I’m exhausted

Spent, consumed, zapped

In this race of life, I have been lapped

The sweet potato casserole turned out okay

The gathering was small

My dog behaved

My parents, my brother, then the in-laws

I think most people ended up hurt

Would I rather go to work?

There’s a race there too

After dinner the ads begin

They try from every angle to pull me in

I fall asleep at 7:30

Who cares that I went to bed dirty

Rain taps at my window in the morning

My dog is snoring – husband too

It’s Black Friday

I look around

There’s not a thing worth buying I haven’t already found

There’s quiet here, my kin, peace

The rain falls harder

Somehow it puts me at ease

I get up and dressed

Ball up my “to do – to buy” list

I grab a bag and plunder the house

Filling it with all the things we won’t miss

Then I lace my shoes

For a rainy black Friday’s the perfect mood

I head out and run in the pouring rain

I drop the bag in the shelter’s box

I run past all the stores with lines out front

There’s water in my socks

I doubt those shoppers will find what they want

I keep running in the pouring rain

I’m soaking wet but go into the barber shop

“Take my mane,” I tell the hairdresser

She gives me the chop

Makes my hair into a wig

To give away to a little kid

I’m weightless as I run down Granby Street

Glad to be alone, have life in my feet

Given what I have to someone else

Feeling a little refreshed

Turn off the ads, grab a bag

Take off some stress

Take inventory of what you have

Your husband or your dog, perhaps

Your quirky family?

A reason to laugh?

Rejuvenate, revive

Take note that you’re alive

Instead of trying to get more

Or to advance in another rat race

Look around at your current place

Hear the sound of the rain on your window pane

Give what you can away

Take your husband and dog for a stroll

Besides, in all the running and accumulating, what is your goal

It’s alright to chill out on Black Friday