“Ephemeral Fortune” © Alexander Limarev

 

Seeing God in the Checkout Aisle at Kroger

He stood six feet
away from me,
a safe difference,
enough to avoid
conversation
or even nod
at my existence.

He wore a mask,
single-use,
his eyes scanning
items on the belt
trying to figure out
what it all cost,
if he had enough
to cover it.

The register girl
with a nose ring
never looks up,
items beeping
their amount
into the register
like a kid
dropping pennies
into a coin bank.

God is short.
Three dollars
and change.
He searches
his wallet like a wife,
pissed when he comes
up empty.

For the first time
he looks at me.
I shrug my shoulders,
shake my head,
think about what
Nietzsche said.
Then I watch God,
his vast hands
separate sheep from goats.

 

Donnarkevic lives in Buckhannon, West Virginia. Recent work has appeared or will appear in Street Cake, Neologism Poetry Journal, and Solum Literary Press.

Alexander Limarev, freelance artist, mail art artist, curator, poet, photographer from Siberia / Russia. Participated in more than 900 international projects and exhibitions. His artworks are part of private and museum collections of 64 countries. His artworks as well as poetry have been featured in various online publications including Killer Whale Journal, Bukowski Erasure Poetry Anthology (silver Birch Press), Treehouse Arts, Zoomozophone Review, Backchannels, Briller Magazine, The Gambler, Caravel Literary Arts Journal, Tuck Magazine, Angry Old man Magazine, Caliban Online Magazine, Degenerate Literature, Sonic boom Journal, Gallery @ Studio Arts Journal, Zouch Magazine and others.