After Costco, Before Ukraine - Nolo Segundo

Content note: death, mentions of war

You saw the lines weren’t too long

so you went for the gas first---

spend a little time, save a lot of

money you thought. But it took 

much longer than you expected 

so by the time you went into the

giant store, you were feeling like 

a crab trapped in a net as you

wrestled through the weekend

horde of bargain hunters…

Finally at home, you plopped 

down in your comfy chair as 

the nightly news came on and

sipped the fresh brewed French

roast and ate a piece of rich

chocolate cake you bought at

Costco and felt a bit sad for 

those poor people in Ukraine

as you watched war in hi-def.

Still, the thought uppermost in

your mind, as your eyes scanned

so many dead bodies lying quiet

in the streets like stones thrown

randomly, was just how damn 

good the coffee was and how 

much you had saved going to

the big box store…

Originally published by Dissident Voices, July 14, 2024

Nolo Segundo, pen name of retired teacher [America, Japan, Taiwan, the war zone of Cambodia, 1973-74] L.j.Carber, 78, became a published poet and essayist in his 8th decade in over 240 literary journals in 21 countries and has been nominated for the Pushcart Prize, thrice for Best of the Net. Cyberwit.net has published 3 poetry collections in softcover: THE ENORMITY OF EXISTENCE; OF ETHER AND EARTH; and SOUL SONGS. The titles reflect an awareness gained in 1971 when he had an NDE whilst nearly drowning in a Vermont river: that he has--is--a consciousness predating birth and surviving death, what poets since Plato have called the soul.