Summer Pop-Up Book Sale at The Burl
Saturday afternoon and shoppers browse tables
piled high with fiction, history,
and biography, rows of books
ready for reading while buyers
consider a Liquid Sword, Colossus, or Drifter.
Traffic cams of the No Kings protest
flicker on the phone. Balmy breezes
drift through the repurposed garage doors.
American tunes pop through the speakers.
Customers sip, talk books, their dogs
in tow. A slow moving train crawls
down the tracks, most of the cars
heavily graffitied.
7 thoughts on "Summer Pop-Up Book Sale at The Burl"
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This poem itself is a fine snapshot, but thanks for also including the snapshot. I don’t agree with people who say that a picture is worth a thousand words. I think your words capture the scene better than the camera, because your poem is omnisensual, giving us the feel of the breeze and the sound of customers slurping coffee that I can almost taste. Good job.
That last image of the slow moving train with the graffiti is awesome. I can see it, feel it, and hear it moving along the tracks.
Another fabulous write, Gaby. I just love that you’ve been sharing these with us this June.
I love this. Your language focuses on the senses and invites us to be there, to hear, smell, feel, see and touch. The peace of a pop-up used book sale is what we all need. Thank you for sharing the moment.
Immediate thought., just as Tom, Gaby this is photorealism. Truly enjoyed the vignette.
I love the detail and balance here. There is something that ties the specific names of “consider a Liquid Sword, Colossus, or Drifter…” with the ending “A slow moving train crawls/down the tracks, most of the cars/heavily graffitied.”
Your photos add to the writing and vice versa! thx for sharing
Your poems are a piece of history and pop culture combined!