Ladies day

Street-market at Ptolemaida, 

Western Macedonia, Greece

 

Remember the market-place that spring day?

One of those brilliant, bee-heavy mornings – 

hectares of poppies and camomile meadows

dancing away from the road, and in town, 

arcades of market-stands, vivid with merchandise:

lingerie trimmed with red plush and red satin;

luscious aromas of sun-ripened strawberries;

the sharp tang of mint, oregano and thyme;

feta as white as the trousseaus of brides,

contrasting with ruby-dyed carpets and slippers;

syrup-drenched pastries and casks of black olives;

phials of rich oil glinting gold in the light;

fibrils of saffron – costly and fine; 

carmine of rough Macedonian wine.

 

We fingered embroideries, scoffed

punnets of berries, and wistfully laid the red 

undies aside – mindful of those who might

eye them askance – before boarding the bus

with our flasks of cheap wine.

  

for Janet L.