eavesdropping in a grocery store

while hunting for the staples on the weekend,

during those few hours that he doesn’t have to work

during the 7 day work week,

he moves out of the way

as a little girl and her grandfather go by---

grandfather is asking his granddaughter

if she is still reading the book that he gave her &

she responds with the kind indifference

that comes with the sporadic bluster of

thoughts & words that children

produce,

full of energy, full of life,

a pledge to the struggle of the grandfather

who no doubt

enjoys every second of spoiling

the daughter of his daughter,

as grandparents get to do.

the man looking to choose the crackers

which he will use to place the sharp cheddar that he’s

purchased,

he does so while eavesdropping &

for a moment,

knowing full well that he himself has aged further

than one can,

in order to attain the enjoyment of a

grandfather---

so he will perish without having passed on his name,

the last male in the line

with no relatives left to speak of &

yet,

there is something so sweet

having got to witness, if but for only a moment,

the warmth between a complete stranger & his

granddaughter,

as they passed by in a grocery store---

it is something to smile about,

be it on the outside or the inside,

just knowing that it

exists.