February 2024 Flash Lit 4 (first one) - Escape

Escape

I was choosing tomatoes

when it happened.

The grocery cart squeaked

when I bumped it, one

wheel out of true.

All through produce

the song crawled after,

and down the aisle

of rainbow sports drinks.

It infected the man

with three day’s growth of beard

and a safety vest.

He hummed and selected

fruit punch.

In pasta and sauce,

the grandma with twins

caught herself singing.

That damn earworm

followed me into the car

and I heard, over and over:

if you like piña coladas…

There was no escape.