Grocery List By John Drudge

He tightened the chair leg 

Until the wobble stopped 

He didn't have a reason 

Worth saying 

His drink didn’t spill  

On the table anymore 

That was enough

You can’t turn it off 

All at once anyway

It leaks in through the walls 

The windows 

The cracks in your head

In a coat pocket 

He found a folded grocery list 

With a few words 

Of a poem 

Scribbled on it

He smoothed it 

Folded it again 

And put it where receipts go 

To be forgotten

He put on his coat 

And left the house 

With the back door 

Unlatched

John is a social worker in the field of disability management and holds degrees in social work, rehabilitation services, and psychology. He is the author of eight books of poetry — March (2019), The Seasons of Us (2019), New Days (2020), Fragments (2021), A Long Walk (2023), A Curious Art (2024), Sojourns (2024), and Too Close to the Shore (2025). His work, often rooted in the quiet truths of the natural world, explores the interplay between human experience and the landscapes that shape it. Widely published in literary journals, magazines, and anthologies internationally, John has been nominated for both the Pushcart Prize and Best of the Net. He lives in Caledon, Ontario, Canada, where the forests, fields, and changing seasons are constant companions and an enduring source of inspiration.