In the Supermarket Basket
A bottle of Guinness
small pizza
extra cheese
and a scrunched up note
apps and bans
2 x yell and red pep
halloumi
250g dark choc
wine
in a serious list
divided into sections
of dairy and fruit etc
and not one of them ticked
which doesn’t seem right
an argument about the car
or washing up
or a letter found
in someone’s pocket
and someone’s partner
stiff with rage
storming out after
politely replacing the basket
back in the stack at the Entrance
ready to be read
by the next customer
standing in line at the Checkout
a customer who needs to know
about someone else’s life
but more importantly
needs to know
just what the hell is halloumi.
Terry Quinn was born in Birmingham in 1951 and settled in Preston in 1995 working at Lancashire Teaching Hospital after travelling the UK and Middle East in his career as a Medical Engineer. He retired in 2012 to concentrate on writing . He presents the Arts Scene programme on Preston fm and watches football anywhere.