Through the tremors of
Forgiving tears
Of carousel and
Ferris time.
And at county active fairs
Young girls buy ribbons
For their hair.
And old men boast of
Half-made truths
Of daring younger years.
—Norman Brahm
This article appears in September 2016.
