Poem: "Play Off the Energy of the Crowd"
May. 19th, 2026 09:45 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
ysabetwordsmithThis poem came out of the April 2026 ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png)
crowdfunding Creative Jam. It was inspired by comments fromwispfox, chanter1944, and readera under "Walnut Park" (which you should read first). It also fills the "Zinnia" square in my 4-1-26 card for the Flower Fest Bingo. This poem has been sponsored by janetmiles. It belongs to the Shiv and Broken Angels threads of the Polychrome Heroics series.
"Play Off the Energy of the Crowd"
[Saturday, June 18, 2016]
Shiv finally made it out to Lincoln
to take up Boss Blaster's offer
to treat him at the food trucks.
They rode out together and
spotted the swelling crowd.
The activity had spilled out
from the food truck park into
an impromptu street fair.
"What is all this about?"
Shiv said, staring at it.
"Looks like some folks
added to the fun here,"
Boss Blaster observed.
The machine shop had
put out a hand-welded grill
and a tall smoker for sale.
One thrift shop had set up
a table with plastic dishware,
tubs, blankets, and other kinds
of equipment for picnicking
while the other hauled out
a rack of summer clothes.
Someone had brought
a bucket of sidewalk chalk
and some bubble wands
for children to play with.
A girl was selling zinnias
from several big buckets.
Around her, children and
even a few adults were
weaving flower crowns
or bracelets to wear.
The people were smiling
and laughing, so it seemed
like a pretty positive gathering.
The busk stage was crammed
with several people holding
a drum jam, and had also
spilled over into the crowd.
More people filled all of
the picnic tables in the park.
The garbage can closest to
them was about to overflow,
but as Shiv watched, a man
hauled away the heavy bag
and replaced it with a new one.
"This place is really packed,"
Shiv said as he looked at
the nearly solid wall of bodies.
"Yeah, it's been making money
hand over fist ever since the day
I bought it," said Boss Blaster.
"The vendors love coming here."
The crowd ebbed and flowed,
though, and as people noticed
Boss Blaster, they began
making space for him.
The nearest offering was
Chugg's, a beverage booth
whose tall menu advertised
a wide range of choices
including aguas frescas,
flavored almond milk,
lemonades, squashes,
teas, and vinegar shrubs.
Dogs & Hogs had a food cart
selling smoked or dried things
like smoked sausage, various
types of salami and pepperoni,
cocktail weenies, and bacon bits.
One actual food truck stood above
the booths and carts. Soul on the Roll
specialized in soul food, with a range
of healthy and indulgent options.
In a Pickle mostly sold jars of
canned goods, but today they also
had big bowls of Italian giardiniera
and several relishes that they were
selling by the scoop to people who
wanted to put them on a salad
or a sandwich or whatever.
One of the Italian guys in line
wore a T-shirt whose caption read,
Citrus Growers Association.
"Look there," Boss Blaster said,
pointing. "We've got two places
teaching basic lessons today."
Salad Sam had a sign up
reading, Let's Make Salad!
Fast - Easy - Tasty - Fun
No experience required.
Under that was a big poster for
Seven Steps to Build a Healthy Salad
which included greens, vegetables,
protein, grain, healthy fats, dressing,
and flavor boost. Tables created
a kind of assembly line for salads.
Shiv felt kind of tempted, since
he knew Salad Sam was good.
Slappy's Sandwich Shack
had a chalkboard that read,
Let's Make Sandwiches!
Yummy and Portable
Suited for All Ages.
A large poster showed
the steps for making one.
Smaller signs listed
the available ingredients.
One of those read,
You can put ...
barbecue sauce
comeback sauce
garden dip
gremolata
hot sauce
hummus
pemmican
pesto
queso
salsa
steak sauce
tzatziki
vegan dip
... on a sandwich!
Another had a mouth
and a giant Dagwood
alongside the message,
Put AS MANY VEGGIES
as you want on your sandwich.
Shiv really, really wanted
to put pemmican on his ...
and maybe those sprouts too.
"So where do you want
to start?" said Boss Blaster.
"Right here," said Shiv. "Get
a drink and go down the row."
"Sounds good," Boss Blaster said.
The two of them moved through
the crowd to reach Chugg's.
The line instantly broke away
from the front of the booth as
everyone took a step back.
"How the hell did you teach
them to do that?" Shiv said.
"I didn't, they just started on
their own," said Boss Blaster.
"They do it for pregnant ladies
and people with disabilities too."
"What would you like to drink?"
said the man at the booth.
"I dunno," Shiv said. He
hadn't even heard of some
of the things on the menu.
"I like sharp things? And
flavors most folks don't like?"
"One rhubarb shrub, comin'
right up," the man said, winking.
