Tilting Aisles

I gripped the metal shelf just right,

stacked cans in rows about to fight—

a wobble caught in my dizzy sight,

a line about to fall in flight.

The linoleum gleamed, reflecting beans,

a shaky mirror held my scenes.

My breath caught tight, the buzzing light,

a vertigo that snatched the night.

Held fast, my pulse went slow and deep,

as aisles swayed like restless sheep.

The world unbalanced, sudden sweep,

the steady shelves no longer keep.