crisscrossing
we made tracks & arrived late
to the swap meet
trading cheap seat tickets
for seed packets
exotic fruits
& wildflowers
—some plane jane vegetables
the vendor thanked us in his native tongue
a melody of syllables ending in bless you
we nodded & acknowledged by saying
we’re but mere mortals
and then off we went
to the nearest ATM machine
june two thousand twenty-four
copyright j matthew waters
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