Harris Teeter... hairy ti-
Yellow lines striped in between each slab of grey.
The ground speckled with clusters of weeds sprouting from the space below.
Fist comes to rest on the bar many before me have held. The heat from my own hands spreads over the space theirs once were.
Maybe those hands were yours once.
The habitual nature begins. Deli first
Then fruit
I check the list again lest I forget
Now carrots, the chip ones, my new obsession
I check again
And walk
I check…again
One red onion
Why are they so expensive, my young, money-deprived brain says
even though $14 for a drink that is three sips with ice seems adequate.
Somewhere in the dairy aisle I’ve dawned a shadow
Hair blonde
Her bun perfectly pinned back
Coat a dusted pink
She looks nothing like me, but her items are of my taste.
Teeny tiny pickles, the smaller the tastier
Castelvetrano olives, so buttery
Havarti cheese, I accept no other.
We picked cheese at the same time. First she went, then I
I felt creepy from the start.
What if she thinks I’m copying her? There’s only room in this town for one person to like havarti.
She moved her cart a tad, and I do the same. I become her shadow
We flow from aisle to aisle in unison
Cream first
Then snacks
And we even move back one row, noticing we forgot something.
I wonder if she noticed her shadow. Selecting her same items
Was she following, or was I?
Which comes first
the chicken or the egg.
At last, we seem to have separated
but my shadow returns
or am I the shadow
and my owner has misplaced me?
Selecting one item at a time and running it over the red neon lines
Beep
Beep
Beep
Wait for help,
Dammit
Thank you!
Beep
Barcode not scanning
Beep
Barcode-
I’m never doing self checkout again
Until next time.
The shadow and owner have split. The shadow has taken their own form.
Who was the shadow, I wondered again
Hands to the wheel
Havarti, onions, and pickles sloshing behind as they get comfortable in their temporary home.
Once again, there she is
Just behind, in a car I would never choose.
We are completely unattached now.
As I turn left, she takes the right
Where do you go
Where do you live
Up high or low below
In a home with lots of windows
Or a room with twinkle lights
Did you notice me?
Well, I noticed you.
I wonder if others have noticed me and I so rudely didn’t return the favor
Oh well
Off home.
My havarti is getting warm.