sick day

by Shannon Peil

i thought
real hard
about not showing up tomorrow
but a scab would do my job for half what I make
and it really doesn’t matter
how hard you fuck the white
middle class
american
male
we’ll bend over willingly
stare at the carrot
beg for it harder
until we’re outsourced
and tomorrow I’ll come in again
waiting
to get fucked
patiently

"night terrors"

by Shannon Peil

I can hold a conversation
without moving my upper lip.
I can smile with my eyes
and I can look away
to laugh. I can read
psych papers
about why
people have nightmares
where
their teeth fall out.
I can have my own nightmares
where I accidentally
smile in public.
I can nod
awkwardly
when pretty girls say hi.
I can feel
my rot eating me
from the inside out.

19 & bleeding in New Orleans

by Shannon Peil

the men all screamed
'show me yr tits!'
& the women laughed
they yelled down at me
from the patios
'show me yr dick!'
& i was fuzzy
dazed
& agreeable
i dropped my pants
to the knee
presented myself
smiling wide as they hooted
threw beads down
then yelled
'look out!'
&
watched the cop
throw me face down
grinning into the concrete

-What do you think?-

by Shannon Peil

the doctor was nice and all
bit of a tight ass
but you know the collegiate
especially from med school
he tells me 'you know
you really shouldn't drink
while you're taking percocet'
and I wince and look up
resting my broken arm on my knee
put the AA brochure
into my pocket and tell him
'yeah, yeah
I understand doc. but
what do you think about
maybe renewing my script?'

he's fifty

and we're not too different
but he's been cut by management
cost of living rises
and the pay keeps going down
see
yesterday he was complaining about not making enough
today he's being walked out by a fat lady
with a little box full of his shit
and tomorrow he'll be complaining about not making anything

and that's just the way of the world
isn't it
the weak and old who don't get paid enough
get fired in an instant so the young can pick up the slack
while he's
twenty grand in the hole for medical bills
but they didn't fix him, never will
they just gave him pills
to keep him alive long enough to buy more
pills

but enough about him
I'm twenty-four now and I should be making more money.

by Shannon Peil