It was delicious, bold and sour
balanced with a little sweet,
and ... was that pepper?
Boss Blaster chose
strawberry agua fresca.
Dogs & Hogs had a lot of
things clearly meant to be
added to salads or sandwiches.
Shiv picked the cocktail weenies
and just ate them with his fingers.
Soul on the Roll wafted clouds
of fragrant steam from the truck.
"Hey, you wanna split the big bag
of fried okra?" Shiv asked as
he turned to Boss Blaster.
"Sure," said the boss,
and bought them one.
The okra was so hot
that Shiv had to toss
the pieces in his hand
to cool them a bit.
They were crispy
outside, soft and
chewy inside, with
just a nip of spice.
In a Pickle had a jar
of giant dill pickles sold
individually, so Shiv got
one of those because
dill pickles would go
with anything else.
Boss Blaster chose
hot giardiniera and
fished the pieces
out of the glass jar
with a bamboo spork.
Shiv gave the menu
one last look and said,
"Hey, does every place
here have a cricket sticker?"
"They should," said Boss Blaster.
"It's not an absolute requirement,
but I favor the ones that do. I don't
allow forks to set up here. Given
how many soups we have, I can't
afford a lack of support for them."
"Yeah, it's pretty much the same
over in Omaha," Shiv agreed.
They moved on to Salad Sam,
where Shiv promptly gravitated
to the big bowl of summer mix.
"What's that purple stuff?"
he asked. "It's not lettuce."
"That's vegetable amaranth,"
said the server, not one Shiv
recognized. "Summer mix also
includes arugula, garden purslane,
Malabar spinach, mustard greens,
New Zealand spinach, orach,
and a little bit of French sorrel."
"Hit me," Shiv said, and she
put a big bunch in his bowl.
Moving down the line, he chose
cherry tomatoes and sweet peppers
for vegetables, tuna for protein,
wild rice for grain, sunflower seeds
for healthy fats, yogurt-herb dressing,
and grated ginger for a flavor boost.
Boss Blaster had chosen mesclun,
added his remaining giardiniera,
and was pouring hot sauce over it.
They wedged themselves onto
the end of a picnic table so that
they could sit and eat their salads.
Shiv pulled out a purple leaf to try.
"This is good," he said. "It tastes
a little earthy and nutty -- minds
me of beet greens, I think."
"Mesclun is more spicy and
bitter," said Boss Blaster.
They scarfed down the rest
of their salads, enjoying
the flavors and textures.
"Got room for a sandwich?"
Shiv asked. "That sounded
like a lot of fun to try out."
"Give me a minute,"
Boss Blaster said,
and flitted away.
He came back in
a lot less than that,
then held out a knife
and said, "I'm good.
You want to sharpen
something first?"
"Yeah, good idea,"
Shiv said. He put
an edge on the knife,
then passed it back.
That revived enough
of their appetite to go
for the sandwiches.
Shiv was disappointed
to see that the bread was
tiny cocktail slices of white,
wheat, light and dark rye,
and gluten-free sourdough.
"Damn," he said. "I was really
looking forward to a Dagwood."
"You can make one when you
get home," said the man at
the booth. "This way, you can
try a bunch of different flavors."
"Okay, that is a good idea,"
said Shiv. "Can I make
one with each bread?'
"That's what they're
here for," said the man.
Shiv put the salmon pemmican
with Swiss cheese on dark rye,
ham with barbecue sauce on white,
pesto with mozzarella and tomato
on sourdough, garden dip with
a pile of vegetables on wheat, and
beef with steak sauce on light rye.
Boss Blaster had gone for
the Mexican condiments.
Eh, Shiv could always try
those when he got home.
Each cocktail sandwich was
only a few bites, but so good.
Shiv liked the pemmican one
best, but the garden dip made
the vegetables mouth-watering.
That was a good thing to keep
in mind all summer, when he
could really take advantage of
bargains at farmer's markets.
The flower seller came by
and said, "Crowns for the king
and the prince," as she offered
them rings of colorful zinnias.
"Thank you," Boss Blaster said
as he took the orange and red one.
That left Shiv with the pink and
melon one, which suited him fine.
The drums had faded, replaced
by a trio of saxophone players who
were jamming casually with each other.
"I love the music," Shiv said. "It's like
it just fits with the food here somehow."
"Food trucks are like the jazz musicians
of the food world. They improvise, they riff,
and they play off the energy of the crowd,"
said Boss Blaster. "There’s an authenticity
and a spontaneity to it that’s hard to find
anywhere else. That's what I love."
"Damn, boss, you done good,"
Shiv said under his breath.
