Mercury Sunderland (he/him) is an autistic gay trans man. He's been published by University of Amsterdam's Writer's Block, University of British Columbia's Decomp, UC Davis' Open Ceilings, UC Riverside's Santa Ana River Review, and UC Santa Barbara's Spectrum.
DINNER WITH HOMER SIMPSON
my dad says,
if i were to have dinner
with any fictional character,
it would be homer simpson
because he’s passionate about life
& he’d gladly eat anything.
.
i set the tablecloth
& put on the classical music
fancy forks & fine china
line each edge
of this magnificent table
& with my hand inside
the cablebox
i bring out our first-course meal
of krusty burgers.
did you know i was originally going to be
krusty the clown
says homer
when we first enjoy
frosty chocolate milkshakes
poured into wine glasses.
he sees the
green-haired man
on wrappers delicately
thrown away
but this doesn’t insult him
a family man
can only be
in so many places
at once
sleeping at power plant jobs
& a home with a family
suits the simple life
not backstage cigarettes.
french fries in ketchup
will always bring joy
a cheap sandwich
guilts you with
the taste
.
for dessert we have
lard lad donuts
a baker’s dozen found
in a cable box
where frosting remains.
POPCORN SEEDS & CHICKENS
mount baker light rail station
is crowded with
popcorn seeds & chickens.
birds peck for an unpopped meal
among the feet of
the many traveling businessmen
& youth grasping
starbucks cups
be careful
where you step.
pecking beaks
find each kernel
over concrete littered
in ancient gum
from a chickenless time
the sidewalk cracks
are not easy
to be seen
& your feet
can just barely find
the surface
there are bigger things to worry about
than flightless birds
running headless
after death.
you descended on escalators
to the birds
who do not sing
plucked feathers
from socks
tried to take your mind off
salt & butter
one day will melt
into another obscurity.
mount baker light rail station
is crowded with
popcorn seeds & chickens.
birds peck for an unpopped meal
among the feet of
the many traveling businessmen
& youth grasping
starbucks cups
be careful
where you step.
A BOUQUET
on my dining table there is
a bouquet of stone roses
carved elegantly
painted carefully
these roses
will not wilt
winter
is on the horizon
because i cannot give water
to what does not grow in soil
instead i must find
the artificial paralysis
of what could’ve blossomed
frozen
on faded pink petals
gathering dust
metal leaves
wearing out
of green paint
yellow streaks
of eroding memory
forever preserved
where i eat my lonely dinner
& pretend
that you were not there
because your love for me
was too coiled in rose bushes
but i still did not see you
sitting across from me at my table
SCREWDRIVER:
one (1) grapefruit half
two (2) shots of vodka
one (1) can of grapefruit-flavored seltzer water
ice
take that grapefruit half & chuck it halfway into the top of a tall glass. with a simple hand wood citrus squeezer you will strangle the juice & guts weeping from the breakfast fruit. pulp & seeds will line the clear bottom of burnt sand. take the hollowed shell of grapefruit peel & throw it into the compost bin.
a. if you do not have enough grapefruit you can simply take the other half too.
tomorrow morning you will instead cut a blood orange in half & eat with a bladed
spoon. oranges already grow pre-sliced but so do grapefruits. the difference
between the proper ways to eat oranges & grapefruits is societal expectations like
breakfast & dinner.
pour vodka into two of your pokemon shot glasses. your childhood joys come to life in adult drinks. pour squirtle & bulbasaur into the juicy remains.
a. when you make cocktails with frozen berries this truly marinates the fruit in
alcohol. but grapefruit juice is not icy blueberries & strawberries & blackberries &
raspberries. this is because you simply do not currently have any frozen fruit & you
must learn to do what you can with only what you have.
grab that can of grapefruit-flavored seltzer water. even if you did have enough grapefruit it is still cheaper to stretch the price of real fruit. add ice for cold but also extra drink stretches. drink before animated adult netflix sitcoms & sims 4 gameplay but this is simply a serving suggestion.
pulp will rise with ice cubes. a thin layer of grapefruit remains like beer foam from a bartender who actually knew what they were doing. bartender knows too much of your personal business to screw up your life easily & it’s better to stay inside and drink.
A SCHOOL OF FISH
circles in harmony
underneath a blue surface
thin slender
bodies of scales
breathe filtered gills
water
has never been
so clean
swift fins slice
the soft current
i know it should be easy
but you must be patient
you are only just now
learning to swim yet again
& the riptide will arrive soon
deep currents dive from depths
& create whirlpools
just keep swimming
water
has never been
so clean
thin slender
bodies of scales
breathe filtered gills
a school of fish
circles in harmony
underneath a blue surface.