---

The sharp winter sunlight broke the gray and amplified the anticipation of Thanksgiving that pulsed through the air at the Sunday farmers market in Ballard, where there is usually one or a pair of poets who will write you a poem based on your choice of subject for whatever you choose to pay.

I basked in the moment. My husband and I had left the kids at home with my mom, so that we could meander through the market and pop into some of the adjacent retail shops. A date at the Sunday farmers market. What a simple luxury. It was the perfect prelude to a poem – two poems.

Normally, I’m task-oriented at the market. The kids have limited patience for shopping and after they’ve had their fresh mini doughnuts or their cups of fresh cider, they are done. So I don’t usually stop long enough for the sound of the typewriters in mid-stanza to sweep me up in their siren song.

Free from a schedule, I approached @williamthepoet. I asked for two poems, one for Meilee and one for Shen. William took notes as I described each child. Meilee: She is creative and loves to draw. She’s a peacemaker who tries to solve conflicts among her peers. She bring light into a room. Shen: His name means “deep thinker.” He’s analytical, love Minecraft, LEGOs and engineering. He has dimples – which he calls “cute pits” – and knows how to use them.

“Come back in about 20 minutes,” William said.

This is what William and his colleague Marlene wrote:

William and Marlene are part of yourtopicyourprice.com