Touching by Judy Kukuruza Had to go to the store for milk. Mask on, mentally psyching up. Straight to the milk – grab it. To the checkout, staying six feet back, waiting. Cashier, tired eyes—“Is this all?” “Yes.” Smiling beneath the mask, I add, “Thank you for coming to work today. Be safe.” Her tired eyes overflow. A tear wets her mask—“Thank you” I hear. I look away, my own mask now wet. Don’t want to embarrass her or myself. Then I turn back— Why not? Let her see my tears, As she showed hers. Let our compassion show. We have touched. Heart to heart. Maybe not physically, But we have touched each other.
Judy Kukuruza ~ Retired college instructor from CSUB and Bakersfield College. She published her memoir One Body/Many Souls in 2018, and later Poems to Ponder, Little Stories to Play with in Your Mind, and Letters. She publishes her blog, “Our Spiritual Journey” through Word Press, participates in the WOK blog challenge and is published in both the WOK Anthology 2018 Reaching for the Sky and the CSUB poetry antholology, Writing Sound.
Judy, this really touched me. It’s amazing how something as simple as thanking someone for doing their job tell can make their day. Keeping touching heart to heart!❤️