Social Distancing

Social Distancing 

When society

begins to mirror reality 

you know 

you’re on

the precipice 

of something, 

a confusion to be solved 

by stopping myself

from using my life 

as a reference point,

like 7 AM today

on a Tuesday morning 

when I turned around 

to see aisles of empty store shelves

filled with overflowing shopping carts

and asked, 

“What are WE doing?”

News used to travel 

only as fast as 

the last conversation 

with someone you knew,

but now 

word of mouth is Trumped 

by 6 foot mandated space

between me

and my grocery store neighbor.

“Hey,” I say.

“How’s it going over there?”

“Goddamn I’m worried,”

the man replies to me.

“I just got off my night shift,

the wife goes in at 9,

and the kids will be up

by the time I’m home.”

“That’s right,” I say.

“How long are the schools out?”

“At least two weeks.”

“But have you had a chance

to get on the freeway?”

“No traffic, huh?”

“Isn’t it great?”

And we smiled together,

as if a mild contentment 

was an attempt

at taking a stand 

against things

outside of our control,

an opportunity 

that existed

when I observed

an entire checkout line

moving one way 

and turned to ask,

“Can you hold my spot?”

Walking back

with a handle of Irish Whiskey 

I said 

to where

my new found friend 

had been,

“What can I say 

it’s Saint Paddy’s Day.”

Harmony 

that had once occurred 

on common ground 

became replaced 

by a loosely curled 

and tightly wound 

80 year old face

waving her finger 

when she screamed,

“Hey MISTER, 

give me 

my space!”

“Hey,” I said. “Hold up lady.”

She looks at me

looking at the contents of her cart

and the fact that

she has the toilet paper

that I came in for.

This time 

more calmly,

“Social distancing, sir.”

I clear my throat.

“Do you really need

six-packs of sixteen mega rolls

that equal sixty-four regular rolls

when you’re the only one at home

and you haven’t received a call

or Christmas card

for more than two years

and it’s now unclear

whether the fear

that is running your life 

is stronger than your desire

to watch the drama 

of your own actions

unveil itself in real time?”

She ignores me.

FUCK IT,

I guess I came 

to the store too.