seedless grapes on sale, true story

if you spend

over twenty-five dollars,

the woman

from Sri Lanka

says to me as she rings

up my groceries,

your red seedless grapes

will be ninety-nine cents

per pound.,

not three dollars and

ninety-nine cents

per pound.

you're only up to

twenty-three dollars

and seventy-eight cents.

she shows me the coupon

in the newspaper,

she's circled it with

the pen she keeps behind

her ear.

she explains it to me a few

times more,

the language barrier is not

helping.

the line behind me grows

longer.

there's grumbling,

cursing under their

breath. babies are crying.

i see a small grey haired

woman

taking out a pair of scissors

from her purse.

you need to buy something

for two dollars,

maybe a candy bar, the clerk says,

pointing at the rack

of dozens of candy bars.

hmmm. i say. looking

around. nah, i'm doing this

whole carnivore thing now.

i can't eat sugar.

hold on. let me go get

a can of tuna. is that on

sale too, how much is

one can?

light tuna in water, can you

get the store manager to look

that up?