The Frost Fairs
Once, when the Winter was colder,
And the Bridge more wall than hole,
So the River would stall and dawdle
Till the ice had won control.
And a brand new street through the heart of the city was born,
And paved in white,
Where the tents and the stalls and the elephant put their faith
In the Winter’s blight.
For days and days, as the ferries sat idle,
The waters were newly owned –
Though the surface was a rocky road of blocks
That creaked and groaned.
For the tide was never still,
Beneath this temporary town –
Till the breakup happened suddenly,
And dragged the slow ones down.
Yet for a week, the world was changed
For folks of ev’ry class,
As even in the bitter cold,
They’d promenade on mass.
But in the end, the thaw must come,
To even ice that’s strong –
And Midwinter festivities
Should not extend too long.
Rhyming Couplets 