Poem: At the Supermarket
This week, Poet’s Corner features a further contribution from arts journalist, commentator and poet Phil Brown.
At the Supermarket
At the supermarket after the rain
The surface of the empty car park
Reflects the moon as clouds part.
Inside the aisles are empty too
And bright as a surprise,
Lit up like Broadway after the Apocalypse.
The people are gone
But the lights are still on:
I wander lonely without a crowd
Pushing a trolly with a wonky wheel
Hair still wet from the shower
In shorts and a soiled T-shirt
As if to say… I don’t give a damn.
I’m in my happy place
Mooching and meditating
Between the sauces and international goods.
I pass the udon noodles
Forgetting we are out of them
And imagine for just a moment
That as well as the squeaky trolly wheel
I can hear, from somewhere over in the bakery section
The sound of one hand clapping.
Phil Brown, living in Brisbane, is an arts journalist, commentator, poet, author, and presenter at festivals and other events who has worked for major news outlets in Australia and internationally. Currently he is the editor of InReview, Queensland, which expanded from Solstice Media’s South Australian InReview. His poetry and short stories, travel and various other articles have appeared widely individually and in collections, the latter including ‘The Kowloon Kid’ published by Transit Lounge in 2019. More can be found about Phil and his work here.