Bed, Bath & Beyond

Jane Blanchard

Word Count 102

Needing a break from house and husband, I

go shopping on a Sunday morning by

myself. I reach my destination in

about five minutes, then take maybe ten

to find the items on my list—a set

of towels and two lampshades. Next I get

in line to make my purchases. There is

one station open, its cashier a whiz

at chatting people up while taking care

of business. Waiting for my turn, I stare

as some determined man buys toiletries

with coupon after coupon. To appease

me, his poor wife confides before they go,

“I cannot take him anywhere, you know.”

Jane lives and writes in Georgia (USA). Her poetry has recently been published in Australia, Austria, Canada, Israel, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, and the United States. Her latest collection is Never Enough Already (2021)