Sarah CR Clark
At the Year’s First Outdoor Farmers Market
Spring is exploding with asparagus
In the North, winter’s menu has finally expired
Now old men dive into buckets of red rhubarb
Sun-starved and ravenous for fresh pea pods
We trade winter’s northern menu for
Baskets of living mizuna, arugula, spinach
Overflowing pea pods flirt with thawing senses
I am seduced by radishes
Dizzied by deep baskets of leafy green
Piles of wild ramps tamed across table tops near
Yet more radishes
And the spring wind’s whispered promises
Emerald and crimson garlicky ramps in my hand and
Women too now bury themselves in rhubarb
The rushing warm winds of
Spring and its exploding asparagus
Sarah CR Clark is a writer and former Lutheran pastor living in Minnesota. She is a winner of the St. Paul Sidewalk Poetry Contest and has published poetry in the St. Paul Almanac; newspaper articles in the Park Bugle; and theological writings with Augsburg Fortress Press. A certified Master Naturalist, she can often be found adventuring with her family near Lake Superior.