I could go to a yoga studio
Find a lonely cozy spot in the middle of a forest
Travel to India in a self-discovery trip

But I’d never reflect upon life’s mysteries
As effectively as I do
The moment I cross those sliding doors  

Walking down the aisle where cereal boxes
And questions are kept
Mechanical steps, pushing cart  

Going back and forth mentally
Between my shopping list
And the last stupid comment I made  

Who says that?
Why wouldn’t you just keep your mouth shut?
Oh, there’s the yogurt I was looking for  

Two aisles down, coffee and worries
Everyone seems to be looking for sleepless-night meds
A faster heartbeat to hush a roaring head  

Frozen produce – funny, like my plans
Resting at the back, forgotten
With a thick ice layer of years of fear and self-doubt  

Turning right on the wild affection aisle a.k.a pet food section
Dry and wet options to sooth loneliness
A promise of and gratitude for furry honest love  

Arriving at the check-out with an almost-vomiting cart
Unevenly divided – some items I’ll have to pay
Plus a parade of questions I might never get to explain   

Loading my trunk, closing (firmly) the door
Enough living in my head
I’ll pretend to go back to real life instead