THE MALL IN THE MIDDLE OF A TUESDAY

THE MALL IN THE MIDDLE OF A TUESDAY

by matt burns

Sometimes I like to randomly go to a big mall

In the middle of a day

And also preferably in the middle of the week

Like a Tuesday

I’m not sure why

I actually find it peaceful

It’s a little fantasyland

Yes, very consumer-based

And materialistic

But it’s still better than a normal Tuesday reality

Everything looks nice

And smells nice

And sounds nice

It’s all set up to appeal to the senses

So that people buy a lot of stuff

But if you can resist the urge to buy stuff you don’t really need

Everything is just nice to take in

And you save your money

I especially like the smells

The heavy perfumes

And colognes that punch you in the face

Popcorn

Pretzels

Cookies

And then the food court

Japanese cuisine

Italian pizza

Fried chicken

Steak and peppers…

Music plays over the speakers and the TV’s

It’s the top 40

Pop culture is everywhere

But that’s fine

It’s OK

I don’t know why I like all this

But I do

I’m not supposed to like it

I’m supposed to be one of those intellectual types

I’m supposed to feel uncomfortable in such an environment

And turn my nose up at the consumer culture

Those mindless shopping zombies!

But I like the people well enough

And I really like the mall

It’s so cool with the air conditioner

And it’s hot and summery outside

A whole different world

In a long, glass bubble

But I admit I can only handle it for so long

Maybe an hour maximum

And then I have to get the hell out of there