* * *
Notes:
This poem is long, so its notes appear elsewhere.
crowdfunding Creative Jam. It was inspired by comments fromwispfox, chanter1944, and readera under "Walnut Park" (which you should read first). It also fills the "Zinnia" square in my 4-1-26 card for the Flower Fest Bingo. This poem has been sponsored by janetmiles. It belongs to the Shiv and Broken Angels threads of the Polychrome Heroics series."Play Off the Energy of the Crowd"
[Saturday, June 18, 2016]
Shiv finally made it out to Lincoln
to take up Boss Blaster's offer
to treat him at the food trucks.
They rode out together and
spotted the swelling crowd.
The activity had spilled out
from the food truck park into
an impromptu street fair.
"What is all this about?"
Shiv said, staring at it.
"Looks like some folks
added to the fun here,"
Boss Blaster observed.
The machine shop had
put out a hand-welded grill
and a tall smoker for sale.
One thrift shop had set up
a table with plastic dishware,
tubs, blankets, and other kinds
of equipment for picnicking
while the other hauled out
a rack of summer clothes.
Someone had brought
a bucket of sidewalk chalk
and some bubble wands
for children to play with.
A girl was selling zinnias
from several big buckets.
Around her, children and
even a few adults were
weaving flower crowns
or bracelets to wear.
The people were smiling
and laughing, so it seemed
like a pretty positive gathering.
The busk stage was crammed
with several people holding
a drum jam, and had also
spilled over into the crowd.
More people filled all of
the picnic tables in the park.
The garbage can closest to
them was about to overflow,
but as Shiv watched, a man
hauled away the heavy bag
and replaced it with a new one.
"This place is really packed,"
Shiv said as he looked at
the nearly solid wall of bodies.
"Yeah, it's been making money
hand over fist ever since the day
I bought it," said Boss Blaster.
"The vendors love coming here."
The crowd ebbed and flowed,
though, and as people noticed
Boss Blaster, they began
making space for him.
The nearest offering was
Chugg's, a beverage booth
whose tall menu advertised
a wide range of choices
including aguas frescas,
flavored almond milk,
lemonades, squashes,
teas, and vinegar shrubs.
Dogs & Hogs had a food cart
selling smoked or dried things
like smoked sausage, various
types of salami and pepperoni,
cocktail weenies, and bacon bits.
One actual food truck stood above
the booths and carts. Soul on the Roll
specialized in soul food, with a range
of healthy and indulgent options.
In a Pickle mostly sold jars of
canned goods, but today they also
had big bowls of Italian giardiniera
and several relishes that they were
selling by the scoop to people who
wanted to put them on a salad
or a sandwich or whatever.
One of the Italian guys in line
wore a T-shirt whose caption read,
Citrus Growers Association.
"Look there," Boss Blaster said,
pointing. "We've got two places
teaching basic lessons today."
Salad Sam had a sign up
reading, Let's Make Salad!
Fast - Easy - Tasty - Fun
No experience required.
Under that was a big poster for
Seven Steps to Build a Healthy Salad
which included greens, vegetables,
protein, grain, healthy fats, dressing,
and flavor boost. Tables created
a kind of assembly line for salads.
Shiv felt kind of tempted, since
he knew Salad Sam was good.
Slappy's Sandwich Shack
had a chalkboard that read,
Let's Make Sandwiches!
Yummy and Portable
Suited for All Ages.
A large poster showed
the steps for making one.
Smaller signs listed
the available ingredients.
One of those read,
You can put ...
barbecue sauce
comeback sauce
garden dip
gremolata
hot sauce
hummus
pemmican
pesto
queso
salsa
steak sauce
tzatziki
vegan dip
... on a sandwich!
Another had a mouth
and a giant Dagwood
alongside the message,
Put AS MANY VEGGIES
as you want on your sandwich.
Shiv really, really wanted
to put pemmican on his ...
and maybe those sprouts too.
"So where do you want
to start?" said Boss Blaster.
"Right here," said Shiv. "Get
a drink and go down the row."
"Sounds good," Boss Blaster said.
The two of them moved through
the crowd to reach Chugg's.
The line instantly broke away
from the front of the booth as
everyone took a step back.
"How the hell did you teach
them to do that?" Shiv said.
"I didn't, they just started on
their own," said Boss Blaster.
"They do it for pregnant ladies
and people with disabilities too."
"What would you like to drink?"
said the man at the booth.
"I dunno," Shiv said. He
hadn't even heard of some
of the things on the menu.
"I like sharp things? And
flavors most folks don't like?"
"One rhubarb shrub, comin'
right up," the man said, winking.
It was delicious, bold and sour
balanced with a little sweet,
and ... was that pepper?
Boss Blaster chose
strawberry agua fresca.
