In the line at the grocery store ready to pay and leave,

Such madness coming from his mouth I could not believe.

Sure, we had stood and waited, and yes, the woman was old,

“Hey, old woman, I would like to keep my frozen food cold.”

Oh, such nerve. I wanted to shake him and take a switch to his behind.

He could have gotten here a little earlier or switched to another line.

I could not listen to anymore for earlier my thoughts had been the same,

But after listening to them verbally I felt quite ashamed.

She could have been in a nursing home, or crippled unable to walk,

She could have had someone waiting on her, could not hear or even talk.

She made an effort. She tried so hard to do this on her own,

If she drifted back in time she probably had a nice cozy home.

Canned foods in a cellar, leather britches hanging by the thread,

Homemade cakes, pies, biscuits, and even several loaves of bread.

She probably worked hard all her life and now time for peace,

I whispered a prayer for her because someday that might be…me.

© Cynthia Clark