-description of a Jewish market in downtown Toronto
It was with puzzled expectation
That I beheld in fascination
Everyday familiar things
From lace to pears to chicken wings
Fish laid out in different ways
All in a confusing maze.
Fresh legs, liver, wings and breasts
Giblets, hearts and backs and necks
Waiting in a big, white cooler
The price is right, it is no fooler!
The eggs are resting on the top
It was the first place I did stop
Then moving on, oh what a sight!
I thought for sure I’d burst outright!
For there in bushels, believe it or not
Were moldy vegetables waiting to be bought
Tomatoes and carrots from some strange source
Sold very, very cheap of course!
The next store really had it’s share
Of odds and ends from everywhere
Dishes, bottles, a fridge and a bookcase
Cluttered together in one little space
Stoves and desks and things on the wall
Old and dusty and messy and all.
As I walked by the chicken stand
The clerk pulled one out with his bare hand
The buyer was pleased and nodded his head
The next thing I knew, the chicken was dead
All plucked and wrapped and ready to go
I realized they weren’t just in cages for show!
Then as I moved down the street
I found some things to be so neat
Rows upon rows of beans and seeds
Corn and wheat to fill people’s needs
Tapioca and linseed flax
Stored in buckets placed on wooden racks
On down the line I found a surprise
A clothing store with reasonable buys!
Panty-hose and suits and shoes
Comforters, rugs, there’s nothing to lose
A good buy lasts for quite a while
Although it’s not the latest style
In one of the shops I sniffed the air
A peculiar aroma was present there
I looked and saw unusual things
And realized I had put on wings
To the West Indies and back again
From different countries came other men.
Fruit stands were in every direction
They had no specific section
Some seemed to be so bright in color
Others clearly were much duller
Many kinds, from the extremely rare
To all the ones we daily share
There were fish of many sorts
Coming in from foreign ports
Smoked or salted, laid on ice
Taken home to eat with rice,
Also cheese, old and new
Limburger, cheddar, gouda, and blue.
Lobsters, clams, and snails for sale
A man was taking from a pail
With a pair of tongs, some crabs for a meal
A paper bag seemed a less than strong enough seal
To keep them from snapping after being bought
And carried home to be thrown in a pot
Fabric, umbrellas, shoelaces, rakes
Sausages, rice, and breads, and cakes
It’s not the cleanest place I know
Nor the most orderly, but even so
People are happy just doing their thing
Although they function on another swing!
Written November 1975
Copyright © 2021 by Terri Art