It could be any early morning

under the harsh glare

of fluorescent lights

I unload my cart in rote rhythm

the cashier smiles

we lock eyes in recognition

she starts to chat

I start to bag

the banter familiar

yet soothing

we could be two

old friends sharing

morning coffee

sweet danish, silent dreams

we bridge the disconnect

of life trapped in that

cellphone held tight

in the palm of your hand

flashes of notifications,

your validation

I wave goodbye

as I approach the exit

shake my head and whisper,

“Sweetheart, they

don’t pay you enough”

Sherri London Pastolove is a New York poet. Her first poetry collection, Love In D Major, was released in 2010. Her work has appeared in Newsday, Long Island Pulse Magazine, several editions of the Nassau County Poet Laureate Society Review, and as part of the 911 Memorial Artists Registry.