Thomas Sabel: Unsought Purchases
Even with a receipt I can’t return
The day bought on a whim—
Careless of time being spent.
Buyer’s remorse wakes
The following day, a hangover
Rising from relentless binge-buying.
“I couldn’t help myself.”
So says contrition laid on
When the mistake’s made
Visible. The size and color,
All wrong.
Why take it from the rack?
Some days should be left behind
For future clearance sales
That clear the calendar
Of outdated stock.
Now
It’s too late. I bought it,
Brought it home to hang,
A reminder of the tumult
Of time lost in tomorrow.
Thomas Sabel teaches writing at IPFW and the University of St. Francis in Fort Wayne, IN. His works have appeared in Heyday, Nebo, Red Paint Hill Sunday Poems, Marathon Literary Review, Whistling Fire, Tipton Poetry Journal, Riverrun, and others. His mid-grade fantasy, Legends of Luternia: the Prince Decides, has been published by eLectio Press.
