izzy

I shop at Sainsbury’s for something different
and it is, but unremarkably so
it’s more just kind of confusing,
being in a supermarket where all the items seem to be
arranged haphazardly and stupidly,
not in the order I’m used to
not in the logic I’ve learnt to follow
I wonder how standardised supermarket layouts are.
I wonder if I could have a copy of the universal map.
I think they might be specifically engineered to be confusing to maximise customer spending.
this seems likely to me as I bought at least 3 things that weren’t on my original 4-item list,
and considered buying even more unnecessary things.

I sometimes think the rubbish around the door where I live has been placed there
it seems very specific and purposeful at times
like a contemplation on the transience of this hall space
considering urban decay, consumerism, minutiae of daily life
something something
there is a sucked-on cough lolly
there are scraps of food wrappers and cigarette butts
sometimes there are cans and leaves and tiny little bags
my favourite is the hot pink feather that’s been clinging to the step near my door
for days now.

I’m stepping out of my new sandals that I’m still not sure if I like
they are very much like parent sandals, ‘Dad sandals’ to be precise
they are very practical and leathery and comfortable
and I feel strangely like I want to wear them with socks
in order to subvert people’s fashion censors
I consider looking up the expensive manufacturer
just to see where they’re made
to see if I can find out where they sourced the leather
wondering if there are factory fires where they do the stitching
I decide not to – I think I would rather not know the ethics of my sandals
I think I would rather have comfortable and ethically ambiguous sandals
than find out that they are morally bankrupt, and so am I by association

I think ‘I can’t handle the truth’ and that seems true
so I google them just to spite myself
and nothing comes up to link them with bad working conditions
but not much comes up at all really
so either way my feet are not vindicated they are just comfortable
I actually have no idea where that line about truth comes from
all my pop culture references are just referencing other people
the quilt of their interweaving understanding just looks like a bunch of squares to me
I drink from the mouth of my unnecessary carton of cranberry juice and it is delicious.

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sarah

I had forgotten the electric hiss
That slides up the spine
The water trickling into the belly
The flood of feeling down the thighs
That blooms in the wake
Of an unexpected kiss from a stranger

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