Don’t sneeze
the fear in me will rise
and I may explode no surprise.
Several cents
never enough for a dent in all these debts
and we all must smile
submitting to their denial.
Another dollar
and several more
as they’re coughing on the sales floor
I wince as they tap my back
and ask for a measurement, politeness I lack.
I’m not a therapist
and your loneliness
my lack of interest shall never cure
the more you speak the more I fear
and a laugh
hidden beneath the mask
because I’m not kind
and the world is not fine.
Your walking around
face naked as I serve your ground
so please distance
in every instance.
Thanks for reading.
-Temperamentally Tina
Don’t sneeze.
Temperamentally Tina 