A Necessary Evil

I braved going out to the supermarket today…

donning gloves and mask, dressed for the task.

In the ten days since my last food run, 

the taped lines by the check-outs, 

once in a straight line, have become six-by-six grids

front-to-back and side-to-side, proper social distancing.

They’ve also added taped “arrows” in each food aisle

to move everyone along in the same direction…which sadly 

went unseen by me until I was almost through,

and also explains the comment overheard

about "walking in the wrong direction.”
– De Niro's "You talkin' to me?" echoes in my head, but is left unspoken.

Perhaps someone needs to set the rules upon entering, 

but like all jobs these days, rules change not just day to day,

but hour-to-hour.  Who can keep up?

The bad news—for the store anyways, is that 

we are all “shopping with a purpose” these days,

in and out, no lingering or impulse buying.

The good news?  I set a new world record today:

—a week’s worth of shopping done in 20 minutes!

© Ginny Brannan 2020

NaPoWriMo #17 Not exactly Poetry, just observations on food shopping during a pandemic.