The Fruit and Veggie Man

I haven’t been inside a store
For 3 long weeks, or maybe 4,
Yet we are pretty set for food
From staples we’ve before accrued.

Yet fruits and veggies we still need
And though it isn’t guaranteed
That virus germs won’t somehow land,
We buy them from the local stand.

The man in charge stays in his car,
The windows or the door ajar,
Until he sees and comes to greet
A customer across the street.

We say hello and grab a bag
Then what looks good we quickly snag.
We hand him cash – our hands don’t touch
And need no change – just “thank you much!”

The fruit and veggie man’s become
A lifeline, for with every plum
Or cantaloupe or broccoli,
He brings some normalcy to me.
Copyright © | Year Posted 2020


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Date: 4/17/2020 12:36:00 PM
I am glad to know there is some normalcy there; here I have no idea as I am truly not going anywhere and have not for three weeks. This poem had a bouncy way that made me smile - gave me hope of normalcy.
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Date: 4/13/2020 4:48:00 PM
Enjoyed... and almost couldn't believe my eyes: An Ilene Bauer poem where the last line didn't rhyme. (How about 'formalcy?' LOL). Stay well ~ Gershon
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Ilene Bauer
Date: 4/14/2020 5:27:00 PM
well, i thought it did, but after your comment, i decided to switch around a couple of words at the end to make the rhyme seem more obvious. hope it worked!
Date: 4/13/2020 2:33:00 PM
Well penned ilene, good rhyme with nice imagery too. I really enjoyed this telling the plight of getting by each day. Take care and keep well and safe, Blessings,Gordon
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Ilene Bauer
Date: 4/13/2020 4:20:00 PM
thank you, gordon! the only plus about this current crazy world is that there are lots of things to write poems about!
Date: 4/13/2020 1:49:00 PM
A touching tribute to your lifeline! I love your down-to-earth appreciation for his very valuable connection to normalcy - I hope you have been able to bless him with a copy of your poem. Shout out to all those who resume their daily efforts to bring that lifeline to so many. Ilene, you are that lifeline to many with your daily postings. Be encouraged of the value you bring to your faithful Soupies!
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John Watt
Date: 4/13/2020 7:01:00 PM
Ilene, I trust you had a blessed Passover, in spite of social distancing. And thanks for the comment about my avatar; I've been meaning to update it for a while, but had to learn a few things about modern technology first, lol!
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Ilene Bauer
Date: 4/13/2020 4:19:00 PM
thank you so much, john! i should give him a copy of the poem. i'm so appreciative of him being out there day after day. ~ i hope you had a nice easter despite the social distancing... (by the way, it's nice to see your face!)
Date: 4/13/2020 1:49:00 PM
But what about the virus clinging to banknotes? Lasting for days on plastic credit card smearing in machines? Is fresh food worth the risk? Aloha! Rico
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Ilene Bauer
Date: 4/13/2020 4:16:00 PM
the last time i was in a store i had to hand someone my credit card and got totally paranoid. that was over a month ago. with the fruit man, i hand him cash and we don't touch and i make sure i have the exact amount of money, so he doesn't have to give me any change...
Date: 4/13/2020 5:19:00 AM
I'm stocked up on certain foods as well. Each time I shop at the supermarket I get this queasy feeling knowing I will be among hundreds of people who could be carrying the virus! I now buy more frozen veggies and fruit than fresh, though just about all the food we consume has passed through human hands. Worse, many shoppers still ignore the basic rules to protect ourselves from contamination! Your final stanza is my favorite. Good health to you and family. / M
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Date: 4/12/2020 5:21:00 PM
that is awesome, Ilene . When I really think about it, I wonder how we can even trust our food production. I mean, what about where factory workers are touching foods and farmers, etc. And getting drive through food. It can be contaminated if a food worker has the virus and does not clean their hands properly. It just makes me wonder....
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Ilene Bauer
Date: 4/13/2020 4:13:00 PM
yeah, it's a lot to think about, andrea! we just wash everything very well when we get it into the house and hope for the best...
Date: 4/12/2020 4:54:00 PM
what a wonderful service he provides right outside your door, keeps you from going to the shops and risking your health:-) I have to go to the shops several times a week for fruit and veg and milk but try to limit the trips I make. do a big shop about every 10 days for friends who are in their late 70's and 80s and also my wonderful friend chris who was such a support to me when hubby had his cancer surgery:-) hugs Jan xx
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Ilene Bauer
Date: 4/13/2020 4:12:00 PM
it's wonderful that you are shopping for friends, jan - i'm not surprised to hear that! i haven't been in a store in a month; since new york has so many cases, i'm more than a little paranoid...
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