Outlet malls on a clear, cool Saturday afternoon

Are awash with feverish customers

Convinced it’s not too early for Christmas shopping

Nor too late for a bargain

Entering ‘Old Navy’ quickly ended the dream of a quick stop

Four check out lines wound around

Three aisles with each customer seemingly hell bent

On finishing their Christmas shopping TODAY

Immediately I began to plead my case

That there was not enough time to wait in the checkout line

Even promised a quick stop at Target to get whatever was needed

Or even more money was offered for an online purchase

But the prices were too low for my logic too overcome

The anticipated nightmare of an endless line

Sulking I began to analyze the composition of the line

Chatting Mother’s and daughter’s

Teenage girls with a grandmother in tow

Girlfriends of varied ages just flat out having a wonderful time

Even an occasional guy, who knows why

But then square in the middle of the line

An older fellow, okay what’s old?

His face spelt his age

He knew the agony he had fallen into

His place in line was dictated

By the one still shopping in the store

He was the PLACE holder

Yes he was in Purgatory

With really no heaven in sight

Glancing furtively

Hoping his pain would be relieved

By the return of his companion

She then would take his place

Allowing him to maybe rest

Twenty maybe twenty five minutes

Had past since I began my vigil of the line

When I learned the man’s name

“John, John’, a woman called to him

“Come on, come on they don’t have what I want

Let’s go”

John looked around for witnesses

To the injustice he had just endured

Waiting in line for nothing

Oh the life of a pawn

FXC 11/3/2019

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