MEAT SHOPPING

The old lady
Who works at the deli
Has a giant bruise
That covers her whole face.

She mentions it first,
While meeting my
Now widened eyes:
“Does my face scare you?”

“Did somebody hit you?”
I blurt out, and wish
That I hadn’t.

“No,” she says.
“I caught my sneaker
on the curb
and fell,”
and I’m so relieved
to believe her.

“Somebody said
I should sue,”
She adds, smiling,
“But then they would just
raise my taxes.”

I’ve forgotten
What I’d meant to order,
And the line behind me
Fidgets.

-- © 2009 by Jack Veasey



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