Five Cent Balloons
narrative poem
PIETRO has twenty red and blue balloons on a string. They flutter and dance pulling Pietro's arm. A nickel apiece is what they sell for. Wishing children tag Pietro's heels. He sells out and goes the streets alone.
Five Cent Balloons - meaning Summary
Childhood Commerce and Loneliness
The short poem sketches a street vendor, Pietro, who walks with twenty red and blue balloons that attract eager children. Each balloon costs a nickel; the crowd of wishing children press after him until he has sold all of them. When the sales end, Pietro continues on alone. The poem presents a plain scene that juxtaposes playful desire and a momentary bustle with a quieter note of solitude and the transactional nature of joy.
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