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Mercy of Errand
I walk into the co-op grocery
carrying two empty tote bags
and the weight of the world.
The weight of my clients’ fears and pain,
their failing marriages and troubled children,
their parents’ cruelty and indifference.
The burden of knowing
that my friends
and family
and body
ageing
will become burdensome.
The pressure of worrying
whether the money will last
as long as our bodies do.
The crushing rush of despair
as democracy’s weaknesses and climate change
engulf us,
our damaged body politic
too puny and confused to lift
even half-filled sandbags into place.I run into friends.
When is the next trip to the lake?
Whose album release party comes up next?
Did you know that
to remove the smell of skunk from your dog
you need baking soda and laundry soap
and at least a gallon of hydrogen peroxide?
I eat lunch.
Sweet pulled pork,
creamy ravioli,
lima beans with raisins,
a rich bar thick with peanut butter and chocolate chips.
I shop.
Organic apples,
equal exchange tea,
eggs from cage free hens,
local sweet corn still in its husk.
I marvel at the smooth red bell peppers,
spill a little turmeric,
pour into a jar
beads of couscous light as air.
I walk out of the co-op grocery carrying
two full tote bags.
—Margaret Fisher Squires
Margaret Fisher Squires grew up in or near the capital cities of the United States, India, and Turkey. The third time she and her husband moved to Bloomington, Indiana, they put down roots, and raised their daughter there. Margaret is a psychotherapist. She finds that Nature sustains her, and she would like to return the favor. She struggles to stretch words and pennies to save democracy. Her poems have appeared in brass bell: a haiku journal, The Fairy Tale Magazine, The Ryder, and the Five Women Poets’ chapbook, Birds of a Feather.