Saturday Morning Poem by Charles Lara

Walking to the store
on a Saturday morning
need to buy some milk
and paper towels.
The streets are covered
with a thin coat of ice
the winds are still
an old woman with a push cart
is beating me to the store
she is gliding like a slap shot.
I continue to walk cautiously
don’t want to slip
don’t want to fall
the light turns yellow
I don’t even think of trying.
I wait for it to turn back
Then I walk walk slowly
the old woman is already in the store.
Inside the store I am greeted by
a young store cashier, her voice is full of energy
she smiles and looks like life has not
fucked with her yet not yet...
I say good morning and head for
the paper good aisle.
A man who is still a stockboy is stocking
cheap single sheet rolls of toilet paper in aisle 5
I pick up a roll of paper towels
it’s on sale and I save 34 cents.
I get out of the paper aisle
and run into the old woman
she is well dressed and very short.
I look at her, she looks up at me and smiles
I smile back get a gallon of milk
At the cashier, I pay for my stuff
the cashier asks me if want paper or plastic
I choose plastic and then she smiles and
puts the paper towels inside the plastic bag
I decide I will carry the milk.