avatarPenofgold

Summary

A customer empathizes with a cashier struggling to breathe, reflecting on the shared human experience amidst the pandemic.

Abstract

The narrative unfolds in a grocery store where a customer observes a cashier having difficulty breathing while wearing a mask and not using gloves. The customer, initially concerned about COVID-19 transmission, becomes increasingly empathetic as the cashier verbalizes her discomfort. Despite the transaction's mundane nature, the customer's concern grows, mirroring broader societal issues such as the disproportionate impact of COVID-19 on people of color and the importance of acknowledging individual struggles. The interaction prompts the customer to reflect on their own life, recognizing the tendency to persevere through discomfort until reaching a critical point.

Opinions

  • The author suggests a tension between personal safety concerns and empathy for others during the pandemic.
  • There is an underlying critique of societal norms that often prioritize tasks over personal well-being.
  • The cashier's predicament serves as a metaphor for the broader struggle of essential workers during the pandemic.
  • The mention of "Black Lives Matter" connects the cashier's health issue to systemic inequalities, implying that the author is aware of and concerned about these issues.
  • The author seems to advocate for a more compassionate approach to interactions, emphasizing the importance of checking in on each other's well-being.

Poetry | Self-Care

The Cashier Who Had Trouble Breathing

I wondered if it was COVID and she wasn’t wearing gloves

Image by Liquid artiste Arya on Unsplash.com, text and frame by author

I wonder, then try to ignore that I’m holding my breath under my paper mask as she rings up chocolate covered banana popsicles, until she says, “I can’t breathe” again.

I regret having bargain items covering the whole black check-out stand, Bubbie’s pink horseradish — a find, frozen chile rellenos, Challenge whipped cream, Amy’s Pad Thai, chicken and vegie burritos. Black Lives Matter, in the back of my mind which does not like to be unkind, I ask if she needs a break, needs water, someone else can take over? She looks up to get air and down, stamping prices, COVID? Her bare hands touching my tofu… people of color more likely to get COVID-19, organic apples, pears, rooted lettuce, she touches her chest, it isn’t funny. stroke? egg roll wraps, chunky peanut butter, I ask if it’s her mask, thick over her mouth, not nose.

Over $200 later I see her long braided hair, moist forehead, broad shoulders, hand on her chest, I see myself, how I lead most of my life, ringing up groceries like nothing is squeezing my organs, not responding, not leaving, until I am gasping.

Covid-19
Self-awareness
Self Improvement
Poetry On Medium
Poetry
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