Standing in line at any store, in airports, or bus stations, I watch people,
wonder who they are, what they do, and dream up the stories of their lives …
STORIES IN LINE
in the grocery check-out
I notice the label at a woman’s neck
want to tuck it in
but could get arrested for harassment 
the belt in one man’s pants
is half-looped, needs re-threading
the check-out guy
smiles as if he’s won
the lottery
muzak blurs voices
the shuffle of feet
groceries being packed
while I build stories
how she hurried to dress and feed
four children
he had to walk
the dog before going to work
the check-out guy won $5,000
he plans to buy his wife
a fancy necklace
I wonder who we are
while I wait
‘A Bedroom of Searchlights’: poetry. This collection draws a picture of the poet’s divorced mother, an artist with two children, who struggled with poverty, war, and the realities of daily life, yet still found beauty and comfort in her garden, and her art.
1960willowtree 