This Is the Last Time I Swear
At Vertex, we call one browser tab worth of inputs a scene.
Each scene is collected into CRUD functions: representing a creation
reading, updating or the deletion of a resource
of which there are almost 50 max.
My resource at Vertex is the taxpayer. A taxpayer is an
entry type, a start and indeterminate end date and
a reason code. My HP laptop clicks into half cubes
with a heavy plastic switch reminiscent of classic ThinkPad.
Every morning: two monitors on articulated arms. One in
landscape shows the scene where my client edits
the taxpayer. Applies a discount code. Verifies their
taxability. Multiple jurisdictions possible on a product
A list of impositions pulled from our API:
the Local Privilege Tax of the
native reservation is a district in Arizona. I
don’t know what I’m supposed
To know I just know in code. My second monitor
is in portrait mode.
Scrolling devtools of my requests.
Red warning text says I need more space bars after
line 305’s colon. The taxpayer
logs of the object inside and object we are
defining is the unique key when tagged with a dollar sign.
Our Fooda app lunch program says American
Halal is serving us today. We slouch
eating lamb drowning in white while
CNN captions what is breaking outside.
Why Movies Are Not Set in the Year 3000
The eyes wrapped in screen become my avatar next week.
Haves have branded baby chromosomes is an obvious safety net.
Death is a sickness.
The oppression of less than infinite. Space as big as
my rocketship. The third stage explosion must mirror
the dream. I have one
too. It looks like ceramic knives, smartphone glass and milk.
I am not afraid of heights, but nobody likes hot things
nobody talks to strangers. I am good person. I am good. I have always been.
We don’t have to show that on tv.
Redundancies
Warren Longmire
Warren Longmire is a poet, a performer, an educator and expert level whistler. He is the co-founder of the Excelano Project Spoken Word Collective, and is former spoken word outreach and contributing poetry editor for Apiary Magazine. He's been published including Metropolary, Eleven Eleven, Painted Bride Quarterly, The New Purlieu Review and in three chapbooks: Ripped Winters (Seventh Tangent 2006), Do.Until.True. (Two Pens and Lint 2012) and the Wyoming default (Moonstone Press 2018).