Why Old Ladies Dawdle in Shops . . .

My mother used to do it--dawdle in shops.
She and her sister would spend a whole day
trying on hats, and if they bought anything, they'd
give it away to the milkman the next morning.
Now I roam the aisles of supermarkets,
straining to read labels and prices,
removing items for closer examination,
and offering gratuitous anecdotal advice
to other shoppers. When my basket is full,
I try to find the places things came from
and put them back--not always successfully.
It's nice in the supermarket--
warm in winter, cool in summer.
They don't charge entrance fees.
When you've had enough, you can abandon
your trolley and slip away.
It's not as though you really needed
anything, and no one is waiting at home--
anywhere. Your time is entirely
and solely your own.