Veterans

Second hand smoke stained smile
Cash slides across the counter
How are you doing today?
Three hundred forty eight second encounter
Absentminded actions are taken for
Empty minded machines
She keys in the amount and prints the receipt
Taking the judgment with tobacco flavoured teeth
Veterans
Of the Saturday morning rush
Frizzy haired mother’s frowns and business men rush
Clogging the arteries of grocery store aisles
And echoing agendas on the 90’s print tile
Paper or plastic?
Eye contact questioning the evidence of scholastic
Endeavors
They peg her
A high school drop-out dead-in job forever
And she’ll sleep it off when she clocks out in eight hours
But you’ll never know expectation’s cruel powers.