Poets logo

A Simple Grocery List

At The World Market

By Cathy holmesPublished 8 months ago Updated 8 months ago 1 min read
Top Story - November 2023
44
Photo by No Revisions on Unsplash

This piece was inspired by Mackenzie Davis's Grocery List Challenge. Since mine is not actually a list, I doesn't quite fit the prompt. But that's okay. Thanks for the inspiration Mackenzie.

I went to the world market

with a simple grocery list

of milk, eggs, flour, fruit

and maybe some beef.

To make myself a comfort meal

with sweets and fruits and stew.

A simple task, for a simple meal,

for a simple life.

But when I arrived,

the cherries were sour.

The raspberries had mold.

And when I slipped on the container of spilt milk,

I heard a loud boom before I hit the floor.

I saw lights flash above me,

and I swear someone was frying popcorn

in a pan as big as the sky.

Then when I looked up through the powered haze of the broken bags of flour,

the bulls were running roughshod through the market,

while lambs hid behind transparent walls

that fell like eggshell towers

into a sticky macabre mixture of mashed strawberries and cocoa jelly.

And as I watched a crying girl seek refuge behind those eggshell towers while she picked pomegranate seeds from her face,

I cried.

While the oblivious went about their business and shopped their comfort items, for their simple meals, for their simple lives,

I cried.

For that little girl,

and for the long-lost memory of my grandmother’s raisin bread.

sad poetrysocial commentary
44

About the Creator

Cathy holmes

Canadian family girl with a recently discovered love for writing. Other loves include animals and sports.

Reader insights

Outstanding

Excellent work. Looking forward to reading more!

Top insights

  1. Heartfelt and relatable

    The story invoked strong personal emotions

  2. Compelling and original writing

    Creative use of language & vocab

  3. Easy to read and follow

    Well-structured & engaging content

  1. Expert insights and opinions

    Arguments were carefully researched and presented

  2. Masterful proofreading

    Zero grammar & spelling mistakes

Add your insights

Comments (40)

Sign in to comment
  • Alexander McEvoy7 months ago

    You told a beautiful story here, Cathy I’m not sure I understood it all 🤔 poetry is a challenge for me, but I really enjoyed all of the imagery and the flow of the writing! You have a wonderful ability to draw me into your narrative and make me want to reread it just to make sure I truly savour the moment :)

  • Daphsam7 months ago

    Your words really painted all the images in my head, your have wonderful storytelling ability through poems. 

  • Grz Colm7 months ago

    This was crazy! Could easily imagine it all! Congrats on a swell top story too! 😊👏

  • Kailu7 months ago

    List won't be forgot and the lines too

  • Looks like a Top Story was on your grocery list! Congratulations!

  • The Dani Writer8 months ago

    Sensory heights here, Cathy. This is expert-levels, Top Story-an! You're riding with the big dawgs now! Abi will be talkin' smack 😉

  • Caroline Jane8 months ago

    This is really, really good. The eggshell box parts are fascinating. The colours are alive. The emotion true. Well done!

  • Donna Fox (HKB)8 months ago

    Wow, this poem has me in awe! I felt the world still for a moment as I read this! This is so beautifully written with amazing imagery!! Great work Cathy and congrats on Top Story!

  • Addison M8 months ago

    This was great! Loved the imagery. Congrats on the TS!

  • Hannah Moore8 months ago

    How frightening the world is, when we look.

  • Melissa Ingoldsby8 months ago

    Fuck this was impactful and just truly a work of art

  • Dana Stewart8 months ago

    Wow. I'm teary-eyed in a good way. This is beautiful. Congrats on the Top Story.

  • Margaret Brennan8 months ago

    wow, congratulations on TS.

  • Mackenzie Davis8 months ago

    Woohoo, TS! 🎉

  • Real Poetic8 months ago

    Congratulations!!! 🩵🎊🎊🎉

  • Paul Stewart8 months ago

    This is stunning, buddy. Just another example of your excellence. That line really hits hard. Congrats on Top Story!

  • Congratulations on your Top Story✨🎉🧡🧡🎉🎉🎉🎉

  • Great work, once again! Congrats

  • Lena Folkert8 months ago

    Wow. Cathy. This was phenomenal. Like only you could make this so poignant. 🫶🫶🙌🏻🙌🏻👏🏻👏🏻

  • Real Poetic8 months ago

    Incredible Cathy. You made me feel something and the taste of raisin bread is still lingering in sadness. Well done.

  • Colleen Millsteed 8 months ago

    Excellent work Cathy, it’s why I order my groceries delivered now hahaha.

  • Yep, I'm the guy who undoubtedly stands there looking around asking, "What happened?"

  • Manisha Dhalani8 months ago

    This was something else. Grocery shopping never turns out to be what we want, but that last line broke me. Great writing.

  • Tiffany Gordon 8 months ago

    Great work! Very unique!!!!

Find us on social media

Miscellaneous links

  • Explore
  • Contact
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of Use
  • Support

© 2024 Creatd, Inc. All Rights Reserved.