Moon Dances

Moon Dance

By VanMorrison

Listen Here

Well it's a marvelous night for a moondance
With the stars up above in your eyes
A fantabulous night to make romance
'Neath the cover of October skies
And all the leaves on the trees are falling
To the sound of the breezes that blow
And I'm trying to please to the calling
Of your heart-strings that play soft and low
You know the night's magic
Seems to whisper and hush
And all the soft moonlight
Seems to shine in your blush...

Can I just have one a' more moondance with you, my love?
Can I just make some more romance with a' you, my love?

Today I stopped by the local Saturday Farmer's Market. Not that I go there too often. I have been a few times, but I felt uncomfortable there. Why should I? It's just a little grocery shopping. Well, it is a little; the last two years I have been working to integrate this little Saturday affair. It seemed to me that some people are more represented there than others. Yet our local community is far more diverse both socially and economically.

As a matter of justice, I decided that I would not sell or buy there until it integrated. There are just too many in our community who could benefit from the market to give a blind eye to justice, an integral element of charity. It came to me then on a Labor day weekend of 2009 as I walked the market that I would talk about that to everyone until it changed, and I have for the past two years talked about the market. A lot. I talk about that market with vendors, with buyers, with people of faith, with politicians, neighbors, friends and co-workers. I am just not too proud to have this thing running blindly every week here. Every one deserves good food!


What's the issue? Food politics. It seems that for those who have high incomes, access to the market is possibly a whim. They pick and choose where to buy. This is a relatively tight, small group in our community. So the Saturday market has pressed on, quite successfully, growing by leaps and bounds, fed by the largesse of that small, tight community. Others are shut out due to various social factors like wrong job, no job, low education, mental handicaps, childhood, age, misfortune, illness and so on. Yet every person must eat and every person possesses the dignity of a creature of God. The wealthy as God's creature deserve good food and clean water as do those less fortunate. The dignity of a human person demands that each and every person living exist in a state that is observant to the basic needs of life, and afford one the means to obtain relief for those needs.

So now the nitty-gritty: it's Food Stamps, and poor people. These persons characteristically have had limited means to participate in the benefits of this particular market until now. It was announced recently that the market will  accept Food Stamps, and Debit Cards. So today I went and checked it out. Indeed the vendors were aware of this change. Some welcomed it and the possibility of new customers. After all money is green, regardless of the source. And as the French saying goes, 'money has no smell.'

Also I checked out the local Co-op grocery nearby and the Strawberry health store too. They both take Food Stamps. Funny, it's not on their door. I hope that will change soon. So I made a purchase at these places, but still I don't think I'll become a regular. I like food from my own garden just as well. Tonight I'll celebrate the 'country way' with a little Moon Dance of my own. It is spring after all; the moon is nearly full.