It seems like a very long time ago
Small shops lining the streets
In some cases, for blocks
Every one was different
Offering anything you could want
Their people stayed with them for years
Not there one day and gone the next
These people were your friends
You knew their names and they knew yours
But that was a very long time ago
Before malls and superstores
For sure that was a better time
Friendlier and more caring
But it was taken away by money
And sadly, those small shops will never return
© Poem – IX/XIX/MMXXIV
LRET
Spend a bit extra
receive a little more
In life’s cutthroat sale
and thrifty superstores
No free dinners
It’s all in your head
For each slice gained
the rest gets no bread
Gives back a cent
keeping all the rest
Huge ponzi schemes
pay crumbs as interest
Always leave tips
they go a long way
Bosses can pay less
and make tons of hay
Mark these words
or use a highlighter
By omitting fullstops
save ink for the writer
By
David Kavanagh
Our horses we dismounted and we tied them up outside
These superstores have double doors, which once were open wide
But now we face a checkpoint where we’re told to wear a mask
I said I wear one all the time, you didn’t need to ask
The man still barred my entry, I said move aside, Sir... pronto
I’ve got my mask, so let me pass, or deal with my mate, Tonto.
Starless sky
soundless streets
sparrows soundly sleep
superstores shut
silenced shops
silent soul sagacity
savoring solitude serenity
Second Place: JCB Brul-Savoring Solitude-4/23/21
In a quiet corner of the world
lies a village quite primitive
untouched by passing centuries
folks at liberty to live
Stress-free, without the burdens
of our frenzied society
No push to keep up with others
no talk of drink or drugs, just sobriety
No superstores or sports coupes
just rowboats and canoes
They hunt and fish for all their food
~ eat healthier than me or you
So many people filled with pain
much needs done for a cure
the effects are really quite sore
having so much to endure
For many pains I've found a remedy
it's a honey called Manuka honey
originates from land of New Zealand
so soothing and so effectively runny
It's so great for any burns
really sooths such excruciating pain
brings calm to your whole being
makes one feel so well again
It suits so many other ailments
making it a remedy so effective
one wants to tell so many others
as it's effect is not so selective
You'll get in health shops and superstores
some have it on offer at three for two
can be really quite a super bargain
especially killing your pain that It'll do
I was shaken, my jingle bells taken, ornaments on a runaway corporate sleigh
It had nitrous oxide, investors selling so high, stuffing stockings with my pay
There were elves with cleavage, garters and high heels, twirling on candy canes
And then there was Santa, 10,000 I fathom, having a Bud and watching the game
Oh what have I done, my mistletoe belt buckle undone, clutching a coupon in pain
From my confusion arose, a few sticky ho ho’s, caroling Christmas has come again
Frozen my chatter, this rooftop never fatter, held hostage by a holiday of cheer
Building superstores for a thrill, reindeer on the grill, our 24 hour savior is here
I threw open the door, red tagged a commercial whore, a price check I was needing
Not to my surprise, this place had supersize fries, and just a hint of insider breeding
Cross-eyed speaking, restroom reeking, why the see-through thong with the GPS
Kamikaze carts diving, my crippled heels crying, damn you people for having sex
Bruised and battered, a world raptured, by a fat man with a bulging sack
Barbies with inflatable boobies, Hentai movies, Christ please hurry back
To the superstores I went,
Three twowns in three hours,
Many faces old and young,
Dull towns with dull buildings and roads,
And yet as I walked among them,
I could feel their love.
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