On Saturday, I went to Moncus Park for the Lafayette Farmer’s Market to sell books. I definitely spent more money on food than I made in book sales, but the spring day was breezy and the park was full of people. A former neighbor stopped by, all grown up and married, hoping for a baby someday, so he bought a book.
A nearby booth had these exotic birds that were pets. They were bright and beautiful, but I don’t remember their breed. I was struck by how they perched and begged for petting.
On the way to my car which was parked a long way from the market, I noticed the new walking path my friend had told me about.
The developers of Moncus Park have been intentional about planting only native Louisiana plants. The reclaimed prairie was full of life.
On my walk I found a sign dedicated to a family that included a beautiful painting and poem by my friend, artist Melissa Bonin. I took a picture of it, then used the image and words in a found poem, prompted by Jessica Wiley and Erica Johnson on Ethical ELA.
Moncus Park Prairie
after Melissa Bonin
sugar harvest sky
lights speckles of goldenrod, cotton weed
tucked inside a worn pocket.
A dragonfly wraps its wispy-thin legs
atop black-eyed Susan’s eye.
Your place is on the gravel path
listening to red-winged blackbirds,
catching buttercup pollen
on the tip of your nose.
Stories smudged on rock
gather for the retelling,
soft laughter of prairie grass
speaking to the wind.
Margaret Simon, draft
Here are more Moncus Park photos:
Reflections on the Teche 