WE’RE NOT RUDE
WE’RE BUSY
PLEASE LET US DO OUR JOB
rubber-pink-finger points
cans, bottles—here
Gatorade empties rifled away—NO money for these
push the hair strands from your blue eyes
from your tee with the rainbow cat
rubber-pink-finger fires the final bottle
thank you, I smile
your lips don’t shift
more customers enter, I exit
with one 20—and two questions
do you own a rainbow cat?
do your blue eyes brighten when you smile?
hope you’re all managing the humidity
am:)
This piece is based on the night my father passed away. I can’t believe it will be a year this November since he left us. On the night of my dad’s death, all emergency responders were nothing short of amazing🌹
Unwarm
was it your choice
choosing sleep to die in
I watched them
watched them dad
in your mint bedroom
trying to make your chest say something
while your mouth was bound with elastic
and a pump shoved down your throat
screaming in my head
PLEASE stop
he’s gone
leave him be
it goes on like this for an hour
or nearly so
not pronounced dead
until the white sheet
in the emergency room
was that for us
was that for you
maybe for them
still unsure
I kissed your cheek
not entirely unwarm
you look good dad
not dead
not cold
just quiet
anntogether 