COUPONS

Coupons make me crazy.
I look for them in inserts.
I cut them out.
I save them.
All in the hope of saving 30 cents
on my contact lens solution,
or laundry detergent,
or frozen lasagna.
But my life has changed.
I no longer go shopping once a week,
armed with a list
and my coupon collection.
These days,
it's catch as catch can,
and I'm more likely to shop
when I happen to be passing the supermarket
on my way home from somewhere.
And of course at that moment
I'm not carrying my coupons.
Am I really not going to take advantage
of this convenient stop-off
just because I'm going to have to pay
30 cents that I could have saved
on my loaf of bread?
So life goes on
and my coupons lie around
in a pile of optimism and potential,
growing dog-eared and wrinkled.
Until one day
I clean out my tote bag,
utility drawer or refrigerator door,
discover they've expired,
and throw them out.
With a feeling I confess
resembles relief.


© Ellen Azorin