Moving through the mall
Still closed but opened for
Eye doctor visits
Roomie in exam room
And me, yeah, gotta pee
Directed to bathroom
In Food Court
Quite a hike
Totally empty
It’s abandoned
Just some old signs for
Asian take-outs
(My favorite food!)
Kiosks and small stores still struggle
But the big guys
All gone:
Sears, Macy’s, JC Penney
Empty gaping stores
Follow signs to the rest rooms
Down a long, lonesome corridor
Creepy
No doors and no one there but me
Well, I hope
Feel around for my pepper spray
Then remember it’s in my backpack
Protecting the empty car outside
Old movies flutter on the atmosphere
As I quickly squat on the toilet
Did you see the first Jurassic Park film?
That’s me
The guy first to be eaten by a T-Rex
Because his body betrays him and
He just has to pee
I do get out of there in one piece
Trek back through the lonesome corridor
Suddenly I hear a whistler
Hidden
But unbidden
The song is reminiscent of an old Western
Envisioning tumbleweeds
I glance around but can’t find the source
Quickening my stride, eyes straight
I notice the ghosts of past mall shoppers
When every store and kiosk busy
When the aroma of cinnamon buns
And soft pretzels permeated the air
When children laughed while racing on a
Giant carnival carousel
When teens flirted, sneaking cigarettes
When I would complain about the mall prices
Too high for working poor
Yet paid a dollar for a fresh orange juice
Without blinking
When infants whimper
While parents shop ‘til they drop
In between those ghosts of times long gone
Times before the pandemic
Another movie takes form
Dawn of the Living Dead
And yes, here I go again
Seeing shambling zombies
Groaning, moaning
As I hurry into the safe eyeglass store
Covid-masked, weaponless
Heart racing as I sit and wait
For my turn
As time churns
Toward a future
Of who knows what…
(c) 2022 Clarissa Simmens (ViataMaja)
IMAGE: orange juice vending machine
See also my poem Magic Mall Machine © 2015 MAGIC MALL MACHINE (true story) | poeturja (wordpress.com)
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