Search and Rescue

I lost my hat
On a winter day, 
A cold wind swirling. 

I squished it
On my head, 
Dashed
Into the store 
For only
A couple of things. 
I balanced them  
Carefully 
In my arms,  
No need for a cart. 

About to exit, 
I decided
To skip the hat 
And shelter 
In the collar
Of my coat.
 
But the hat was gone. 

I turned back, 
Murmured
Explanations 
To a customer, a clerk. 
Walked as quickly 
As I could, 
Followed my trail 
Through the aisles. 
To vases of tulips, 
Not yet budding, 
Promises
In yellow,  
Orange,
Pink. 
I looked
Above,  
Below, 
Around. 
Then on
To the racks 
Of swimsuits, 
Whispers
Of summer
And holiday. 

Shifting the weight 
Of my purchases, 
Clutching my receipt, 
I wondered why  
I searched 
For this wooly black 
Stocking cap snatched 
From a clearance bin. 
I scanned the floor 
As I retraced 
My path to the registers. 

I spoke to a clerk 
At the self-checkouts, 
The same stony man 
Who had told me 
To set my items  
On the shelf
To the right 
Of the scanner, 
Not the left. 
I had mumbled 
That I thought 
The one too small 
And rickety 
For the heavy vase, 
But he had moved on. 
Now I had to move on, 
Because my hat 
Was gone. 

I asked if he  
Had seen it. 
“No, but you can ask 
Over there.” 
He pointed to  
The front of the store. 
He said nothing 
More, but I assumed 
He meant
Customer service, 
Not the snack bar. 

I almost left. 
Only a few minutes 
Had passed, 
Too little time 
For a nondescript cap 
To be found 
And held 
For safekeeping. 

But I felt a pinch, 
A nudge
To ask, 
To seek, 
To hope. 

“I’m looking for 
My stocking cap. 
It’s black and...” 
“Is this it?” 
“Yes! Thank you!” 

I shared my joy 
With the stony man 
And received a nod 
In return. 
I held fast to my hat, 
Squinted at the cold, 
And rushed to my car. 

Someone found 
A black hat 
On a shelf 
Or the floor. 
Considered it 
And chose rescue. 

I searched  
For the hat, 
Though it wasn’t 
Valuable 
Or special. 
Not knitted  
By a loved one 
Or bought
As a souvenir. 

I seized a last chance 
Before leaving, 
And the work  
Of the rescuer 
Was complete. 

Today I sit  
With the story 
Of a hat 
Lost and found, 
And sense
A mystery
Altogether different.