Unprofessional - Kassidy Slaughter

poem read by Timothy Arliss OBrien

Unprofessional
Kassidy Slaughter

The ice burned through my flesh

Unprofessionally

Tighten my grip

Unprofessionally

Red skin

Raw skin jotting notes down with every click

Indoor frostbite

Status on

Circular indicator hanging around my head

Technology stripping me down

Glued to my seat

Hot summer day

Like skin peeling from my young body on the hot metal slide

Leaving a piece of me as I go to write or sip tea

I gripped the ice one more

Water slipping through my fingers

I grasped for the cold water, but it only spilled in my lap

Seeping through my computer

Nullifying the keyboard clicks

Shattering my camera

Pixelating

Throwing myself into the screen nakedly

Unprofessionally

Cut my skin with a half-moon slice

Unprofessionally

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Kassidy Slaughter (she/they) is an Appalachia-grown poet, zine artist, and children’s book author. She is a ballet dancer in her free time. dreamsanddogwoods.wordpress.com