Some Things Just Shouldn't Be Allowed

(an ode to the ladies in front of me in line at the grocery store.)

The discount grocery where I shop
Has "No Name" that I dare to speak
The shopping carts are yours with change
But quarters not I had with me.

The store was crowded, full of folks
Short on cereal, juice, and chips
I struggled through with eco-friendly bags
To buy the food that we would eat.

Lineups were long and tempers were short
The ice cream I had was melting fast
But suddenly I saw with joy
The shortest line, in front of me!

I set my bags down on the floor
And breathed a sigh of sweet relief
Then saw with fear the over-stuffed cart
Without an owner, waiting patiently.

You and your friend, in her pink pullover
Arrived with pasta and armfuls of fruit
You used your cart to save your spot
And continued shopping in the store.

You returned to the line and went to purchase
As your friend continued her shopping spree
I waited twenty goddamn minutes
While she looked for Tang Crystals and olive oil!

When she returned again this third time
with bottles of root beer that where on sale
I smirked inside at her dismay
Because I had moved ahead in line.

The cashier was impatient, annoyed, like me
And voided her transaction immediately
Then moved on to my purchases while she waited
Revenge was mine, so sweet, so sweet.