At Walmart,
passed on the self-checkout
and stood in line for the cashier.
Followed her red-and-purple nail polish
as she placed my socks, toothbrush, and cat food
in the plastic bag.
At the Royal Bank,
skipped the ATM and
asked the teller for my balance.
She circled the number on the printout,
inquiring about my experience with
online banking.
At Pearson International,
ignored the check-in kiosk and
handed my papers to the attendant.
Nodded as he showed me
how to do it myself
next time.
Saved three jobs today.
(Editor’s note: poet Shai Ben-Shalom, an Israeli-born biologist, writes for Blacklock’s each and every Sunday)
