anarchy at the grocery store

there's a long line at the register.
ten carts maybe.

all full of everything.
a weary person at each cart
but

one.
the one in front of me.
every five minutes or so the woman
returns
and puts

a gallon of milk in it.
or toilet
paper,

or lightbulbs.
then she disappears to do
more shopping,

leaving her cart alone,
unattended.

the line moves, I go ahead of her,
the belt cleared,

more people come.
she's still not back.

they too go ahead of her.

finally she returns with
pork chops under her arm
to put
in her cart.

hey, she says, to all of us
now ahead of her cart.
I was next in line. not you.

you can't do that. it's against
the rules of society.
humanity.

you can't shop and leave
your cart, what kind of a world
are we living in?