County Fair

By Brent Engel

Contributing writer

 

The carnival’s back in town

it’s been gone almost a year

we better get to the fairgrounds

before it up and disappears

 

To get the car anywhere close

requires quite the bounty

I do believe we dang near

had to park in another county

 

Dad goes to the tractor pull

while mother critiques the jams

older sis displays her quilts

and baby brother shows his lambs

We entrust our lives to people

 who have perpetual tans

on rides that but a day ago

were parts inside large vans

 

The queen caused a stir

when she won her jeweled crown

It seems she’s not from here

or anywhere around

 

Diets die a greasy death

amid a swarm of calories

Of course, I’ll have fries with that

and cotton candy, please

Give me a lemon shakeup

and sugar atop fried dough

stuff me like a champion pig

until my suspenders blow

 

Mosey over to the grandstand

to catch the motocross races

smile at strange people and

stare blankly at familiar faces

 

Teenagers pout and preen

mixing lust with games of chance

I’m heading for the beer tent

to do the chicken dance

 

Tinkerbell calls my I-phone

She wants me home by eleven

She claims I’ve discovered Hades

I text back: IMN HEVN