The flu has pushed the shoppers
away from this litter of bananas
coaxing my tongue for better health.
Strange things play in the air
between the cashier and the customer
wringing alcohol on her hands.
From Kentucky to New York,
we've come to dress like surgeons
and fear the bad blood of a handshake
or dollar bill. I grab my things as night grows
outside the automatic doors. Under the rinsers
& harsh light of the produce aisle,
a truth dies and a myth takes its name.