Shopping Liszt

When a certain exuberant musical genius
enters a bustling midtown market
in search of provisions on a busy Saturday afternoon,
dramatic disruptions inevitably ensue.
He holds court in the spice aisle
regaling passersby with tales of his mother’s goulash
made with mutton and a nice red wine
best served over fresh egg noodles.
He openly weeps over oven-roasted turkey breast
“Dearest Marie Duplessis--
I promised to take her to Constantinople.
Alas, she died of consumption.
I never saw her again.”
To boost his spirits, he shows off the three-hand effect
on the handle of his shopping cart
causing it to crash into an endcap of stacked soda bottles
creating a sticky, fizzy mess on the floor.
But all is redeemed when upon entering checkout
he empties the contents of his purse
into a collection jar for childhood leukemia
“We can never be too generous with our money,”
he says, “or our talents.”

--published by Cholla Needles