That morning in the supermarket we queued with full trolleys,
six deep at the thirteen checkouts.
It was busier than Christmas
and transcendently
calm.
Not one baby cried
not one child misbehaved
not one parent shouted
no-one sighed or frowned
and no-one flirted.
Outside, our cars and houses waited
among the trees.
Some of us swapped small words,
but mostly
we simply breathed.
The checkout people smiled
and quietly greeted us.
The company donated its profits from that day
to help those hurt by the Victorian bushfires.