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Nancy Scott is the author of three books of poetry, Down to the Quick (2007), One Stands Guard, One Sleeps (2009), and A Siege of Raptors (2010). Her poems have appeared in numerous literary journals and anthologies, including Mudfish, Poet Lore, Witness, Journal of New Jersey Poets, Slant, and The Ledge. She has one biological child, three adopted children, and four grandchildren. She was also a foster mother to more than 20 other children.
A version of "Leah on Shopping" was published in One Stands Guard, One Sleeps.
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Leah on Shopping
By Nancy Scott
July 10, 2010
Animal Crackers have gone the way of Farina.
Leah wouldn't be caught dead carrying
the little red and yellow box with its string handle.
Forget Farina. I tell her when I was a kid, I ate it
laced with brown sugar and butter. She rolls her eyes
at my dinosaur tale. I avoid stores that offer
pint-sized shopping carts, with pint-sized flags
and signs: Future Shopper. Leah doesn't need
inducements. Today a lanky old man guards
samples of Special K's new cinnamon and pecan.
Leah wolfs a miniature cupful. More, she says.
The man hands her a coupon. She thrusts it at me,
grabs a full cup with each hand and darts away.
Clutching a super-sized cereal box, I say,
Let's go to the park. You can climb on the monkey bars.
Leah says, Let's go to the mall and buy a pink bear.
But you have a million stuffed animals.
Arms akimbo, she slits her eyes, stamps her Nike sneaker,
and says, I need to rescue another one from the shelf.
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