A UN Meeting in Aisle 17

Make it look pretty
he said

This is the grand opening

When I’m here

you’re gonna be facing your asses off

So we faced

me and the kid from Ghana

pulling the Fresh Burst Listerines
and Dove body bars out

he pulled
like his life depended on it

while the managers
smoked cigarettes
and talked about bowling

he pulled and pulled

for pennies

for his family back home

I pulled for rent

I was much slower

I liked the guy though

we were both pulling

while the rest of the world picked

it was the way it worked

it was the way it didn’t

© 2010 Lee Kitzis

Cleaning the Shelves

The old women on the laxative bottles dance

There’s a box of irritable bowel meds
with an ice cream cone on it

next to the ice cream cone it says
“vanilla twist”

next to that it says
“diarrhea”

I make my way to the “personal confidence” pads
when the muzak kicks in

I estimate I’ve inhaled about 3 grams of human skin cells

it must be 3:30

I check my cell phone clock

it’s 2:15

Depends
pour femmes

French is such a beautiful language

If you ask them why

why you have to do this

they’ll tell you

it must be done

if you ask them
for more money

they’ll tell you
it cannot be done

and the maxi-pads stay clean

your grandpa shits in his pants

and everyone thinks he was gardening

and you continue to inhale your forefathers
for a check that isn’t yours

You continue

with the bad music

and the dust

© 2010 Lee Kitzis