Why I Took So Long
Inevitably, every time
I end up at the mercy of
these compact old ladies
wearing thick white sweaters in September
to buy stamps, greeting cards, small candy,
surprised by the cashier’s
pace, or enjoy the exchange so well
they reach for the shoulder bag first
& then within for the change purse
with an extended grace, to say Before
we set our account to rights, let’s see if
I have this coupon to use, wait—that may not be
the right one—I was sure when I was clipping
it said two for one--listening to the story
become the performance of her
paying in ones, dimes, & copper
arrayed on the counter, the patience
she will take to count her exact debt
beneath the eyes of the younger, rushed
who must have forgotten
each moment requires a careful folding
of its receipt, & a goodbye to
the good people still in line.
I end up at the mercy of
these compact old ladies
wearing thick white sweaters in September
to buy stamps, greeting cards, small candy,
surprised by the cashier’s
pace, or enjoy the exchange so well
they reach for the shoulder bag first
& then within for the change purse
with an extended grace, to say Before
we set our account to rights, let’s see if
I have this coupon to use, wait—that may not be
the right one—I was sure when I was clipping
it said two for one--listening to the story
become the performance of her
paying in ones, dimes, & copper
arrayed on the counter, the patience
she will take to count her exact debt
beneath the eyes of the younger, rushed
who must have forgotten
each moment requires a careful folding
of its receipt, & a goodbye to
the good people still in line.
Max Heinegg’s poems have appeared in The Cortland Review, Columbia Poetry Review, The American Journal of Poetry, and December Magazine, among others. He is a high school English teacher who lives and works in Medford, MA. He is also the co-founder and brewmaster of Medford Brewing Company.
This poem was inspired by a trip to Rite Aid that I was trying to pull off during my half-hour lunch break; I went to pick up a prescription, but ended up learning a lesson about perspective.
This poem was inspired by a trip to Rite Aid that I was trying to pull off during my half-hour lunch break; I went to pick up a prescription, but ended up learning a lesson about perspective.