a place to spend

i heard on the radio that there are
twenty square feet
of retail space per human in america

apparently this is isn't even a new thing
it may be even worse now
i seem to remember a few stores being built in the area

but it's a fascinating statistic
a prompt to picture just what that might be
if taken literally
a 4 x 5 foot room
filled only withe the stuff
i want to buy

or the stuff they think i want to buy

i don't really spend as much on stuff as i used to
once upon a time i'd hit shoppers' world every other weekend
for cheap dvds and clearanced toys and other crap
it was nice when i had a big apartment with a big room
having had to move twice
into a small apartment with a small room
i no longer crave stuff

nevertheless i picture this imaginary room
one wall is probably frozen food and cold beverages
hot pockets frozen pizza ice cream
beer coke pepsi jolt gatorade
another is probably toys and random weird crap
legos obviously
they'd want to sell me some gadgets
i'm a sucker for those
so there'd be a tiny white birch table with a single
gleaming apple product on it
[they're not into crowding]
and then maybe some clothes or something

some of that stuff is necessary
some of it is just wants
and if we switch it to what retailers think i want
then it gets really messy and i don't think 20 square feet is enough anymore
and they'd be wrong enough that i'd probably find
another closet to shop in

on the other hand
my dear sister frequently refers to me as
'the man who has everything'
that can be interpreted in a number of ways

but i always need more hot pockets