I pulled into the Save-A-Lot
and stopped over at the far end
of the sprawling blacktop. 
Way away from the store 
under the scruffy shade
of a line of locust trees and skinny maple 
strangled out by sturdy grapevine. 
There’s a hell of a view 
from the grocery store parking lot.
It’s squatting way up on a hill, 

hovering above town 
and next to the Family Dollar. 
The parking lot is peaceful 
this early on a weekday. 
Just me and a couple of Mamaws 
out looking for deals on pork chops
and a dozen eggs.
I sit in the solitude and breathe 

and forget about the coupons
I left laying on the kitchen counter
as I watch a three legged dog
and an old man with a gallon of milk
headed home and out of sight,  
slow and steady in the sunshine,
setting their own pace.