Altered title

Writer's Digest: Take the title of a poem, then change it slightly and write a new poem with that title.

My source poem title is "The Large Cool Store" by Philip Larkin.

The Small Cool Store

The small cool store where you displayed
your necklaces and earrings
sold coffee, umbrellas, the odd mug or sticker
stamped with an image of the nearest tourist trap.

Your wares were woven, not extruded,
pieced with care and not a little selfish pride.
Life-minutes trickled away as you fed the thread
to each bead. And when

a businesswoman buying scotch tape
would lift one, weigh it, dangling from the stand,
your heart would leap

and then she’d shrug a frown,
tsk at the tag, and drop it to shove
her necessary bucks at you.

You won’t make that mistake again. Love
doesn’t belong side by side with batteries.