Actin’ a Fool in the Grocery Store
(for Sanity’s Sake)My reasons for taking you with me are partly selfish;
Adults seem creepy kick pushing grocery carts
Fast enough to gather a breeze
down empty aisles,
coasting on them like skateboards,
with feet on the underbars,
making sounds of tires skidding as if in a police chase
while turning the aisle’s corner, one wheel almost coming off the floor
going down the next aisle
replacing the easy-listening stylings of Norah Jones overhead
with lips loose and flapping to mimic a roaring engine
with no excuse of inebriation
and no giggly little one in the carriage to justify such a grand performanceand cheer
for the black man with the graying beard
racing past canned goods like a true Sagittarius
from the quiet avalanche of expectation
nipping at the heels of his worn out Nikes
To Grow Up. Completely
And give up.
William Ashanti Hobbs
William Ashanti Hobbs: After graduating from Florida A&M University as an undergraduate Graphic Arts major in 2000, Hobbs went on to graduate with a doctorate in Creative Writing from Florida State University in 2004. He now teaches Creative Writing at Florida Memorial University. Hobbs has contributed most recently to the Gale African American Almanac (11th edition). Hobbs is married to Dr. Tameka Hobbs and has two sons, Ashanti and Amiri. The martial arts lover is learning guitar, golf and, as always, is working on various writing projects.
