Night At The Fair Poem by Andrew Dabar

South Carolina May
At tree frog end of day
We waited in line
For the Clementine

Stomped the metal foot ramp
Past the carnival tramp
Who lusted again
With a gap-toothed grin

At the dress off her shoulder
His comments getting bolder
A long salacious stare
As if I wasn't there

He reached to grab our ticket
I thought that I might flick it
When landing on the grass
I'd kick him in the ass

Down he bent and over he went
Thus ending his shift with a splint
But it was all in my mind
We boarded the Clementine

High in the air where no one could stare
Above the tall trees of Hampton Fair
Sneaking sips of Barefoot Merlot
Sharing dreams her face all aglow

Fast faded then those cotton candy skies
Pink as her lips and bright blue as her eyes
Spun like hot sugar and liquefied
Scent of sweet breath whenever she sighed.

The Ferris wheel brought us back down to the ground
Dizzy with love we kept circling around
An unspoken question long after dark
Just before midnight when closing the park

At the last concession stand I asked for her hand
Placed on her finger a fifty-cent wedding band
Earned after three failed attempts on a claw crane
And walked arm-in-arm down the darkening lane
___________
Andrew Dabar