the streets out front
they’re filled with strangers
as the annual gathering begins
it is prairie small town high art
a showcase of community
food and fair ground fun
a contrived chaos
filling main street
from dawn to midnight
shoulder to shoulder
city-dwellers mix
with excited locals
excited to complain
excited to enjoy
just plain excited
and it will end
as fast as it began
we’ll be back to normal
a town that feels abandoned
after 5 pm
a town that feels asleep
just the way we like it
even if we’re won’t admit it.