That Shoplifting Vibe

During the afternoon.
A shop assistant follows.
Do I look that ragged?
A vagrant out shopping.
A little hirsute, maybe.
In strange shapeless
shoes and light blue.
If I’d dressed in black,
would that shoplifting
vibe not hang about
my person.
Will she believe me
when I say –

There is nothing in your store
worth stealing.

Not a single nondescript
scrap of cotton.
Not a shirt, suit or jacket.

And there I go,
out the door.
Undragged and uncomfortable.
Public enemy #1.
Trailing the colourful vapour
of that shoplifting vibe.