Spill on Aisle 9
by Giovanna Cordova
University of the Incarnate Word
Giovanna Cordova is an undergraduate student at the University of the Incarnate Word. She is majoring in English with a minor in Creative Writing. Giovanna plans to graduate in December 2024.
In the hum of fluorescent lights,
Amidst the aisles of stacked goods,
I saw you, unexpected,
A ghost from the past, resurfaced.
The rush of memories flooded in,
Like a sudden downpour after drought,
Each glance, each smile, each touch,
Echoes of a love once cherished.
The scent of ripe fruit mingled
With the taste of bittersweet nostalgia,
As I watched you, distant yet near,
A figure etched in my history.
We moved in separate orbits now,
Our paths diverged by time and fate,
But in this mundane moment,
Our past collided with the present.
I traced the lines of your face,
Mapped the contours of forgotten desire,
And in that fleeting encounter,
Lifetimes of emotion surged.
The laughter, the tears, the whispered confessions,
All laid bare in the sterile glow,
Of a grocery store aisle,
Where love once bloomed, then withered.
As quickly as you appeared,
You vanished into the crowd,
Leaving me with a heart heavy with longing,
And a cart full of memories.
