Work Shirt
What could I write now that is true?
I am tired
I am broke
I am hungry
(have been hungry for days
but have been too ashamed to admit it
because my spouse has no appetite
so it makes me feel ashamed that I do).
Here’s what happens when you are poor and you are starving:
you spend most of your time thinking about how you are poor and you are starving.
When you’re out of tampons
out of cash
maxed out on credit
but happen to have a roll of paper towels at home
be thankful.
Be thankful for the convenient half-sheet tears
that fold up so nicely into a pantyliner.
Kirby Chen Mages
Kirby Chen Mages is a writer and interdisciplinary artist based in Los Angeles. She is the recipient of the Elizabeth Kray Poetry Prize and she currently attends Antioch University's Low-Residency MFA program, where she is Lead Editor in Translation for Antioch's literary journal, Lunch Ticket.