A very pregnant
woman eating a wide slice
of cake, laughing.
A very pregnant
woman eating a wide slice
of cake, laughing.
He’s getting over
a cold. I’ve got a bloody
lip. We hug goodnight.
New co-worker asks,
“Are you the same Elissa Ball
who’s on that poster?”
Seeing my name on
a giant poster gave my
ego a big boner.
Running up Pike Street
hill because I’m running late
for running club.
Light outside on my
way to work and on my way home.
It’s really happening!
I remember the
name of my neighbor’s dog but
never my neighbor’s.
Can’t handle a kegger
in Chinatown tonight. Can barely
handle Ethan Hawke!
Friend I almost gave
up on calls out of the blue,
erases my blues.
I’m not gonna let
a Budweiser commercial
ruin this song for me!
Carrying a bunch
of daffodils actually
makes me act nicer.
My crystal recharging
in the sun, my boss picking it
up and asking, “What’s this?!”
Is this guy flirting
with me or is he really
talking about sugar?
Coffee grinder on
pulse mode sounds like a squawking
raven. So Northwest!
Across-the-street neighbors
smoke on darkened porches, not
acknowledging each other.
Picking up my first
dry cleaning, I walk out feeling
more like an adult.
Pioneer Square bus stop
sign serves as a fire hydrant
for human males.
On the phone with Mom.
She’s in Hawai’i and I’m
soaking in a hot tub.
No time for homemade
Valentines, no money for
store-bought ones. I feel bad.
First day at my new
job. Already there’s talk of
acquiring a footstool.
Papa sends me a
cell phone photo of his
tomato seedlings.
Forming very strong
opinions about movies
I haven’t seen yet.
Railroad and Holly.
A sketchy man just yells out:
“Who wants to buy drugs?”
I believe, to the
core, this new shade of lipstick
will transform my life.
My plastic Band-Aid
started melting and curled off
my leg: hot yoga.
Excited to spot
raptors. But bald eagles still
remind me of Ashcroft.
The smell of my college
library sends my stomach into
instant panic mode.