Once again, you’ve taken a very familiar, ordinary, every-day experience that we can all identify with and created something mystical, magical, deeply emotive and thought provoking. You offer us a glimpse into the life of a lost and lonely individual who manages to find solace from his chaotic existence by visits to the supermarket where order prevails, acting like a drug to calm his being and where he can feel a sense of belonging, if only for a short instance. You bring this story to life with highly descriptive language and sensory awareness, so that we can feel the mood, smell the bread and hear the hum of the ‘fridges. There is certainly something strange about the relationship between time/ situation/ circumstances and you invite us to think more deeply on this. Another great story that I loved reading!
Very evocative piece, Wayne. I know it’s a good one when I find myself entering the story.
You have brought definition to that narrow space between loneliness and belonging - something I have always felt when grocery shopping, but have never been able to put words around.
This is verypoignant, Wayne. You’ve perfectly captured the strange, l magic of the late-night supermarket, a place explicitly designed for mindless consumption, yet here it serves as a sanctuary for someone trying to outrun their own thoughts!
The contrast between his stagnant, frozen-in-time home life (those turned-away photographs and unopened letters are a devastatingly good detail) and the predictable, rhythmic 'breathing' of the store is great. I like d the touch of observational humor, too- the ultimate modern metric of time standing still by the checking of the phone only to find the football scores haven't changed really give it a real time feel.
That ending really sticks, too. The realization that he hasn't successfully hidden in plain sight, wrapped up in that 'uncomfortable feeling, not unlike belonging.' There is a comedian called Paul Campbell who won at Edinburgh fringe - he wrote a set called ' the lost tapes of Sommerfeld ( it was a northern supermarket)You can find one of his shows on YouTube - I'm sure you would enjoy his humour. 😊
Once again, you’ve taken a very familiar, ordinary, every-day experience that we can all identify with and created something mystical, magical, deeply emotive and thought provoking. You offer us a glimpse into the life of a lost and lonely individual who manages to find solace from his chaotic existence by visits to the supermarket where order prevails, acting like a drug to calm his being and where he can feel a sense of belonging, if only for a short instance. You bring this story to life with highly descriptive language and sensory awareness, so that we can feel the mood, smell the bread and hear the hum of the ‘fridges. There is certainly something strange about the relationship between time/ situation/ circumstances and you invite us to think more deeply on this. Another great story that I loved reading!
Very evocative piece, Wayne. I know it’s a good one when I find myself entering the story.
You have brought definition to that narrow space between loneliness and belonging - something I have always felt when grocery shopping, but have never been able to put words around.
Thanks Pam, glad you connected with it…
So beautifully written…full of emotions, sensitivity and awareness. This comes through in this piece. Well done!
Thank you!
This is verypoignant, Wayne. You’ve perfectly captured the strange, l magic of the late-night supermarket, a place explicitly designed for mindless consumption, yet here it serves as a sanctuary for someone trying to outrun their own thoughts!
The contrast between his stagnant, frozen-in-time home life (those turned-away photographs and unopened letters are a devastatingly good detail) and the predictable, rhythmic 'breathing' of the store is great. I like d the touch of observational humor, too- the ultimate modern metric of time standing still by the checking of the phone only to find the football scores haven't changed really give it a real time feel.
That ending really sticks, too. The realization that he hasn't successfully hidden in plain sight, wrapped up in that 'uncomfortable feeling, not unlike belonging.' There is a comedian called Paul Campbell who won at Edinburgh fringe - he wrote a set called ' the lost tapes of Sommerfeld ( it was a northern supermarket)You can find one of his shows on YouTube - I'm sure you would enjoy his humour. 😊
Thanks Ruth - will check that Paul Campbell out…