encouragement was a
bottle-neck broken
bottle-picking ***
you dropped the
bottle from the
blue bin. the
clerk denied
you the
deposit,
told you
not to
tear the
labels,
told you
it was
shattered,
told you
to take it
all the
way to
the depot
south of
town for
disposal.
you
glared
at him
a moment
and lit a
cigarette.

the
conversation was over
like the
monarchy-
it no longer
had
any
say.

it
had
to
answer to
public opinion.