One day at a weapons shop I met a man selling bricks
For money he offered some swords
But I really wanted some figs
Like others he thought I was odd,
But before the weapon shop I could leave
He said “I can help you I believe”
Bricks, Figs, you shall find
Swords, Rings you can get
You must now open your mind
And get down to St. Thor’s Market
There were stalls selling rings
Gems in many shades
There were even stalls selling wings
People here and there of different trades
Before I could open my mouth
I was greeted by a peculiar lady,
She shouted “For you I have Figs”
I couldn’t help thinking she might be quite shady.
“But how did you know?” I asked,
“Do you want them or not?” she did say.
Silently, the figs she passed.
Then vanished before I could pay.
What a clever story this is, Uditi!
It is like a fable or perhaps like a riddle from my youth. It also has so many aspects of storytelling I greatly enjoy. I wanted so much to travel to that market with rings, bricks, and swords. I then wondered about the figs from the “shady” lady and wanted one more stanza to find out if they were poisoned.
Is this based on a real market? I looked up “Saint Thor” and found an article with the title, “The ‘Saint’ Who Chopped Down Thor’s Sacred Tree” and found a reference to 8th Century Germany. Your poem took me many places, and I enjoyed the whole adventure.