She goes to the shops,
this woman who hates shopping.
She has dressed smartly,
hiding hairy legs.
She knows what she needs,
and pushes past those savouring,
not swallowing, the task.
Fumbling with hangers,
she flushes at the guard's gaze.
Her feet and limbs cop curses
always longer than the size!
She resents the variety myth —
thinks trends infect like hepatitis —
all the shops really sell the same.
The bored cashier doesn't fake a smile
and she wants to scream “Hurry up!”
but doesn't, and misses the bus.

Susan Austin

From Green Left Weekly, October 6, 2004.
Visit the Green Left Weekly home page.

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