A poem about Trader Joe’s stampedes, fear and toilet paper

Twas March 15, friends
And I hit Trader Joes
For snacks and for drinks
Heck, I thought they were closed
There were just a few people
But I soon find out why
There was nary a noodle
To be found there inside
Only a few apples left
And of course Two Buck Chuck
But toilet paper, you say?
Nope, you’re shit out of luck
I didn’t freak out much
It’s not as if I
Couldn’t wash with a rag
And a bucket of Tide
But what bummed me out most
About this great food stampede
Was the Buckets of Gimme
And the Bottles of Greed
It must be nice for some folks
That feel good about stealth
But not everyone’s wallet
Has that kind of wealth
Look: Some friends I know
Not too different from me
Live paycheck to paycheck
(And these folks have degrees!)
As I sauntered the aisles
And tried not to sneeze
I got so very sad
At our nation… you see
We don’t just have a virus
That we can’t seem to manage
We also have fear
Which can cause equal damage
If instead of just thinking
About ourselves and our kin
What if we let love
Stir us from within?
What if we took what we needed
A few weeks… nothing more
Then there’d be plenty of bread
For old folks at the store
There’d be chocolate for me
There’d be wine for my friends
And there’d be plenty of TP
For each other’s rear ends
So, while I can’t cure the food deal
I at least can commit
To not scrounging it all
In a me-me-me fit
My friends, I do beg you
As freaked as you feel
Is to honor your fear
But remember what’s real:
We can smile and laugh
We can sing in the streets
We can still go for hikes
(Until they quarantine streets)
How ‘bout we remember this virus
That ripped through the equator
As one of our world’s
Most profound educators…
… as a professor that taught us
While it’s scary some days
We still have each other
And we’ll all be okay.
(I promise. Be kind, people)
Until next time,
My book is available on Amazon. (Note: It’s a special ed journey… your kid doesn’t need to have Tourettes to relate!) Follow me on Twitter@AndreaFrazerWrites or on Facebook. )
