Milk, Bread and a Few Essential Groceries
Rob McKinnon
The town was once a thriving centre
when the paddocks were lush
the crops had been bountiful.
At harvest time there was a boom,
with money to spend
the shops were full of locals and visitors.
At first, hopes were that the drought
would only last a short time
as they had done in the past.
Politicians from where the rain still fell
and the grass was green
had told them so,
it had been a long time now since
they had visited the town.
What was once an occasional event
had dragged on and on
until it had become clear
that it there had been a permanent change.
The streets of the town had once
been teeming with children,
but only a few older locals remained.
No one bothered with “for sale” signs anymore,
no buyers wanted houses in the heat and dust.
A row of empty shops filled the main street,
places that were once meeting hubs
for chats and catch ups by the locals
had become just voids.
Wendy’s shop was last one left open.
In the old days the shelves were fully stocked,
with only a few regular customers
she only stocked milk, bread and a few essential groceries.
She did not know how much longer she could continue,
with no jobs and no money in town
she barely covered the bills,
but she was determined to struggle on
because this was her home
and she had nowhere else to go.
