Aisle Four

The keys hit the linoleum with a brassy clatter

right next to a display of discount bread.

I was just looking for a pack of peppermint gum

when the speakers started playing that song instead.

I froze by the glass of the soda cooler,

watching the condensation crawl down the side.

Everything behind the door was a green blur

of sugar and water with nowhere to hide.

Three chords of that guitar are enough to do it,

to make the fluorescent lights feel way too bright.

I left the keys on the floor and walked through the exit

and into the cold, empty shock of the light.