"Ode to the Grocery Store Clerk" by Taylor Butts
Apr 8, 2020
Today at #theVirtualMAC we're sharing a poem sent to us by Taylor Butts.
Send in your "Living Uncertainty" submissions to director@marionartcenter.org.
See more artwork from our online exhibit “Living Uncertainty” by visiting the Virtual MAC on our new website at www.marionartcenter.org.
Ode to the Grocery Store Clerk
by Taylor Butts
I am so alone
and I am worried for me.
You are not alone
and I am worried for you.
In this sick time
you have none.
What have we done
to deserve your dedication?
Nothing.
And we will continue to do
nothing.
It is essential
that the empty parking lot
not fill with carts.
It is essential
that the baskets return to the cradle
by the main entrance.
It is essential
someone explain when the next shipment of
toilet paper and chicken will come.
Our bodies scream
for that biological alchemy
that somehow trees
are forced to clean up.
You are essential to us,
as unwavering as a sturdy
oak.
As hearty as the
elm.
Your check is essential to you,
and so you will serve selflessly.
We thank you for that.
Not all heroes wear masks.
There just aren’t enough.
