La Tomatina

La-Tomatina-festival-2

NaPoWriMo Day 13. Today’s poem is called La Tomatina which is an annual festival held in the Valencian town of Buñol and here is a picture of La Tomatina

La Tomatina

A single shot fired

to start us off.

We, being newcomers,

were timid at first;

cautious in our targets.

We picked our chosen

tomatoes one by one

from the vast mound,

squeezed them

until they were soft

and took measured aims.

Less reserved

were our neighbours

who scattered the fruit

like a hail of bullets.

Caught in the crossfire

we grew in confidence,

grabbing handfuls

and slinging them

indiscriminately

with all the gusto of a local.

Thick red juice

dribbled down our arms.

We were pelted

and we pelted back.

Before long

we were head to foot

in a ruddy paste.

When it was over

we looked for hoses

to wash ourselves clean.

We slipped and slid

along scarlet streets

laughing hysterically,

the taste of bitter tomatoes

still in our mouths.

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