A Shopping Experience (I.P.)

It’s usually the missus
who goes round with the trolley
to do the weekly shopping.
- It is an act of folly
that frightens me to death.
But one day, full of charm,
she said: ‘You’re going to Tesco,
it won’t do you any harm.
The freezer needs topping
and then we want some greens;
broccoli and cauliflower
or maybe runner beans.’

I looked like a lost soul,
trudging from aisle to aisle;
the girl at the fish counter,
with an engaging smile,
offered me a Dover sole.
I was an absolute wreck
as I reached the checkout
at the end of my trek.
I was like a jelly
and couldn’t feel my joints
but it ended in triumph:
they gave me triple points.

© Luigi Pagano 2010