Winter Grocery Store

how many years later must it have been
when I happened to glance down the cereal aisle
in that winter grocery store
spying you in contemplation studying
the relative merits of
original recipe versus enriched whole grain
as though a bureaucratic mix-up
from some messy cosmic back office
thought I actually needed reminding of
life’s hard choices

Very little is known of Cody Ray Beck. He graduated with his BFA in Creative Writing from the University of North Carolina Wilmington, completing a University Honors thesis in fiction. Making his home in rural North Carolina, Cody works at a public library and pursues writing that reimagines the southern gothic form. When not at the Library or writing, Cody spends his time tending his garden, playing the trombone, and re-watching Twin Peaks. His work can be found in Second Story Journal and Haiku Journal.