Chances are, if you've done any shopping at all, you've seen someone searching for their car. This poem is about that. It came to me on one of those hot summer days ... not a good time to do that kind of searching.
It seemed to me that the couple I had observed was confronted with a lot of choices, a lot of directions to go, among a whole sea of vehicles ... "oceans" occurred to me. I kept going with that metaphor, explained their predicament, then concluded by detailing my own problems ...
"Losing" your car like that isn't really funny ... until later. I know. Been there, done that.
I shared this poem one evening with an audience at an "open mike" program. The person who followed me to the microphone explained that cars are so hard to find after shopping, "because they all trade places while we're inside."
You know, I can almost believe that.
The poem, originally published in Capper's, now part of a collection entitled Strawberry Wine, in search of a publisher:
AFTER SHOPPING
Oceans of vehicles
heave and settle
in the parking lot,
and a sea of traffic
goes shimmering
toward the horizon.
While she sails
steadily on,
gripping the tiller
of a wobbly cart,
he remains awash
in her wake, keys
dangling forlornly
from a finger.
They're looking,
looking, lost.
I'd like to tell
them not to despair,
but I have other
fish to fry: Celery
wilting, a cabbage
shaking its head,
potatoes rolling
their eyes over my
chances of ever
finding my own car,
the poor ice cream
beginning to beg me
for mouth-to-mouth
resuscitation.
© 2006
***
Today's word:
resuscitation
1 comment:
There is a solution...if you are ever in the area where your car is parked. Mine is so small that I can't find it behind another car. Press the "panic" button and it answers me. Since there are many that look similar to mine--if it doesn't answer me, it's not mine and the key isn't going to fit.
Good poem and great subject. I was with my granddaughter when there was a grandopening of Macy's here. We had talked all the way from the car and neither of us noticed where we parked it. She told me that she had a solution...we could wait until everybody else went home. I didn't know about the panic button then, but it wouldn't have worked anyway...we weren't anywhere near the car...right direction from the mall, but with a red face, it was almost a block farther out...and this was when I was a bit younger...so can't blame it on that. She's the same one who made the comment about my "infamous back ganer" off the kitchen stove. I love to be with her and we always have a roaring laugh--always more than one.
Again, thanks for sharing your poetry. This one caused an immediate smile. My best to all, Helen
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