Food Shopping In This New World Poem by Bill Galvin

Last week: - The markets made early hours for those over sixty
And the old folks flocked to the stores.
No one figured that many boomers were still alive around here.
But little did the seniors know that the younger hoarders
Had already cleaned the stores out of essentials.
The older generation was taking this crisis as a health risk;
The younger as a major inconvenience.
They had already placed Plexiglas at checkout counters,
But people weren't keeping their distance.
One woman in line with a respirator on had to ask,
Would you kindly move a ways back from me?
The other woman rolled her eyes in disbelief
That such things were being taken so seriously.
The store-woman assigned at the self-checkout area,
She asked if this would get worse.
She wondered if she should take her 2-week vacation
And wait it out while it all blew over.
He said maybe you should, but that may not be enough time…
They are talking long-term about this thing.
He noticed someone dropping vinyl gloves before getting into their car.

This week: - The old folks are getting the hang of it;
Spreading out over the week means shorter lines.
Stores are resupplying a wee bit, with a limit of two per customer.
He sees a woman come out of the store with her limit of TP,
And a man walks up with another bag of TP for her.
He walks back to his car; she to hers, satisfied…
Like a drug deal done in the parking lot in broad daylight.
There are many more wearing masks now;
Six-feet spacing lines taped on the floor everywhere.
The few not wearing masks are now the rebellious deniers.
Some stores are only allowing a small number in at one time.
He sees the same woman at the self-checkout;
She wears a blue bandana folded into a triangle over her lower face,
But her eyes reveal she's way more nervous now.
She doesn't recognize him from last week… no small talk this time.
Maybe it's his mask… maybe it's the hazy veil of anxiousness,
As all shoppers seem to be moving in quick-time
To get out of the store as fast as possible.
There are now big buckets outside for people to discard their gloves,
Since the mess that ignorant and fearful shoppers were making
By throwing their used gloves all over the parking lot last week
Was just too much for civility to bear.
He thought, "Simple rules needed for simple-minded people".

April 7,2020 (Plainville, MA)