The Melon Market It was a small town, Pec, in Kosovo now, then in Yugoslavia. It was 1966, the year before watermelons became illegal in Palestine. It was a small restaurant with no menu so communication wasn’t easy. But the guy on the next table spoke French opening up a channel of communication for us. John wanted to eat melon but there was no melon. Our French speaking friend, he was a friend by now, Had a late night solution. He took us to a large dry field, a melon market, he said. There were huge heaps of watermelons, dark green globes waiting in heaps. Each heap with its sleeping seller resting on a bed of melons. He shook one seller awake and carefully chose a melon. We all went home with him, he called the neighbours in and there we had a melon party eating great juicy slices off tin plates in a small house in Pec in 1966, the year before Israel banned watermelons in Palestine. https://fourfeatherspress.blogspot.com/2026/05/50-poets-and-artists-being...