A blue ribbon affair

The apples with fancy
names like Opalescent and
Royal, shimmer like baubles
under the bright lights of
the Exhibition Hall.

The sheep in the pen in the
stable startles us with its bleating,
and we laugh at ourselves.

BaaAAAaaa!

In the Show Barn, the spotted
calves wrestle and writhe against
their adolescent handlers, and one,
like a toddler having a temper
tantrum, drops to its bony
bovine knees.

Pies, knitted hats and mittens,
quilts, canned goods, and fudgy
brownies stack up against one another
in row after row of entries.

From pigs to pumpkins and
photography, the biggest and the
best get the blue ribbon.

But win, place, or not, the effort
was made, and in one way or
another, they're all winners
at the county fair.

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