you care for her
as tender as a child
as she holds on the handles of a shopping cart
small and petite and as still as a mouse
trembling from cold or fear
staring into space
eyes white and blind from age
you were once strapping
and have weakened and bent with age
shuffling the aisle
gathering goods
the first time i saw you
and realized the dynamics
and saw the tenderness between you
i teared up and walked away
only to start to sob uncontrollably halfway down the aisle
envious of a such a love
wishing i had just a little bit of it