David Moreau
In Shop’N Save I’m trying to get Lorna to reach up
and grab a box of Little Debbie pink heart cakes
and though she won’t lift her hand above her shoulder
and is making anxious honking sounds, still,
I’m trying to get her to do it, because reaching up
will strengthen her back and there’s a hab plan written
somewhere that says she’s going to,
when I realize a little French woman is repeating,
Excuse me, and Louise, hands glued to the grocery cart,
is frozen in place blocking her.
I reach over and touch Louise’s right elbow and she
takes two big steps forward and says loudly, Yeah right,
while Leo, his mittens fastened to his sleeves,
flaps his arms like a seal and Lorna knocks
three boxes of Nutty Buddies on the floor.
The woman pats me on the arm and says,
There’s a special place in heaven for people like you,
and even though I like being thought of
as a saint and want to go to heaven
I know this isn’t really enough.
She only says it because she doesn’t know
the people I work with or how normal they are,
and all of us, therefore, don’t know,
as well, what normal is.
But I know Louise loves to sing,
We’re off to see the wizard…
and sometimes, completely out of nowhere,
she’ll walk up to Leo, give him a hug
and kiss him, gently, on top of his head.
