Downsizing

A woman loses her job
What she had told everyone
Three years before was
“One of those once-in-a-lifetime opportunities”
Stops by the grocery on her way home
Before anyone else in the family knows,
The husband is no doubt lost in work
The children safely at school
She has her cell phone but
That can wait
She wanders among the fresh fruits and vegetables
Down aisle after aisle of can goods
Fresh baked breads
cool dairy, cut meats
Something in her wants to stay there forever
In the safety of merchandise
She stays too long for
The little she buys
Enough time to catch her breath
Dry her eye
Steel her will…
Then she checks herself out
Gets back in the car
Heads toward home
Trying hard to swallow
Feeling her throat
Downsizing