The bridge above her nose was pierced,
Her nostrils were, as well,
With several silver bars laced through,
As far as I could tell.
Her upper ears both sported studs
And wrapped around her neck
A studded leather choker served,
With others, to bedeck.
I couldn’t count how many more
(I didn’t want to stare)
And on her wrists, assorted bracelets
Brightly dangled there.
She was a very friendly soul
And so I had to ask
If she slept with all her piercings;
She did not take me to task.
She simply laughed and said she did,
Not what I thought I’d hear,
Since I take my earrings out each night,
Just one in either ear.
Cashier
Change will make me hesitate
Cause me to equivocate
Clearly I can’t handle change
Customers will find this strange
The Sheep line up to be Walmart counted
Empty thoughts sleep walking in pyjamas
Without smiles
Without voices
Without community
There to stare
at how to work another register
The One that doesn't care about your day
The One the Waltons ousted John Boy to replace
His minimum wage and demeanour an outrage
Musk and Bezos need more Smarties
just like YOU,
to feed empty space
So, You, Sleep Walker, will pay
Buy your daily Bread
Care not that the oven can slam shut
Care for Nothing
Just as long as it costs THEM next to nothing
Be silent, say nothing
Be Nothing
Don't smile
Don't talk
Don't live
Be the unpaid cashier
.......And bring your own pillowcases!
Cashier's coffee cost to more
Cashier's coffee hope to score
Cashing coffee coast to shore
Casting coffee breaking moare
Eating my Lean Cuisine spaghetti fourth day in a row
Others may be wondering if it is all I have; I have other foods
Vegetables and fruits that are rotting;
I only buy them to impress the cashier
I am pretty sure she is wondering how I gained forty pounds in a year
Because my grocery cart is chalk full weekly of the healthy stuff
Radishes, lettuce, eggplant, kiwi, strawberries, blueberries.
I order my potato chips, cookies, and candy bars in bulk from Prime.
“Great job!” the cashier says, nodding her approval.
And she thought I could not handle living on my own!
“You forgot your car keys!” She says pleasantly as I reach the door.
“Thanks Mom”.
The Cashier at the 5 and Dime
She does not wear paint on her face.
I noticed, there is no war to be found,
around the corners of her mouth...
only a soft crease,
where a smile has worn a path,
worth retracing...
again and again...
with my lips.
There is no spray in her hair,
she does not smell like a fancy place.
When I passed her in church,
the scent of wild coconuts
and fresh Georgia peaches...
came to me.
It was like a perfume cloud,
from the downwind side,
near the gates of Heaven,
surely.
I can not remember what she wore.
Or, even what she will wear the next I see her.
I can not take my eyes from her very being,
the whole sense of what she is,
lights up the room,
and brings the sunshine inside,
on every gray day.
On sunny days,
rays of gold seem to radiate,
from the ends of her hair.
I am taken,
to somewhere I dare not be,
and pray never to come back from,
ever...
again.
I step up and place my items on the belt.
I have been here a few times,
and no one has said a thing.
But truly, I need...
one more item,
to get one more look,
to see her one more time,
then...
I will be fine.
Just met a friendly supermarket cashier
Thanked him for the joyful presence he volunteered
A mundane occupation
Doesn't stimulate the imagination
Guess it's way better than a street bum career
Even when they smiled or they talked to me,
What I purchased was what mattered to me...
To now be the cashier is comedy;
I'm forced to "ask" about your wellbeing...
None have ever asked of my wellbeing,
Though I slave for you while baring my teeth
And prompting debit, or coupons or credit,
And making sure all you want, you get it...
At first, I oozed personality, and
Tried to coat my very tongue in silver,
But my every finger is made of rubber,
And you turn impatient, forgetting you're flattered...
They told me to ooze personality,
While expecting way, way much more of me...
Think! someone used 5 ways to buy 4 things,
Scurried out and away---what personality!!!
A cashier told me she was going to Disney World
Asked me to join her, she was cute with blonde curls
Became quite unnerved
And what was much worse
Inserted my debit card tween her abundant curves
He’s out of my reach, he’s out of my
League
But he’s the reason why I
Head to Publix every
Week
I’ve barely said a word to him, and yet
I make my way through every
Aisle
Just to catch a glimpse of him
Then maybe catch his eye
And smile
He rarely ever sees me as he puts some
Groceries
Into bags, but some days I get
Lucky
And he’ll look up and smile back
He’ll never know that I’m just standing there
Waiting for the day he speaks to
Me
He always ends up busy, and so
Remains a mystery
In result, I always leave the scene with
My
Head spinning round and my
Tongue
In my cheek. Because while no one can
Decipher the look I wear on my
Face,
He’ll always be so close to me, one
Week and one aisle
Away
I hope one day his voice will find me,
Even
Just to say hello, even if it’s just
In passing
As I walk by and turn to go
I hope one day he’ll read this poem and hear
All
I have to say
But for now I’ll keep my hopes up
For one week and one aisle
Away