Picking a shopping cart that’s bigger than a double basket and bumping into every shelf // Not going
down an aisle if there’s more than one shopper // Dragging myself out of bed at the crack of dawn to
avoid crowds- to avoid people // Standing for longer than twenty seconds- I’ve counted- in one spot //
Saying “Excuse me” but I only mouthed the words // Unreasonably cramped local markets where the
cart can barely fit through each aisle // Going through the opposite entrance and shopping backwards
makes me vomit // Distracted by every single snack cake // Having a concrete list and buying
absolutely none of it // The mere presence of people is hair-standing enough to cause me to zone out
and knock out cans of beans // Do people judge each other about which products are in their cart? I
kinda do, to be honest // God forbid asking for assistance to reach the top shelf // Checking out as a
concept // Grocery stores as a concept//
Bio:
Alexis Crafts (she/her) is a university student from Massachusetts studying English and communications. She has words in or forthcoming in Literary Canteen, Ice Lolly Review, and Brave Voices Magazine.