Shawn Yeager And The Lady Behind The Counter

"Lady Behind the Counter at the Convenience Store"



She stands
Behind the cash register,
Makes coffee,
Stocks shelves,
Cleans the bathrooms,
Takes out the trash.



She smiles.


She's "mature,"
Yet girlish.
Experienced,
Yet open
To suggestion.



She has felt
Her share of heartbreak,
Sadness,
Disappointment.
Her skin has wrinkled,
Hair has grayed,
Muscles atrophied,
Bones weakened.



She is like a clay skeet
Hurled into the heavens,
Gets shot down sometimes,



Even blown to bits sometimes.
But she pulls herself together,
Best she can,
Throws herself
Back up there.



As she ascends,
She has to remind herself
To savor
That moment
When she can't go any higher,
Just before gravity
Takes over
And she falls,
Or a bullet hits her,

and she explodes.



Like most people, Shawn is trying to make sense of the current situation and its implications for the future.  At the same time, he has enjoyed taking on the role of court jester in his new working-from-home office that he shares with his wife, son, and two cats.  He has been re-reading his new favorite poem, Strand's "The Room," and trying to figure out what it means.