morning rolls to the grocery store (12/30)

just when we thought we could sleep in
3 knocks on the door
2 more minutes to wake up
1 slap on the head

family field trip
to get the meals
that would last us
at most
a quarter of the week

a 30 minute stroll
or should i say roll
with that asinine
homeless lady cart
from the red line

it may have 4 wheels
but it is no car

we had learned its ins and outs
how to turn the corners
on hind wheels
and to avoid cracks and holes
opting for the street
when the sidewalks were beaten
occasionally tipping over
when the loss of balance
was inevitable

or was it loss of confidence?

winters trumped summers
it was by far more painful
to see those in cars
how we envied those kids
who got to carry
their groceries
from their trunks

and frostbitten hands
and aching backs
from leaning forward
to avoid the black ice

how we fought
over who rolled
last time

summer did kill us though
we saw them
and they saw us
so we hung our heads
knowing the cart was
immovable

and such was life
as we knew it
as we lived it