taser poem

                                                                             ye                       st
                            erd                      ay

                            at my library job as I cataloged donated files,
                            papers, and random memorabilia, I found a
                            library staff-wide memo from 1970. “There
                            have been increased attacks on women on
                            campus,” it said. “Try not to schedule female
                            student assistants to work after dark, or if
                            they do work after dark make sure someone
                            male (although it didn’t say male) can walk
                            them to their car.” Don’t worry, I thought, 51
                            years later, I’m way ahead of you. I already
                            bought a mini taser: $10.98 on Amazon. Its
                            crackle is so loud it made me jump. My
                            sister, who was on the phone with my other
                            sister, said "Caitlin just got a taser" and my
                            mom smiled. Anyway, now I have a taser
                            buried in my backpack. If I want to I can put
                            it in my pocket while I walk to my car in the
                            dark, after work.

About Caitlin

Caitlin J Brady is currently studying English at Fresno State University and working in the Special Collections department of the library. She is interested in many forms of media, and recently won a bronze medal from the international Audio Engineering Society for her work in putting sound to visual media. She is applying to MFA programs for poetry.

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Alex Di Guglielmo