T he photo-girl at Rite-Aid used 
the number off my wife's receipt 
to buy douche and baby diapers.
Rite-Aid, in a state of high alert,
trained a cam on her -
like a cat crouched and staring
(vertical slits of yellow pupils dilating)
at the flick of a mouse's tail.

My wife checks every charge every month.
She caught this as easily as a high pop to center and 
demanded Rite-Aid restitution.
I ask if, as the mother of three, she wants to ruin
another mother?
"Diapers", she replies "are expensive."
"But, what if everyone stole what 
they couldn't afford?  What order would there be?"

But I ask what order is this
that you and I can hear how a mother
is separated from chaos
by a border as diaphanous as a credit card receipt
and do nothing?




					Brandywine
					4/21/200