couponing by Emrhys Ma

I want this and it’s ugly. It has seven buttons

and half of them match

the color of my flesh

behind my knees.

I want this and it’s ugly,

knuckles cracked and

have you considered buying more aquaphor?

Our grocery list is twelve pages long,

I get lost by the freezers and I want

the ugly things. Garish packages and unfood shaped

food. I throw them in

my shopping cart basket tote

and everything weighs more

than I thought it would. It’s like you’re a child

with long hair

in the bathtub

and for a moment you realize

how fucking heavy

your hair is.

The flesh inside my elbows

aches with the weight

and I get home and stock the freezer

fridge pantry, unbuttoned.

---

Emrhys Ma (they/them) is a non-binary disabled parent who spends too much time online. You can find evidence of this on Twitter and Instagram at @em_cee_ma. They also review children’s literature and media at kidculturereviews.family.blog.