the little kid in the minivan

out today, doing some store-hopping
to stay cool and pick up a few things,
and I parked next to Ocean State
Job Lot, and get out of the PT;
next to me, a gold-colored minivan,
backed in, engine running:
through the tinted glass,
I can still make out a toddler
in the back, with a blanket;
but there is no one else
in the vehicle, and no one
around outside it;
okay, I say, mom ran in to
get something real quick,
and I go into the store to
look around;
thirty minutes later, when I emerge,
the minivan and the little kid
are still there, just as I had found them;
I go back inside and tell
the store manager, who goes out
to investigate, while I call the police;
next to me, standing in the line, a man
tells the clerk that he will be
right back, and hustles outside,
leaving his purchases on the counter:
you reckless bastard.



June 29, 2010.

Copyright © 2010, Ricky A. Pursley. All rights reserved.