Groceries

Pushing the cart forward,
the steel-framed glass doors slide open
and I am immediately hit with the scent of cinnamon-baked dough and whipped white icing.

My heart sinks as I rush through temptation,
only to be hit by the smell of dead scaly fish,
laid out on ice, frowning, with eyes peering up at us all,
reminding us of the ongoing atrocities.

DAMN IT – they have reorganized this place like IKEA!
You must go through everything!

Past the cut pieces of animal meat bleeding out on the tray
the ground-up muscle and fat, spiced and stuffed into the intestines of their owner,
and named after their European city of origin.

Finally, the “Natural Food Section”
Though I doubt much is natural about
oats squeezed for milk,
lentils mashed and made to look like meat,
and bread that is only edible once toasted.

This is the experience of
a gluten-free vegan 
foraging for food at the Tacoma Drive Sobey’s.

Photo credit: The Blow Up from Unsplash