LatinosUSA

One thing I came up with that saved a lot of grief, so I became a sort of hero for a minute: I put the baby in the trunk, wrapped her in blankets so she wouldn’t get tossed around corners or when I slammed on the brakes. Otherwise someone had to hold her in the back seat and we’d have been turned back at the checkpoint. It was sheer luck that kept her quiet. The dogs weren’t the least bit interested and we made it through without a hitch. But I only did it the one time. And I struggled to come up with a second act. I sold Halloween masks and volunteered as an election worker but the masks I sold weren’t allowed at the polls and the profits were meager. I still had the blankets in the car but the baby was too big to fit in the trunk. I thought about axolotls and tardigrades but everyone who loved me for those five minutes succumbed to self-loathing. I try to look at the big picture and all I see are the details. It’s all I can do now to hold my head up in this town.

Bio:

Gerald Yelle has worked in restaurants, factories, schools and offices. His books include the bored, The Holyoke Diaries and Dreaming Alone and with Others. His chapbooks include “No Place I Would Rather Be” and “A Box of Rooms.” He lives in Amherst, Massachusetts.