Butter’s scent

drifting

on a heated gust from a ceiling vent

in an always-empty

K-Mart food court.

A line of glossy magazines

flaunting the hottest tech:

a flat screen TV

that wasn’t all that flat,

a Nintendo Wii

perfect for the whole family,

a Bluetooth piece

worn like a digital earring.

Above a plastic bag,

sticky fingers wrapped around

a pack of Pokemon cards,

$2.99,

denied at the last second.

A whine and a sigh,

a promise to stop next door

after checkout.

An endless wait

in a two-person line,

too brash to hold in unkind words.

A scolding, a warning

not to say

what first comes to mind.

A hurried rush past judgmental eyes.

A brisk walk broken by

a doorbell chime.

A mechanical hum

from a blu-ray player

too expensive to touch**.**

Remote control toys

forever on display,

dotted with hopeful fingerprints

below a mystical wall of cables

holding knowledge

only a “computer guy” would know.

A commercial on repeat

on a screen far too high to reach,

preaching specials and sales

for a RadioShack Christmas

best saved on layaway.

A tired yawn.

Down the line,

another store, another chime.

A Hallmark with tacky wall art

and the persisting scent

of an old woman’s musty perfume

strong enough to taste.

A rack of colorful Webkinz

jammed in a narrow aisle

between belated birthday cards

and a row of well-sniffed candles.

A slow blink,

staring at a clock.

A desire to

curl up in a familiar blanket

and adventure through dreams.

A wake-up ring,

set back down

onto feet still half-asleep.

Towering rows of VHS boxes,

some bearing

a bright yellow “Blockbuster,”

others showing action scenes

a bit too PG-13.

Among DVDs,

a racing game grabbed pretty cheap,

taken to the counter.

Questions about

the Redbox sitting outside

met with a roll of the eyes

and a passing word of changing times.

A swipe and a signature.

A long receipt spit from a chirping printer,

stuffed into a crumpled bag,

handed down over the counter.

A sleepy headbutt

and a heavy hug

clinging to jeans with ripped knees.

Stretched arms and a swift lift,

a pillow found

on a boney shoulder.

A distant ding

and a speedwalk through a chilly breeze.

Dreams of

movie theater butter

and rare Pokémon cards

projected inside drooping eyelids.

A gentle slump into a car seat cushion,

ready for a nap

in bumpy silence.