And to Think That I Saw It on Whyte Avenue Street

You're going to The Fringe, eh? Good stuff. Lots of characters and zaniness and goings-on. But hey, if you go to Whyte when the Fringe isn't on, you'll see some interesting stuff too. This is a compilation of things that I've seen in a few Saturday afternoons by that gazebo on 83 Ave near the Farmers' Market. If you're a Dr Seuss fan, then you might like that this is to the cadence of And to Think That I Saw It on Mulberry Street. If you're a purist, you'll hate it.






I sat by the gazebo in old S'cona Town
I sat quietly there with nary a frown,
I looked and I smiled and smiled as I looked
And sometimes even dipped right into my book.

There were vendors of hot dogs, popcorn and art
And inside the bus barns, some freshly-baked tart,
You'll see a man playing, a guitar and a lute
And from inside come women, bearing fresh fruit.






There's guys playing footbag (or is it called hack?)
Yes that's what it is - they play with a sack,
And a guy with MS, collecting cans on his scooter
He's dying yet happy, being an anti-polluter,
There's beggars in groups of all different sizes
Asking for change and hoping for prizes.

There's even a guy, who ties a huge rope
And walks on it by, the guys who smoke dope
He looks like a Buddhist with his haircut, you see
And I think that he walks, on his rope to feel free.






There's a large wagon pulled, by two great big horses
(Is it always the same, or on two different courses?)
I never follow them, though some day I will
That is if they don't, go up a steep hill.

So that's what I saw, when I sat and just watched
And then wrote this thing (whose rhyme scheme I botched),
No zebras, no Rajahs, no charioteers
Just a guy with a shopping cart, and too many beers.