Aisle 11

Aisle 11

Glass shatters
A child shouts, OOPS
No-one else around to do it
I must go assess the mess
Inhale.
Lucky me!

A boy and his mother
and a jar of tomato sauce—
splattered across Aisle 11

Exhale.
How can I be mad
at this adorable child?
It was only an accident!
You can tell by his face

In fact, I remember a time
when I was a little boy
and I broke a jar of sauce
I thought I would never recover
until I looked up at and saw
my Grandmother—
she and I were shopping
together—
Her eyes were wide open
But she smiled

Alone in his mess.
Alone in my mess.
A mother smiles.
A grandmother smiled.

Shaking my head—
I smile—
We both live on Isle 11
Not strangers.
Repdigit.


11 11 11 11 11 11 11 11 11 11 11
-Z






Aisle 4



Aisle 4

Something very naughty is
happening amongst the sweets
Check out the shady lady, searching
for a special secret down Aisle 4

A container of chocolate chip cookies
is hidden, stealthily beneath the sheets
Paper plates, light bulbs, and everything
is only there, so nobody will see

The husband is a diabetic
But, she will always love her sugar!
She puts away the groceries and
locks herself behind a door
The pantry is her portal
to heaven on Isle 4


-Z

 

 

Aisle 1



Aisle 1 

A man picked up a bottle
It was just the two of us
there on Aisle 1
He examined the label
I was working only a few feet away
stocking razors on a shelf
Go fucking figure!
I heard him clear as day
I stopped what I was doing
He looked over my way
and he said
Now! you people decide
to carry this shit!
SPF…whatever the fuck
Then we locked eyes
and he said to me,
If a woman ever tells you
to go back for this bottle 
of freakin’ dumbass sunscreen
and you already had
everything else planned,
packed, and ready
back at home—
Go on that trip alone

Lay your ass out in the sun 
without this damn lotion
Get yourself burned!
…with no wife…
I put down the box of blades
to give him his space 
He clearly needed a moment
with a bottle of SPF 30 sunscreen
on Isle 1


-Z