Memorable writing that sparks imagination. Lean in. Hear the writer’s voice on the page.
Customer Service
By Su Shafer
Mr. Wright came hobbling in today
Leaning heavily on a cane
He needed to pay his bill.
His good knee has gone out
His bad knee has been watching from the sidelines
Still wondering about the replacement
Promised a few years ago.
But he had to have bi-pass surgery
On a heart which has been hobbling along too.
He had come straight from the dentist
But was smiling anyway
The droopy smile of a weary man
“Getting old is so hard,” he said,
Stroking the sparse fuzz on his head.
“Is it really worth it?”
“It is today,” I said smiling back.
In the way someone
Who is really glad to see you smiles.
He nodded,
his mouth drooping a little less.
Su Shafer is a creative crafter, fabricating bits of writing in poetry and short stories, and other bits into characters that appear in paintings or sit on various bookshelves and coffee tables. She lives in a cottage on the Olympic Peninsula of Washington, where the tea kettle is always whistling and the biscuits freshly baked. One never knows who might stop by to share a rainy afternoon. And all are welcome!
