Choices






i saw myself today
   in line at the dollar store
in front of me
   an elderly woman
brain addled
    trying to find her last three dollars
buried deep in some pocket or other

she pushed her hands deep into
   first one and then another
probing among used tissues and keys
   unable to pinpoint just where
those dollars had gone to

truth was, some substance or another
   had leant its aid
and she wasn’t that much older than me
   enough though
for me to see myself
   had i made other choices along the way
or maybe still

those choices are still out there
   you know



copyright/all rights reserved Audrey Howitt 2013


Comments

  1. Dear Audrey,
    So glad you've eschewed those choices at this time. Hope you continue to do so. Amazing what physical toll the thrill and the high exact.

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  2. they are out there...and this is familiar thought process to me as well...that is why i am drawn to the homeless...i figure i have been one choice away from them several times in life...

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  3. Experiences such as this are frightening, aren't they? Sometimes I think, "There but by the grace of God go I."

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  4. I always look at ppl who undergoing difficulties and say a little prayer of thanks but not in a proud way. Life is full of tests and trials and but for the grace of God, I could fail one. I have been in many a situation I may have never foreseen.

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  5. I truly love your poem and I wanna let you know how I want the people of my country to know this. That it is their choice that will lead them to what they want to be. So many people destitute around me..I feel tears welling up in my eyes for them, I do. But how I wish they would all learn about choices!

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  6. the choices we make ~ or even the act of making no choice ~ do determine the shape of our lives, don't they?

    lovely write!

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  7. Introspection can be frightening, and bad choices are always on the prowl. You created quite a little one act play there. The pocketful of used tissues made me grin. Don't we all.

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  8. And we face them daily, and we never know what the long-lasting effect of them will be.

    Wonderfully concise and meaningful.

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  9. It's a scary and humbling thing, isn't it? Great write.

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  10. Wonderful observations shared.

    I do wonder sometimes to about choices. And about circumstances people are either born into or create somewhere along the line. It's all a mystery as you show here.

    xo

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  11. Wonderful poetry, Audrey! It's something to ponder...

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  12. Wow! Beautiful and poignant. You just want her to be okay and not have to fumble...sigh...

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  13. I can see the poor thing, fumbling. I am always flailing about in my purse.......I dont even need substances to make me dithery, hee hee. You paint her so well, Audrey, that I worry about her.

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  14. Yes, we write our own story, but sometimes it is lead by our heart. I love your poem :D

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  15. This is a very beautiful poem. Sometimes, through introspection, we can see the beautifully painted parts of our soul.

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  16. This is the best poetry I have read in a while! It says so much about everyone!

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  17. I always enjoy reading the words of your heart.

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