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
Posted for Poets United Wonder Wednesday
Dear Audrey,
ReplyDeleteSo 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.
Thanks Kim--I was a young'un then--
Deletethey 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...
ReplyDeleteThanks Brian--empathy is always a good thing
DeleteExperiences such as this are frightening, aren't they? Sometimes I think, "There but by the grace of God go I."
ReplyDeleteThank you Mary!
DeleteI 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.
ReplyDeleteHi Judy! Thank you!
DeleteI 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!
ReplyDeleteThank you so much Chhavi!
Deletethe choices we make ~ or even the act of making no choice ~ do determine the shape of our lives, don't they?
ReplyDeletelovely write!
♥
Thank you so much my heart---
DeleteIntrospection 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.
ReplyDeleteAnd we face them daily, and we never know what the long-lasting effect of them will be.
ReplyDeleteWonderfully concise and meaningful.
It's a scary and humbling thing, isn't it? Great write.
ReplyDeleteWonderful observations shared.
ReplyDeleteI 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
Wonderful poetry, Audrey! It's something to ponder...
ReplyDeleteWow! Beautiful and poignant. You just want her to be okay and not have to fumble...sigh...
ReplyDeleteI 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.
ReplyDeleteYes, we write our own story, but sometimes it is lead by our heart. I love your poem :D
ReplyDeleteThis is a very beautiful poem. Sometimes, through introspection, we can see the beautifully painted parts of our soul.
ReplyDeleteThis is the best poetry I have read in a while! It says so much about everyone!
ReplyDeleteI always enjoy reading the words of your heart.
ReplyDelete