“Well Howdy. Welcome ta the Saddle Up Saloon. This here’s Kid, I’m Pal.”

“Hello. Jess.”

“Cindy.”

“Jess. Cindy. Yer lookin’ a might lost. Ya’ll on walkabout, from last week?”

“Walkabout? No, we’re not from Australia, we’re from New Zealand. We’re looking for Carrot Ranch.”

“Ya ranchers, are ya?”

“Not exactly. Our writer ranches, you know, responds regularly. We’re farmers.”

“Oh. What d’ya grow?”

“Corn mostly, but we’re interested in diversifying, heard the ranch was open to that.”

“Corn’s all ya need ta be growin’!”

“Shush, Ernie, yer jist thinkin’ a yer corn liquor. Farmers an’ folks should cultivate an’ celebrate diversity.”

“Dees ees true, Keed. I suggest a legume to fortify de soil after de corn.”

“Figgers, Pepe LeGume. Yer always advercatin’ fer beans.”

“Dere are other legumes. You could geev peas a chance.”

“Yes! I like the sounds of that! What do you think Cindy?”

“I think you won’t want to hear this, Jess, but I’m seeing faeries scampering along the bar.”

“Cindy. Not here.”

“Umm, them’s our chapfaeries. We got kinda a infestation ya might say. They mostly hang out out back by the Poet-tree.”

“Is that where the portal is?”

“Ya could say so, Cindy. It’s a portal ta poetry, buckaroo-ku an’ the like. Don’t mind ‘em, they’s harmless.”

“Oh, I know. Jess, this seems like a good place. Ask them what they think of your carrot crop.”

“Ya got a crop a carrots do ya?”

“Well, yes, like I said, we want to diversify at our farm.”

“Shorty’s the expert on carrots aroun’ here, but seems ta me ya gotta think ‘bout marketin’.”

“Shorty’s the expert on thet too. Kid’s right though, an’ they sure is plenny a carrots aroun’ these parts. But ya’ve come a long way. Whyn’t ya show us what ya got.”

“Whoaaaa! Look’t ‘em Pal! Why them carrots is ever’ color a the rainbow!”

“By gosh, ya’ll got diverse carrots! Bet yer husbands is mighty impressed with yer farmin’ abilities.”

“Ha! Husbands?”

“I see ya each gotta band on yer ring finger.”

“And you assumed. Not all carrots are orange, Pal.”

“And not all marriages are either.”

“Reckon yer right, both a ya. Sorry ‘bout my ‘sumptions.”

“Hey, mebbe we kin git Shorty ta feature more’n the typical orange carrot ‘roun the ranch.”

“Good idea, Kid. Jess, what other ideas ya got fer diversifyin’ yer farm?”

“I’d really like to raise alpaca.”

“I’ll pack a cooler!”

“Shush Ernie! You were sayin’?”

“Alpaca. A herd of them.”

“I’ve heard a them. Little llama like things.”

“Woolly? That’s be anuther fine addition ta the ranch! Reckon Shorty’d ‘dentify more with alpaca than llamas, too, ‘cause they’re, you know… shorter.”

“Jess, Cindy, don’t you sell yersefs short. Seems like yer already doin’ right by thet farm a yers. Ya do an’ it’ll do right by you. D’versifyin’ yer crops an’ sech will make yer farm more resourceful an’ resilient. Agri-Culture— culture of the field. Wish folks could see thet cultivatin’ d’versity an’ weedin’ out intolerance is good fer ever’one.”

“Thank you Pal, well said. Right Cindy? Cindy? Pal, where’d Cindy and Kid go off to?”

“There they are, out back at the Poet-tree, with them chapfaeries flittin’ about. It’s been real good gittin’ ta know both you an’ yer wife better, Jess. Yer colorful carrots has given me somethin’ ta chomp on.”

“Yep, folks, if’n yer lookin’ fer a extra prompt, write some verse ’bout d’versity. Any kinda verse’ll do, jist leave it or a link in the comments. Oh, here’s Kid back from the Poet-tree.”

Communities should be like ecosystems

Knit together to carry weights might be shiftin’

When one has ta set back

another picks up the slack

All pullin t’gether, never jist one does the liftin’.

It ain’t a weakness or wrong

Ta see d’frences as d’frent ways ta be strong

We’re each part of a Whole

The breath of Earth’s Soul

Each singin’ a verse in a single shared Song

So don’t matter d’ya ‘dentify farmer or rancher

Or ‘dentify as plodder or prancer

Jist be yer best you

Good things will ensue

Sometimes we’re all both question and answer.

Jess and Cindy hang out in Joanne the Geek’s blog: https://jedigirlblog.wordpress.com/ which is run by Joanne Fisher who lives in Christchurch, New Zealand. She writes fiction, flash fiction, poetry, and the occasional article. Last year she completed writing two novels, and is currently looking for a publisher. In the past she had a collection of poetry published under a slightly different name. She tries to make her blog a fun creative space where she can experiment with different styles and formats. Her Facebook page for her blog is https://www.facebook.com/Joanne-the-Geek-137136437008772.

If asked, Pal & Kid will deny that they spill from the pen of D. Avery. They claim to be free ranging characters who live and work at Carrot Ranch and now serve up something fresh every Monday at the Saddle Up Saloon. If you or your characters are interested in saddling up for a wild ride as a saloon guest, contact them via averydede.1@gmail.com.