At the Supermarket by William Blake Brown

I heard the happy footsteps hurrying
behind me, and I steered my shopping
cart to the side of the aisle by the bread
to clear a passing lane.
He looked to be about four, and he was
celebrating a pristine pair of shoes.
With every step, he planted
the sole with a satisfying slap.
His father, trailing in his wake caught
my smile and returned it as we shared
an understanding: it doesn’t take
much to make a kid happy.



A former journalist, William Blake Brown writes poetry and plays and makes photographs.