Consume

Curious,
she looked at me with half a smile
Somehow knowing my intentions were not the obvious.

"Can I help you find anything, sir?"

Just browsing.

Perhaps I had failed to hide my amusement
dodging jostled single-purposed bodies.
I watched and took notes.

The distant back corner of Target was busy.
Shelves were dismantled
And random merchandise
had consolidated themselves
in diminishing space.

The "Chili Cook-off Champion Set" neighbored disco ball ornaments.
An entire stand was nothing but Italian novelty chocolates.

What an odd cornucopia of Christmas commodities.
The Island of Misfit Toys may have survived this year's wrapping,
But were in danger, invaded by next year's deal-hunters.

Like nausea from eating too much candy,
The plastic poinsettias framed bad gifts
that had lost their luster...
replaced by 75% off signs.

The clash erupted
an air of panic and earnestness.
Bloodhounds craze bound to the scent.
Quick to get their fake snow-dust fix.

No harm meant to them who smartly shop.
They expose such holy materialism
By cutting corners,
shopping after others
are eggnog hangover hazed.
Supply and no demand:
The All-American Morning After Holidays.

I watched and smiled
seeing our culture's shroud
part to reveal the mating dance
of such relevancy:
Religion and Currency
Christ and Economy.

I happily waved adieu
to the Christmas Shopping season of '08.
Blood at the beginning,
Rich people still bitching
That we didn't buy enough.

This post is dedicated to the memory of Jdimytai Damour:
Trampled to death in a Wal-Mart by crazed shoppers on Black Friday '08.
“It was crazy,” said a worker in the electronics department who was in the store during the stampede. “The deals weren’t even that good.”
MSNBC article