Dogs & Hogs had a lot of
things clearly meant to be
added to salads or sandwiches.
Shiv picked the cocktail weenies
and just ate them with his fingers.
Soul on the Roll wafted clouds
of fragrant steam from the truck.
"Hey, you wanna split the big bag
of fried okra?" Shiv asked as
he turned to Boss Blaster.
"Sure," said the boss,
and bought them one.
The okra was so hot
that Shiv had to toss
the pieces in his hand
to cool them a bit.
They were crispy
outside, soft and
chewy inside, with
just a nip of spice.
In a Pickle had a jar
of giant dill pickles sold
individually, so Shiv got
one of those because
dill pickles would go
with anything else.
Boss Blaster chose
hot giardiniera and
fished the pieces
out of the glass jar
with a bamboo spork.
Shiv gave the menu
one last look and said,
"Hey, does every place
here have a cricket sticker?"
"They should," said Boss Blaster.
"It's not an absolute requirement,
but I favor the ones that do. I don't
allow forks to set up here. Given
how many soups we have, I can't
afford a lack of support for them."
"Yeah, it's pretty much the same
over in Omaha," Shiv agreed.
They moved on to Salad Sam,
where Shiv promptly gravitated
to the big bowl of summer mix.
"What's that purple stuff?"
he asked. "It's not lettuce."
"That's vegetable amaranth,"
said the server, not one Shiv
recognized. "Summer mix also
includes arugula, garden purslane,
Malabar spinach, mustard greens,
New Zealand spinach, orach,
and a little bit of French sorrel."
"Hit me," Shiv said, and she
put a big bunch in his bowl.
Moving down the line, he chose
cherry tomatoes and sweet peppers
for vegetables, tuna for protein,
wild rice for grain, sunflower seeds
for healthy fats, yogurt-herb dressing,
and grated ginger for a flavor boost.
Boss Blaster had chosen mesclun,
added his remaining giardiniera,
and was pouring hot sauce over it.
They wedged themselves onto
the end of a picnic table so that
they could sit and eat their salads.
Shiv pulled out a purple leaf to try.
"This is good," he said. "It tastes
a little earthy and nutty -- minds
me of beet greens, I think."
"Mesclun is more spicy and
bitter," said Boss Blaster.
They scarfed down the rest
of their salads, enjoying
the flavors and textures.
"Got room for a sandwich?"
Shiv asked. "That sounded
like a lot of fun to try out."
"Give me a minute,"
Boss Blaster said,
and flitted away.
He came back in
a lot less than that,
then held out a knife
and said, "I'm good.
You want to sharpen
something first?"
"Yeah, good idea,"
Shiv said. He put
an edge on the knife,
then passed it back.
That revived enough
of their appetite to go
for the sandwiches.
Shiv was disappointed
to see that the bread was
tiny cocktail slices of white,
wheat, light and dark rye,
and gluten-free sourdough.
"Damn," he said. "I was really
looking forward to a Dagwood."
"You can make one when you
get home," said the man at
the booth. "This way, you can
try a bunch of different flavors."
"Okay, that is a good idea,"
said Shiv. "Can I make
one with each bread?'
"That's what they're
here for," said the man.
Shiv put the salmon pemmican
with Swiss cheese on dark rye,
ham with barbecue sauce on white,
pesto with mozzarella and tomato
on sourdough, garden dip with
a pile of vegetables on wheat, and
beef with steak sauce on light rye.
Boss Blaster had gone for
the Mexican condiments.
Eh, Shiv could always try
those when he got home.
Each cocktail sandwich was
only a few bites, but so good.
Shiv liked the pemmican one
best, but the garden dip made
the vegetables mouth-watering.
That was a good thing to keep
in mind all summer, when he
could really take advantage of
bargains at farmer's markets.
The flower seller came by
and said, "Crowns for the king
and the prince," as she offered
them rings of colorful zinnias.
"Thank you," Boss Blaster said
as he took the orange and red one.
That left Shiv with the pink and
melon one, which suited him fine.
The drums had faded, replaced
by a trio of saxophone players who
were jamming casually with each other.
"I love the music," Shiv said. "It's like
it just fits with the food here somehow."
"Food trucks are like the jazz musicians
of the food world. They improvise, they riff,
and they play off the energy of the crowd,"
said Boss Blaster. "There’s an authenticity
and a spontaneity to it that’s hard to find
anywhere else. That's what I love."
"Damn, boss, you done good,"
Shiv said under his breath.
* * *
Notes:
This poem is long, so its notes appear elsewhere.
(no subject)
Date: 2026-05-20 10:09 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2026-05-20 11:00 am (UTC)(Hooray!)