#45 Kevin Brophy 'Shopping in Broome for survival'

Here, on the edge
of civilisation, they shop
as if the apocalypse
is scheduled for next week.
And perhaps it is.
Tinned food goes by the boxful,
everyone's grabbing water,
breakfast cereal, energy bars.
Chocolate's always on special,
and ice, everyone needs bags of it.
The chilled meat looks freshly torn
from some panicked creature.
Everyone concentrates
along the aisles, ready
to pounce on anything long-lasting.

Dusty 4 wheel drives
cough sand and smoke
outside, hunched in on themselves,
dreaming of some long stretch
of rotting road to a safe place
where the only disaster
that could happen would be
running out of water,
Rice Puffs, Pringles or Lindt.

It's all I can do to stop
myself grabbing armfuls
of toilet paper rolls
and potato chip bags
and making a run for survival.