The sadness of the Galleria Mall

The Galleria Mall is a sad, strange place.
Even if you have never been there,
you have probably been to a similar mall.
In my home province of Nova Scotia it was the Sydney shopping centre,
or “the grub mall” as the locals knew it.
It’s that mall with the strange businesses,
like the store with really terrible art, or the electric razor repair shop.
The mall employees stare at the floor, their eyes glazed over;
their dreams are fleeting.
The liquor store has to refuse service to several customers who are already quite loaded (it’s 2 o 'clock in the afternoon).
A clothing store sells leather belts for three dollars.
Old men sit on the mall benches for hours on end,
while outside it is a bright sunny day with almost no humidity.
A café in the center of the mall sells reheated vegetable patties
and hot, flavourless coffee.
Strangely dressed  people walk through the mall with zombie-like expressions;
their children shout incoherently,
their voices echoing through the cavernous hallways.
The security guards are…very overweight.

I recently noticed "final closing sale" signs on several of the business’ storefronts.
I imagined a scene similar to the ending of the movie Poltergeist,
where the entire mall is torn down,
and an ancient native burial site is discovered underneath it.
The troubled spirits are then finally free to rest in peace,
and an unbelievable feeling of calm comes over the entire neighbourhood.