The Mermaid Festival
Clowns Out to Catch Upside-Down Frowns
The Mermaid Festival
A sea of mermaids
gazing, eyes glinting
as they bob up and down.
They've surfaced today
to celebrate, to flash
their colors in spectacle.
With feet disguised
in polyester tails,
tickling the edges
of streets, now rivers;
familiar streets, winding.
The streets that bind us.
Us, neighbors.
Us, community
come together
for the Mermaid Festival.
Ponies in pastels, cars bedazzled,
puppies in costume, the Samba band
plays and glistening skin wiggles.
Pudgy little mer-children
coddled in mothers hugs
squeal with joy,
smiles spreading
as they catch the glint
of my fishing line.
Pole in one hand,
paddle in another,
I cast for a catch.
My balloon, taught, rises,
lifting dreams above.
Imaginations flutter;
I can feel their wonder
dance with glee.
Heads tilt
smiles aloft
"It's a clown!"
