Wednesday, October 30, 2024

the bouncing loaf of olive bread

i told the clerk
behind
the counter that i wanted
a loaf
of olive bread with rosemary.
one loaf
please.
he grabbed it off the shelf
but as he
was about to put it
in the bag
he dropped it to the floor
and kicked it
beneath
the counter.
he got on his hands and knees
and with a broom
retrieved
the crusty loaf of bread
wedged
in the murky shadows.
as he bagged it,
i asked him if he was
still giving it to me,
to which he said,
why not? you don't want it?
he shrugged and put it back
on the shelf
and bagged a different loaf.

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