Harvard Square

Harvard Square
Harvard Square on any
given summer night
is a potpourri of diverse
street performers
hustling for coins
and acclaim
offered by the crowds
the people who traverse
the square in search of
entertainment
and amusement
jugglers, mimes, magicians
and musicians of all
persuasions plying
their trade

on the streets
and bringing
the square alive
in a vivid mosaic
of sight and sound
the performers
often choose
a storefront or alleyway
that adds a
visual dimension
to the act

they are presenting
in the foyer of
the Harvard Coop
a quintet of musicians
serves up ragtime
evoking carefree
hedonistic memories
with its high-arched
columned facade
and its window dressing
of crew-necked sweaters
and LaCoste shirts
the Coop conjures up
images of Gatsby-esque
splendor and decadence
youths dancing to the music
furtively sipping
from their flasks
a lone saxophonist
cool and distant
blows his blue notes
in the doorway of Jasmines
a fashionable boutique
where punk mannequins
model the latest
designer fashions
the jaded intellects sit in
the Au Bon Pain Cafe
eating croissants
drinking Perrier
and reading the latest edition
of The New York Times
passing the spot where
the Wurst House used to be
i hear the medieval
haunting strings
of the dulcimer
which causes
lovers to draw closer
impervious to the vast
shuffle around them
oh, my beloved Harvard Square
it is without a doubt the best
entertainment bargain in town

Elizabeth