A Haunting At Valuland Poem by Andrew Dabar

The evening before
At a grocery store
She broke my heart
As she filled the cart
With every kind of treat
Fun things that I love to eat
All normally forbidden
But
It was plain to see
As she spoiled me
This budget infraction
Brought great satisfaction
The very next day
She'd be flying away
And wouldn't leave me hungry
So
In checkout number four
She unloaded more and more
Of normally forbidden things
That by the time the register rings
The memory has become priceless
Then
As we were leaving the store
She stopped once more
Put forth her last quarter into a gumball machine
And out came lime green
She handed it to me with a wink
What else can I think
Replaying the scene in my mind
I know over and over again
How beautifully and simply
She loved me
But there was something about that moment
She must've already known it
That final treasure in the bank
I'll always have her to thank
And now
All these years later
I can still see her
Spirit smile
Up and down each aisle
Of ValuLand
I wish I could hold her hand
That sweet invisible hand
Right in front of me
Pushing boxes of Twinkies off the shelf
and onto the floor
In checkout number four
____________
Andrew Dabar