Dunbar the Bucolic
up on Dunbar Street
the barber shops are empty
a guy smokes a joint
and laughs hysterically
at the blank screen of his phone
when asked if the melon is ripe
the girl behind the counter
at the Chinese-Canadian Deli
sniffs the pale green globe,
shakes her head
and pointing to a small beige circle,
says:
this is the melon’s bottom
the melon is ripe,
when the bottom smells sweet.
outside the traffic stalls
on Dunbar Street
Sherry over at earthweal asks us: “Tell us about the places you hold most dear in the corner of the planet where you live. Share them with us; let us see them through your eyes and your words”.
I live just off Dunbar Street and to be honest, the street is more than a tad prosaic, even if the real estate pamphlets call it “bucolic”. But if I don’t put Dunbar in a poem, who’s going to? So these are two slices of Dunbar life. By the way, for some reason, there are more barber shops on Dunbar than the population could possibly need.
Stopdraggingthepanda 
Well it does sound like a vibrant neighborhood.
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Jim, I cant tell you how much I loved this! When I was five and six, I lived in the Dunbar area and went to grade one there. I remember it well. My cousins grew up lower down off Dunbar, with a view of the water………..those were the good old days! Before you had to be a multimillionaire to own a house in Vancouver. I totally enjoyed this poem – and the memories.
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Our streets have many more establishments for hair than they need as well. But here they are social clubs mostly. They will do your hair too, but that’s not the primary function. (K)
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Good point K!
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I don’t see how a place where one is encouraged to sniff the bottom of a melon could be anything other than bucolic!
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What fun. I really enjoyed the bucolic Dunbar Street.
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“Bucolic” is a descriptor of rural places, or what is redolent of the countryside even in a city. Dunbar sounds like such a rural urban place. You liven it well!
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Like this one sir. Same goes with mangoes, if it does not have a smell chances are it won’t eat well
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Thank you, much appreciated!
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